Katie McCaskey

Empathy is the cornerstone of engagement online  —  so why do so many people make a mess of it?

First, let’s talk about the slimy marketers and salespeople (online or off) who will parrot you, your fears, and your concerns in an attempt to connect with you long enough for you to open your wallet…

(Yes. They ruin everything. They make your job more difficult.)

Empathy – when used for in the context of online communication, and for the powers of good – can have stunning results beyond just the immediacy of keeping you on a website or making an initial sale. In fact, empathy can drive ongoing, enthusiastic supporters who do your selling for you.

(Wow – they really *get* me!)

Too bad empathy is frequently overlooked or faked. We’ve all seen a getting-to-know-you conversation turn into a not-so-disguised getting-to-sell-you conversation. We sense when data is being collected for no good reason other than to serve the collector. In short, we’re all just over it.

No wonder true, sincere empathy in such demand. Especially online.

How do you give it? Well, first, you must understand that you don’t “get” empathy — you give it. The more you give, the more you get. Here’s how in your online content marketing:

Listen.

You can discover a lot about what your audience wants and needs. Your audience is a collection of individuals, but, you can think of them as one person. What do they need? What makes them feel good?

But what if your customers aren’t discussing you?

As Jay Baer writes, “It’s difficult to make listening and opportunistic engagement the nucleus of your approach when there’s nothing to listen or respond to in the first place.

That’s why content marketing becomes steadily more important for brands that don’t have existing social chatter.

If they’re not talking about you, it’s up to YOU to create content that gets them talking. [emphasis added]

In addition:

Make Empathy Part of Your Brand, and Core to Your Brand Communication

Examine the problem your website and/or products solve. Connect with the problem, and convey it’s legitimate role in helping your audience/customer. Make sure all your marketing copy (web, print, otherwise) references this solution from the customer’s perspective.

And if they still aren’t listening and discussing you?

Keep revising until you’re talking directly, and genuinely, to their needs.

Don’t “drop”, as in omit, empathy as an unnecessary, feel-good aspect of your marketing. Add empathy, because it’s powerful and meaningful if it’s genuine.