“The people formerly known as your audience, or the people formerly known as consumers, are now participants in the process of building your brand.”
[David Sifry from blogs as leading indicators, The Economist]
You are not in control of your brand anymore, those people you thought about as targets, audience, or consumers (all words I have a problem with) are now content creators, critics, collectors, joiners and even influential spectators.
They have an influence over the development of your brand. Your brand is personal to them.
How do you invite them to the conversation? You want to learn how to listen to those sentiments and ideas that make up your brand perception and reality in the marketplace.
There is also the other side, your brand needs to have a core attitude that embodies what your company stands for.
This is beyond humanization, it's about putting a face and a personality on your business. Today, we don't just buy a product or a service anymore, we buy how that product and service makes us feel.
How do you enroll yourself in the conversation? Learn how to listen to your own voice. Make that represent the intent and attitude of you brand in the marketplace. What kind of proof, measurement, plans do you need to participate?