The Rapid Evolution of Technology vs. the Steady Nature of Humans: Why Social Media Marketing Focuses on People, Not Products

December 17, 2024

My absolute favorite New Year’s Eve was Y2K! The entire world was expected to glitch and usher in the Apocalypse. When our electronic devices kept working, it felt like we avoided imminent doom and could be excited about everything the new millennium would bring. Not to hurt your feelings, but that Y2K New Year’s Eve was twenty-five years ago. 

While in the workforce for over two decades, I have seen technology evolve at a pace that would have seemed unimaginable at the turn of the millennium. From smartphones that put the world at our fingertips to artificial intelligence revolutionizing industries, the digital landscape has transformed how we live, work, and connect. Yet, while technology races ahead, human nature remains largely unchanged. This contrast has created a unique shift in how businesses approach social media marketing—emphasizing the people behind the brand more than the products or services themselves.

The Unstoppable Evolution of Technology

In the early 2000s, we marveled at flip phones, slow-loading web pages, and dial-up internet connections. Fast forward to today, and we’re living in a world of 5G networks, smart homes, and virtual reality. Artificial intelligence and automation are solving complex problems, and tools like ChatGPT are changing the way we interact with technology. The progress has been exponential, with innovations arriving faster than most of us can keep up.

Yet, while technology transforms at breakneck speed, the human experience—our emotional needs, desires, and connections—remains constant. We still crave community, authenticity, and trust. As technology advances, it becomes easier to automate, streamline, and scale businesses, but the human element becomes more important than ever. This is where social media marketing comes into play.

Humans Haven’t Changed: Why Connection Matters

Despite all the advancements in technology, humans are still wired for connection. Our brains are built to respond to stories, relationships, and emotional bonds. We trust people, not machines, and we are drawn to brands that feel relatable and human.

Social media has amplified this truth. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok have become spaces where businesses can connect with their audiences on a personal level. Instead of simply showcasing products or services, successful brands are telling stories, sharing behind-the-scenes content, and introducing the people who make the business run.

The Shift: People Over Products

In the early days of social media marketing, businesses often treated platforms like digital billboards, pushing out product images and promotional messages. But as social media evolved, so did audience expectations. Consumers are no longer satisfied with flashy ads and generic slogans—they want to know the who and why behind the brand.

Here’s why showcasing the people behind the company has become essential:

1. Authenticity Builds Trust

People are naturally skeptical of overly polished marketing. When businesses highlight their team, their values, and their journey, they create an authentic connection with their audience. Seeing real people behind a brand makes it easier for customers to trust the company.

2. Relatability Creates Loyalty

Sharing personal stories, challenges, and successes makes a brand relatable. Customers don’t just want to buy a product; they want to support businesses that align with their values and feel human. This relatability fosters long-term loyalty.

3. People Connect With Stories, Not Features

While a product’s features may be impressive, they don’t inspire emotional connection. Stories about the founder’s vision, the team’s hard work, or the impact on customers are what resonate with audiences. Social media provides the perfect platform to tell these stories.

4. Standing Out in a Crowded Market

With so many products and services competing for attention, what sets businesses apart is the human touch. Highlighting the people behind the brand gives customers a reason to choose one company over another.

How to Humanize Your Brand on Social Media

If you’re looking to shift your social media marketing strategy to focus more on people, here are a few key approaches:

  • Showcase Your Team: Share photos, videos, and stories about the people who make your business possible. Highlight their roles, personalities, and contributions.

  • Share Behind-the-Scenes Content: Give your audience a glimpse into your day-to-day operations. Whether it’s a team meeting, product development, or a company event, behind-the-scenes content makes your brand feel accessible.

  • Tell Your Story: Share your company’s origin story, values, and mission. Explain why you do what you do and what drives your passion.

  • Engage With Your Audience: Respond to comments, ask questions, and create content that invites conversation. Showing that there are real people behind the screen builds trust.

  • Feature Customer Stories: Highlight testimonials, success stories, and user-generated content. This not only showcases your impact but also reinforces your connection to your audience.

  • Get Help: Hiring someone to help is an excellent way to make a shift because the person can look at you and your company with fresh eyes and a new perspective. Old habits die hard and having an outsider to help you make a change is often more effective than trying to do it all yourself.

The Balance Between Tech and Humanity

As technology continues to evolve, businesses will have more tools at their disposal to reach customers. AI-driven insights, automated marketing campaigns, and advanced analytics can streamline processes and improve efficiency. However, these tools should enhance human connection, not replace it.

