Hear
NEW! Listen to the article
Log in or register to access this feature!
For years we have been living in a world that is heavily dependent on digital communication. Now the pandemic has managed to accelerate the shift from in-person sales and interactions to online – creating a growing need for digital people.
So what are digital people?
They are hyper-realistic avatars with personalities, facial expressions, and voice movements that strike the ultimate balance between automation and human interaction.
As the skills of digital people evolve, more and more companies are using them as digital brand ambassadors or influencers to improve marketing campaigns and streamline business processes.
The modern B2B influencer
Digital interactions have become essential for the success and competitive advantage of companies in all industries. By providing 24/7 customer service and personalized, human-like conversations with consumers, digital people bridge the gap between digital and physical while creating an innovative way to connect consumers with brands.
A full 64% of US consumers and 59% of all consumers say they feel like companies have lost touch with the human element of the customer experience, a study conducted by PWC found. Ironically, digital people can provide people with the human connection they have been missing while providing unlimited availability and understanding of over 70 languages.
Another element of digital human technology that companies are leveraging is the ability to turn popular celebrities into digital brand ambassadors.
Enlisting the help of a well-known public figure to increase your brand awareness and generate buzz for a particular campaign can be monumental, but of course, hiring someone for your B2B influencer marketing comes at a high price.
It’s much easier to work with a celebrity to turn them into a digital brand ambassador. Gone are the days of going back and forth with the manager of a public figure to check availability and negotiate a price. We live in a digital age in which practically everything is possible, including the digitization of people – with their permission, of course.
For celebrity digital brand ambassadors, basic movements and conversational phrases can be captured in minutes, creating endless opportunities for improved influencer marketing and a brand’s partnership with them.
Four elements of a digital brand ambassador
Whether you’re turning an actress or basketball star into a digital ambassador, or creating a brand new personality to be the face of your brand, keep four basic concepts in mind when working with a digital human experience platform to develop an influencer that Supports your brand.
1. Personality code
It’s important to create a personality that will captivate your audience and leave them with a memorable experience.
You want the personality to embody your brand and values, appeal to your audience, create an emotional connection through the use of non-verbal cues and expressions, and create positive moments for your audience.
Simply put, people interact with your brand directly through your digital ambassador, so the experience should be as positive as possible.
2. Design for conversation
Focus on interactions, not transactions. The purpose of digital brand ambassadors is to make sure they’re as close to a real person as possible – not just a chatbot. So your digital human needs to interact with and connect with your user.
People want an engaging experience, not a robotic experience that they can get from an ATM.
One step in creating conversational design is to role-play interactions to ensure that the digital human is emitting the right emotions to the user. Experimenting with your interactions and expressions helps design inputs that might be overlooked without taking the time to ensure that the digital human’s entertainment is as lifelike as possible.
Such insights help the digital human have the conversation with the user rather than taking a command-driven approach. It also gives digital people the opportunity to have small talk so that the exchange does not appear one-sided.
3. Multimodal UX
It’s important to create an experience that harnesses the power of versatile visual and verbal interaction. Unlike human B2B influencers, digital brand ambassadors are a multimodal digital interface, meaning they can use different types of digital content to create a balanced experience, e.g.
Another way to create versatility for your digital human is to determine what skills you need based on your industry and influencer marketing priorities.
For example, a healthcare company can use its digital workforce as a tool to reduce some of the administrative burden on its doctors. In this situation, the company most likely wants their digital human to work with patients, fill out forms and answer general health questions.
4. Personalization
A top priority for marketers is to build lasting and positive relationships with their customers. Hence, ensuring that your digital human is making their interactions relevant, seamless, and personal is critically important.
Digital human platforms can be connected to a company’s internal database so that the influencer is provided with readily available background information that can be useful in customer interactions.
Part of personalization and relevance to your audience is monitoring your digital human’s behavior and their interactions with users to determine areas that may need manipulation for a smoother experience.
* * *
As consumer expectations and buying behavior continue to evolve, it is up to companies to develop innovative solutions like digital people to build on marketing investments, attract new customers with solid brand connections, and ensure customer loyalty.
By anchoring a digital brand ambassador, progressive B2B companies can build deeper customer relationships and maintain a positive customer experience that increases customer lifetime value and ensures that their interaction with your brand is never forgotten.
More resources on B2B influencer marketing
Five B2B Influencer Marketing Guidelines for Brands
Your B2B Influencer Strategy: How To Get It Right
Secrets of the Most Successful Brands in Influencer Marketing: Lee Odden from TopRank on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]
