Digital empathy: how to unlock brand relevance in a changing world

Thanksgiving always gives me a moment to pause and reflect. As retailers announced the first Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, I was reminded that communications is often focused on leading people down a marketing funnel. Sales and donations matter, but they can’t happen without a strong brand and reputation. In today’s world, this means that companies and organizations must speak up and take action on issues that matter to their stakeholders.

People might accept the titles ‘employee’, ‘customer’ or ‘partner’, but they want more. They want to be seen, heard and valued as human beings with changing interests and concerns. This reality calls for companies and organizations to show empathy across points of engagement. But the solution won’t be found in endless optimization. What companies and organizations need is a new approach for building relevance in a digital world. We call it digital empathy.

Digital empathy is a communications approach that uses digital technology to understand and respond to people’s values and priorities. It builds on transparency and authenticity to win trust. And it leverages shared content and experiences to fuel emotional connection. Companies and organizations can practice digital empathy by taking these four steps:

Step 1 – Listen

Listening is a commitment to seeing the world through the eyes of your stakeholders. It’s about gathering insights outside your company or organization so that you can understand the big picture and connect them with the small details. Start with digital listening to find out who is influencing the discourse and what they’re sharing. Analyze the issues that matter to your stakeholders. Then conduct interviews and surveys to explore the nuances of what people think, feel, say and do. When companies and organizations understand the landscape, they can avoid blind spots and proactively empathize with stakeholders. Listening, done continuously, unlocks much needed organizational agility and resilience.

Step 2 – Integrate

Integration is focused on laying the groundwork for a successful communications program. Begin by harmonizing communications objectives with organizational objectives. Then develop a narrative that explains the value you offer and how you benefit the world. We are now in the Decade of Action, so use the SDGs as a framework to showcase your care for people and the planet. Integration also calls for companies and organizations to revalue leaders and employees. Use digital learning to help your people master new skills. Make it easy and fun to share brand messages on social media. Companies and organizations that follow-up listening with integration are more likely to come across as approachable and human in an omnichannel environment.

Step 3 – Share

Sharing involves moving from user experience (UX) to human experience (HX). People don't want to be reduced to a cluster of data points. They want to be seen, heard and valued as human beings. Use videos, podcasts, shoppable content and augmented reality experiences to engage people’s emotions. Explore how blockchain, artificial intelligence and virtual beings can reward behavior. It’s also important for you to address the human experience beyond brand interactions. Nurture communities of trust through user-generated content and co-creation. Create a space where brands and people can develop reciprocal relationships that stay resilient in times of uncertainty and change.

Step 4 – Evaluate

Evaluation is a holistic approach to the measurement and evaluation of communications. Consider editorial content, public relations, digital, social media, partnerships and advertising. Use the Barcelona 3.0 Principles to create organizational value and drive positive outcomes. Then explore how predictive analytics can help you to adapt to evolving needs and issues. Evaluation also invites companies and organizations to cultivate a learning culture. Communicate shared goals and develop shared accountability. Empower your employees to run weekly experiments and fail forward. When companies and organizations combine empathy with data, they are well positioned to provide meaningful input for strategy.

The expectation for companies and organizations to show empathy across multiple points of engagement is growing rapidly. Those that ignore digital empathy are more likely to operate on false assumptions and alienate their stakeholders. Those that practice digital empathy are more likely to create emotional connections with the people they serve. Choose wisely. The reward of digital empathy will be nothing less than brand affinity and organizational agility.