Our DNA is wired for face to face communication. Not phone calls. Certainly not emails.
The written word is relatively new in the history of mankind. Literacy is far newer than that. Emails are just 25-30 years old.
Face to face communication? It’s been there since nearly the beginning. And as tired as many of us are getting to those back-to-back Zoom meetings, we also know – we feel – that those extra emotional connections we get by seeing one another is special, meaningful, impactful. No email or tweet or even phone call can replace it.
Last Friday at both CMO Coffee Talks we shared extensively about video as an asset, a competitive advantage and a near necessity in the modern, real-time sales and marketing toolbox.
Joined by Rehumanize Your Business co-author Steve Pacinelli, some highlights from the discussion included:
- Personalization doesn’t mean as much anymore: So you mail-merged someone’s first name into an email. You spelled their company name correctly in the middle of the copy. Table stakes. These are facts, not messages. The more people that do this, the less differentiated and impactful it becomes.
- Differentiate between personal and human: We used to shoo kids out of the room on Zoom calls, now we welcome their interruption. We relish seeing what people’s WFH spaces look like in the background. Even Alyce, during their YOUniverse event last week, featured each speaker’s #5to9 – highlighting something they’re each passionate about to make them more human. We will see far more of this moving forward. This moment showed us how important it is to us. Video is our key to leveraging and celebrating it moving forward.
- Choose the more “human” channel: Instead of texting, make the phone call. Instead of calling, start a Facetime or Google Hangout or Zoom call. Instead of writing an email, record a short video. The more “human” your channel, the more impactful your message. They go innately together.
- Emotion, tone and complexity drive attention and engagement: Text simply can’t do it.
- Master your body language and hand gestures: Did you know that the most popular TED talks have 2-3x the hand gestures of average talks?
- What’s with you on video helps tell your story: Your background, your props, your attire, your smile. These are all assets to be considered intentionally.
A few other discussion highlights from last Friday:
- Status quos are weaker than ever: Your prospects aren’t as wed to previous assumptions and in some cases will be more optimistic about change. This is your opportunity to lean in on Challenger-like approaches to teach, tailor and take control.
- Celebrate the small wins: Your team is anxious, stressed, grieving. Be intentional about celebrating the smallest of wins by individuals, groups and the whole.
- Increase expressions of gratitude: Make it a habit, add it to your daily checklist. Big things and small, you literally can’t say thank you and “I appreciate you” enough right now.
- Now is the reset, now we move forward: There was a palpable energy on both calls last week, the first day of a new month, a resolve that we’re done cowering in the face of a new crisis and are instead ready to reset and move forward with confidence, empathy, urgency – and a renewed focus on humanization.
If you’re a marketing leader in your organization I’d like to invite you to our CMO Coffee Talk series, presented by 6sense and Heinz Marketing. It’s an informal but highly engaging drop-in interactive Zoom meeting Fridays at 8:00 am Eastern and another at 8:00 am Pacific.
Think of it as coffee with CMOs – you can participate actively or simply watch and read what others are thinking. Get registered with a hands-free calendar invite here.
