When people ask me the simplest way to define content content marketing, I tell them that it's all about sharing ‘real’ stories. Real is a keyword in this definition because it means a lot of things, including being vulnerable. I call this the content marketing superpower.

Understanding Vulnerability in Content Marketing

Being vulnerable borders on two things;

1. Connection

2. Authenticity

So here's how it works. As a creator or brand, sharing personal stories or challenges can create a genuine connection with your audience. There's a tricky part to this as well, which is that sharing these stories also opens up the brand to criticism or even misinterpretation.

Imagine trying to share something with a set of thoughts and expectations on how it will be received by the audience, only for people to turn it around negatively.

As for authenticity, vulnerability can enhance the realness of your brand. It can be reflected in the language used, the tone of communication, and the overall consistency between what is presented and the actual beliefs and characteristics of the brand.

To explain this more simply, your brand mirrors you and vice versa. Whatever your brand stands for has to be in line with your personal beliefs. That's how a brand can be perceived as authentic. The flipside of authenticity though, is that sometimes, it is possible to overshare. Oversharing depicts a lack of professionalism and produces results opposite to the original goal. Let’s look at a successful campaign where vulnerability was used.

Dove Real Beauty Campaign (2004)

Let’s explore this campaign from the year 2004 by Dove, a personal care brand. I'll highlight how tech brands can replicate the strategies used, so stay with me.

The goal of Dove’s Real Beauty campaign was to challenge conventional beauty standards set by society. They wanted to celebrate the diversity of women’s bodies and get women to appreciate how they looked regardless of cultural norms.

How vulnerability was used

Dove featured everyday women of various shapes, sizes, and ethnicities instead of the usual airbrushed and sculpted models with “gracefully shaped” bodies. They also conducted a social experiment titled “Dove Real Beauty Sketches,” where women were told to describe their appearances to a forensic sketch artist.

These sketches were then compared to sketches of the same women created from descriptions by strangers. The experiment revealed that women often perceived themselves more critically than others, emphasizing self-esteem's impact on one’s body image.

Results and Success of the Campaign

By showcasing genuine stories of real women with all of their insecurities, Dove created a memorable and relatable narrative that resonated with so many people. This helped build a strong emotional connection with consumers.

The campaign received widespread acceptance as it promoted body positivity and challenged the unrealistic beauty standards set by society. It also contributed to the brand’s positive image, which increased brand loyalty.

How tech brands can use vulnerability in their marketing.

Vulnerability is all about “humanizing” your brand by incorporating a human-centric approach to your brand’s marketing strategies. Drawing inspiration from the Dove Real Beauty Campaign, here’s how tech brands can infuse vulnerability into their campaigns.

1. Using human stories in tech narratives:

Tech brands can include personal stories of users or employees. This can be done by showcasing how their product has positively impacted individuals or communities. Highlighting specific stories told by real people will emphasize the human side of the brand.

2. Diversity and inclusivity:

the diverse users and broader community should be reflected in the marketing materials. Various backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences should be highlighted to make a company’s content more inclusive and relatable.

3. Customer testimonials:

feature authentic customer testimonials and experiences. This can be done by creating an avenue for users to share their challenges, and how the company’s tech solution positively addresses those challenges. By doing this, brands can create a powerful emotional connection with their wider audience.

4. Share behind-the-scenes content:

These glimpses of the company’s product development process can make their audience feel like they’re a part of the brand. This transparency nullifies the distance between a company and its consumers.

5. Address common misinterpretations:

Because vulnerability can open a brand up to public scrutiny and criticism, a lot of misinterpretations may come up. So it is important to address any common misconceptions about your company’s product and openly discuss challenges. This move should be followed by active steps to overcome the said challenges. Taking these actions demonstrates that the brand is trustworthy and open to improving its products to suit the customer’s needs.

6. Make campaigns interactive: Tech brands should prioritize campaigns that allow for user participation. User-generated content, polls, or challenges can be used to get real people to engage and benefit from the company’s product.

Conclusion

It is important to embrace openness in your content strategy to create a lasting connection with your audience. Consumers pay attention to how they feel before, while, and after using a product. Vulnerability is the way to set the scene to allow them to connect and have experiences. The human side of your brand and product.