Social media provides an opportunity to balance innovation with authenticity. While technology allows businesses to scale and optimize, the human element remains the heart of successful marketing. By focusing on the people behind the brand, businesses can create meaningful relationships that stand the test of time—no matter how fast technology moves.

Happy New Year: Marketing in 2025

In a world where technology evolves faster than we do, the brands that succeed are the ones that remember what it means to be human. Social media marketing is no longer just about products and services—it’s about connection, trust, and authenticity. By showcasing the people behind the company, businesses can bridge the gap between rapid technological progress and timeless human needs.

If you are thinking about changing your marketing in 2025 and want help from someone who survived the Y2K Apocalypse, let’s talk. If you’re planning on tackling it on your own, just remember that the future of marketing isn’t just about keeping up with technology; it’s about staying true to the people who make it all possible.

Knowing When to Delegate and How to Do It Successfully (Without Big Mistakes)

October 29, 2024

Running a small business or nonprofit can be deeply rewarding, but it also comes with its fair share of challenges. As a leader, you often wear multiple hats, from marketing strategist to operations manager to customer service guru. However, as your organization grows, this multitasking approach can become unsustainable. To avoid burnout and set your venture up for long-term success, it’s crucial to know when it’s time to delegate.

But if you can’t afford big mistakes, how can you delegate effectively without jeopardizing your mission? Let’s explore when to hand off tasks and how to do it right.

Recognizing When It’s Time to Delegate

1. Your Plate Is Overflowing with Routine Tasks

When routine tasks—those that someone else can do just as well or better—start eating away at the time you need to focus on strategic planning, it’s time to delegate. For example, if you find yourself spending hours on payroll or website updates when you should be crafting donor strategies or scaling services, that’s a red flag.

2. You’re Becoming the Bottleneck

If your team is constantly waiting on you for approvals, decisions, or inputs, you’re likely becoming a bottleneck. This not only slows down the workflow but also drains your energy and productivity. Your role should be enabling others to perform well, not controlling every small decision.

3. You’re Experiencing Decision-Makin Fatigue

Nonprofit and small business leaders often make hundreds of decisions daily. When your decision-making capacity gets overloaded, the quality of decisions tends to decline. If you’re experiencing decision fatigue, it’s time to offload some responsibilities.

4. You Lack Specialized Knowledge

If you’re not an expert in accounting or social media marketing, why not trust someone who is? Trying to handle tasks outside your skill set not only decreases efficiency but also increases the risk of errors. Recognize what you’re good at and find experts to fill in the gaps.

How to Delegate Successfully Without Big Mistakes

1. Choose the Right People

Delegating doesn’t mean handing off tasks to just anyone. Identify team members or volunteers who have the right skills and a track record of reliability. If you’re growing a nonprofit, this could also include tapping into your board members or experienced volunteers to help with specialized tasks. If no one on your team is capable, it’s time to find new team members. Picking up the slack for other team members for extended periods of time will only lead to more problems for everyone involved.

2. Set Clear Expectations and Goals

Before you delegate, ensure that the person taking on the responsibility knows what success looks like. This includes defining the scope of work, setting clear deadlines, and outlining expected outcomes. When delegating, clarity prevents confusion.

3. Provide Adequate Resources and Training

Often, mistakes happen because the person tasked with the responsibility doesn’t have the resources or training they need to be successful. Ensure they have the tools, information, and guidance necessary to perform at their best.

For instance, if you’re assigning a marketing campaign to a new volunteer or employee, provide them with your organization’s branding guidelines, past campaign results, and access to any tools or accounts they need. The more prepared they are, the fewer mistakes you’ll need to fix later.

4. Delegate, But Don’t Abdicate

Delegate, but don’t abdicate. Follow up periodically to check on progress and address potential issues. Create a culture where people take ownership of their work by setting up regular check-ins or progress meetings. This allows you to offer support without micromanaging.

5. Communicate, Don’t Micromanage

Micromanaging undermines the purpose of delegating. Trust your team’s skills, and give them the autonomy to make some decisions. If you’re clear about expectations and set up a system for feedback and monitoring, your team will feel more empowered to perform well.

Leadership and Letting Go

For small business owners and nonprofit leaders, delegation can be daunting, especially when the margin for error is slim. But remember, holding onto everything yourself doesn’t just stunt your organization’s growth—it also stunts your own growth as a leader. When you delegate well, you free up time for what matters most: focusing on your mission, vision, and strategies to achieve both.

If you learn to delegate effectively, you’ll not only alleviate stress but also empower your team, increase efficiency, and, ultimately, lead your organization to greater heights.

