People Want To Feel Cared For (Especially When Being Marketed To)

Why Having Empathy is Important in Marketing and everywhere else.

As a society it is becoming increasingly important that the brands that we stand by are aligned with our own core values and ideals. For some people that may mean that they care about whether the chocolate they are consuming is from a fair trade company, or if the environment is being taken into account to avoid deforestation. When trying to connect with your consumer, it is going to be imperative that you treat them first and foremost as a human. That means getting rid of this idea that the only important factor is how quickly you can get them to agree to your proposal. Everyone has had experience dealing with an overly persistent salesperson who comes to your door and is offering to sell you something, usually in the form of unwanted solicitation. 

In the book community, this is where anyone from the author to the influencers can mess up. People want to be listened to, they want to feel valued. In the ever evolving digital landscape, it is easy for someone to get lost in the noise and become another unread comment. Creators who do the best in terms of their own growth and influence are the ones who take the time to ensure that they are listening to feedback and creating value in their day to day interactions with those who they are hoping to get to support them financially. This means listening to both the good and the bad, actively working on those meaningful connections and taking them into consideration when making decisions. 

Empathy is an undervalued trait, and that needs to change as people are growing to be more conscientious of where they are spending their money and what that money in turn is going to be used for.