what I mean when I say "humane marketing"

when I say "humane marketing," people assume I've gone granola—joined an NGO or started a commune... here's what I actually mean

Last week, I found myself on a call with a potential client who had taken the time to read my humane marketing manifesto.

Right off the bat, he inquired about my "values," his tone tinged with a cautious skepticism. It was as if he was trying to determine whether I'd gone off the deep end - perhaps started weaving my own clothes from hemp or leading a meditation retreat in the mountains.

In my marketing world I'm expected to list acronyms and present graphs that go up and to the right, discussing ethics and values can feel almost subversive.

He wanted assurance that I could still deliver results, and that my focus on humane marketing wouldn't impede the ultimate goal: making money.

I understood his concern. After all, most thought leaders in marketing emphasize metrics, conversion rates, and the latest growth hacks, not the human element. Slow growth is a hard sell even to the most liberal CEO.

I'll admit it caught me off guard. Sometimes I forget people actually read what I write and it's not just my own private intellectual escapism.

When I talk about "humane marketing," people often assume I'm referring to NGOs, B Corps, or organizations whose actual duty is to "care."

When I talk about "humane marketing," people often assume I've become detached from the competitive realities of the marketplace, as if acknowledging the human element is a liability rather than an asset.

But humane marketing isn't about charity, being exclusive, or going soft. And it also isn't about sacrificing profitability or diminishing the competitive edge.

It's about acknowledging the human being on the other side of the transaction. It understands that no one wakes up in the morning excited to be sold to (except maybe telemarketers) and certainly, no one enjoys the regret that comes with buyer's remorse.

You want to make more money in your business. Fantastic! Who doesn't? You, me, especially NGOs. But a humane marketer doesn't immediately jump to scaling ads (though that's a valid approach). Instead, they understand the customer journey in its entirety and might start by examining customer service.

Why focus on customer service? Because everyone notices when it's bad, and more often than not, poor customer service stems from systemic issues rather than someone's lousy attitude. It's easily fixable and, unfortunately, just as easily ignored.

A humane marketer might take a step back and map out the entire user flow, examining every touchpoint from the first impression to the last, and at each stage they might ask themselves:

"How do I want my customer to feel when they first see our brand?" Perhaps intrigued and welcomed.

"What about when they're considering a purchase?" Confident and reassured.

"And after they've made a purchase?" Valued and supported.

They might want to reverse-engineer it and identify exactly what needs to happen at each stage to elicit those feelings.

1. First Impression:
- Website Landing Page: Ensure it's user-friendly, visually engaging, and tells your authentic story.
- Social Media Presence: Share content that reflects your values and resonates with your audience.

2. During Purchase:
- Clear Product Information: Provide detailed descriptions and transparent pricing.
- Customer Support Availability: Offer real-time assistance through chat or a responsive helpdesk.

3. Post-Purchase:
- Personalized Follow-ups: Send a thank-you email that expresses genuine appreciation.
- Easy Return Policies: Make returns hassle-free to instill confidence.

Naturally, these examples are general and your situation is unique. But by focusing on these human elements, you create an experience that leads towards trust and loyalty. You're not just closing a sale; you're opening a relationship.

My potential future client asked me "What is your strongest skill in marketing?" And without missing a beat I said "Having a bird’s eye view over the whole customer flow." And this goes much further beyond building a sales funnel.

The noise in marketing today is deafening: content overload, calls to action, endless features and benefits, upsells, cross-sells, promotions, testimonials, the list goes on. And while these strategies do have their place, they often overlook what truly matters - resonating with the customer's needs and values, loyalty.

A humane marketer recognizes that loyalty isn't built through flashy ads or aggressive sales pitches. But in the small, often overlooked moments, the nuances that collectively shape a customer's experience.

You can emulate a company all you want but it will never copy the fan base and their loyalty.

Profitability is a function of loyalty.

So many studies have already been done on this and I don't want to overwhelm you with numbers, but a typical company receives more than half of its business from existing customers. Imagine how much higher that number could be if you focused on progressing your customers from casuals to cheerleaders. In some categories, a 5% increase in loyal customers can produce a 95% increase in profitability (see Fred Reichheld, "The Loyalty Effect")

What do I mean when I say humane marketing?

Traditional marketing often relies on short-term gratification strategies that aim to manipulate customer behavior, and while these strategies do have their place in the funnel and can yield immediate results, it doesn't build the foundation for a long-term business. It must be followed up by something else, something more.

Humane marketing sees the human behind the marketing. It aims to rise above the noise created by traditional marketing.

Once your point of view shifts, just like mine has, it becomes hard to tolerate the old way of thinking.

You start to see that true engagement doesn't come from shouting louder but from resonating more deeply. And that's more true today than it has ever been.

Humane marketing identifies the intersection between what the organization believes and what the customer believes.

When you focus on shared values and genuine connections, you move beyond transactional relationships to build a community of advocates who resonate with your purpose.

You do this by providing value beyond the product or service. This could mean exceptional customer service, educational content, or community involvement.

It could mean engaging with customers in a meaningful dialogue. Encouraging feedback, listening to their concerns, and making them feel heard and valued.

And yes, for me, humane marketing also means having a reverence for nature and people. For me, it's important to acknowledge that our actions have consequences beyond the bottom line.

It means you'll never see me selling products that are purely built on awareness campaigns—products that are indistinguishable from the competition, products that exist in a vacuum, disconnected from any greater purpose or value. You will not see me selling drop-shipped items from overseas factories, or promoting fast-fashion brands that churn out low-quality clothing at the expense of exploited labor. I also avoid marketing disposable plastics or single-use items. Similarly, you won't find me endorsing products with built-in obsolescence, designed to fail so that consumers are forced to buy replacements.

For me, every product or service I choose to market must resonate with a deeper purpose. It's not enough for a product to simply exist or chase the latest trend. It needs to contribute positively to the lives of customers and, ideally, to society as a whole. Products mass-produced without consideration for their social and environmental impact don't align with the principles of humane marketing, and by extension, my principles.

I LOVE marketing. To me, selling is fundamentally human.

I get a thrill out of helping people achieve their dreams through the tales I tell. And yes, that sometimes means putting out ads to find you, it means using a bit of psychological nudging, a friendly push in the right direction, it means asking for your money.

There are so many people out there building products and services that actually matter and make a real difference. They often struggle to get noticed in the same sea of noise we helped create. If that's you, please keep doing what you're doing, we need more people like you.

So yes, possible future client, if I believe in your product, I'll sell crap out of it. My humane marketing values are not a bug, they're a feature.