Phoenix Rising: Rebirth After Burnout

September 02, 2024

In today’s technological climate that blurs the lines between work and home, burnout has become a common yet often misunderstood experience. We hear the term frequently, but what does it really mean? More importantly, how can something that scorches your life lead to something as positive as rebirth?

Understanding Burnout

Burnout is more than just feeling tired after a long day. It’s a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged and excessive stress. It often sneaks up on you, building slowly until you suddenly feel overwhelmed, depleted, and detached. Stress usually feels like “too much,” but burnout feels like “not enough.”

Common Signs of Burnout:

  1. Fatigue and Insomnia: Feeling constantly drained, even after a whole night’s sleep. It’s the kind of tiredness that doesn’t go away with rest. Ironically, despite feeling exhausted, you might find it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep, leaving you even more fatigued.

  2. Emotional Detachment: You might start feeling numb or detached from your surroundings, including things you used to enjoy or people you care about. It can also manifest as compassion fatigue. In helping professions that require constant compassion, 73% of respondents report elevated levels of emotional exhaustion.

  3. Reduced Performance: Tasks that used to be easy now feel insurmountable. Your productivity decreases, and you might even start to question your competence. It’s as if your internal gas tank is empty. No matter how hard you press that gas pedal, you’re not going anywhere.

  4. Cynicism and Irritability: Feeling more pessimistic, critical, or irritable than usual? These are telltale signs that your emotional reserves are running low.

Burnout as a Catalyst for Rebirth

While burnout can feel like hitting rock bottom, it’s also an opportunity—an invitation to pause, reflect, and make changes. When you reach a point of complete exhaustion, it often forces you to reassess what’s truly important. This introspection can lead to profound personal growth and renewal.

Here’s how burnout can lead to a positive transformation:

  1. Rediscover Your Values: Burnout often highlights the areas of your life that are out of balance. It’s a wake-up call to realign your actions with your core values. What’s truly important to you? Are you spending your time in ways that reflect that?

  2. Set Boundaries: One of the most common causes of burnout is a lack of appropriate boundaries. Whether it’s work, family, or social obligations, burnout highlights the influences around you that may be draining. Strong leaders who know how to dig deep and get the job done often give so much of themselves that it can feel like lighting yourself on fire to keep others warm. Assess your own needs and communicate them. The people in your life will hear your request for help and either work with you so your needs are met too, or they will reject you and leave your life, but you will not get well in the same environment that made you sick. If nothing changes, nothing changes

  3. Reprioritize Self-Care: Self-care often takes a backseat during burnout, but it’s also the time when you need it the most. Self-care doesn’t necessarily look like a spa day. Self-care also looks like saying no to good things so you can say yes to better things. It’s nurturing yourself mentally and emotionally the way you nurture your loved ones.

  4. Embrace Change: Burnout can be a catalyst for change—sometimes big, sometimes small. It might prompt you to change jobs, switch careers, or simply adjust your daily routine to better support your mental and physical health.

  5. Seek Support: Burnout can feel isolating, but it’s also an opportunity to reach out for help. Whether it’s talking to a therapist, joining a support group, or simply confiding in a friend, acknowledging that you need support is a powerful step toward recovery.

  6. Hire Help: If you can afford to hire help with smaller tasks at home or work, do it. Your precious energy and attention need to go to your priorities. Everything else must go, at least during the initial stages of your burnout recovery.

  7. Discover New Passions: When your current path leads to burnout, it’s a sign that something needs to change. This can be an opportunity to explore new hobbies, interests, or passions that bring you joy and fulfillment.

Embracing the Journey of Rebirth

Burnout does lead to significant changes in your life, and the changes can appear to be a heaping pile of ashes that was once your life, but it also makes room for a new and beautiful life. Rebirth doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process that requires patience, self-compassion, and a willingness to embrace change. As you rise from the ashes of burnout, remember that it’s not a sign of failure, but a natural part of the human experience. It’s a moment of transformation, an opportunity to shed what no longer serves you and step into a new chapter with renewed energy and purpose.

Burnout may be a challenging and painful experience, but it also holds the potential for profound personal growth. Embrace it as a call for renewal and allow yourself the space to rebuild, stronger and more aligned with your true self. The journey of rebirth is a beautiful one, and it begins with taking that first step toward healing.

If you’re feeling burnt out, take it as a sign to pause and listen to what your mind and body are telling you. Let it be the catalyst for a more balanced, fulfilling life. If you want to take marketing and social media off your plate, call Kaiser Creative, then get back to building your beautiful new life