Recently, I've seen social posts about human to human (H2H) as opposed to B2C or B2B, and I've seen the backlash against them: "Hey, it's not new! It's more jargon!"

Who is right? Both camps. Though the term isn't new, most of what marketers call "human" is whitewashing.

I named my company Keeping It Human five years ago. I've been writing about the human connection for years, and I'm not alone. It desperately needs to be talked about.

When Being Human Isn't

The term "human" is bandied about so pervasively because brands—especially in B2B—have a long way to go toward being human. Of course, I've also heard, "Our clients are too conservative for that."

Nonsense! People, not businesses, buy services. So, marketers repeat the "human" message yet most companies don't really get it.

My answer on how to be a better marketer hasn't changed: Stop marketing, and start connecting with meaningful conversations, not "positioning."

I've talked about "human" a lot in five years. Recently, many marketers have joined the growing chorus.

The good news: More people understand its importance.

The bad news: Most discussion has been incredibly superficial: have a personality, use pictures and videos of people, have a human tone, blah, blah, blah.

Yes, those things are important. However, they are also cosmetic—and that contributes to the backlash. If we're not human internally, none of the external crap matters. Employees, in addition to customers, are the biggest human champions we have, and creating a place they want to work for matters. There are fluid borders between internal and external worlds. Branding is not a Vegas trip: What happens internally does not stay there, and vice versa.

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Human2Human: Jargon or an Old Idea That Still Matters?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Kathy Klotz-Guest

Kathy Klotz-Guest, founder of Keeping It Human, helps companies turn marketing-speak into compelling human stories. A comic improviser and marketer, she also runs a marketing podcast. Reach her via kathy@keepingithuman.com.

LinkedIn: Kathy Klotz-Guest

Twitter: @kathyklotzguest