Brands that Feel Human Will Lead in 2025

Hi, there!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and start to the year! 🥳

I traveled home to Maryland and loved spending time with family and friends. It was great to take some time off work, reflect on 2024, and set goals for 2025.

One of my main goals this year is to build a community of business owners through this newsletter.

If you ever have a question, want to share an insight, or just want to catch up, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I’d love to hear from you.

And if you know of any business owners who might benefit from this newsletter, I’d love it if you’d share it with them! Here’s the link to subscribe.

Now, let’s talk about branding for 2025!

One of my predictions for 2025 is that brands that feel human will lead the way.

AI is everywhere and businesses are increasingly using it to communicate with their audiences, whether it be through writing emails, drafting social media posts, etc. The list goes on.

It’s an incredible tool for productivity (I use it myself for streamlining tasks), but solely relying on it for communication strips away the human touch needed for building genuine, meaningful connections—the types of connections that are crucial for building your audience and their loyalty.

So while I definitely think you should take advantage of AI for efficiency, don’t let it replace the effort needed for building deep connections.

The brands that invest in and embrace connection will be the ones that stand out in a sea of automated interactions and impersonal experiences.

Here are some great ways you can strengthen you audience connections this year:

1. Commit to sustainability
   People increasingly want to support brands that prioritize the planet. Are there ways you can weave more sustainable practices into your existing business model?

2. Embrace human touch and imperfection
   Lean into what makes you unique and share that with your audience!

3. Prioritize quality over quantity
   Offer fewer, higher-quality products! Today’s consumers are preferring thoughtfully-curated items over many average choices.

4. Be transparent and ethical
   Share your processes and how you do things. This will build your audience’s trust and they’ll feel more connected to you.

5. Create meaningful brand experiences
   Think about ways you can connect beyond online. Can you meet in-person or host events? It doesn’t need to be all the time, but doing this will help form deeper connections.

6. Be a powerful storyteller
   Share personal stories and experiences to build community of people who can relate.

7. Invest in social media
   Engaging consistently with your audience is a great way to understand their current needs and inform you on how you can better solve their problems.

8. Foster community
   People are craving connection and community. Build community-driven spaces, whether it be online or offline, and your customers will become life-long supporters and brand advocates.

Something I’m personally working on is embracing imperfection—letting go of the idea that everything needs to be “perfect” before sharing.

One way I’m doing this is by consistently sharing my thoughts on LinkedIn. At first, it felt vulnerable, but over time, I’ve noticed that people appreciate my unique experiences and perspectives, especially when they can relate and find value.

I’d love to know your thoughts and what your plans are for building connection this year.

Reply and let me know!

Here’s to building stronger, more human connections in 2025 🙂 

All the best,

Natalie

Ready to Build Your Brand?

Schedule a complimentary intro call to learn more about our branding process and see if we’re a good fit!

Referral Program

Refer a friend to Lucent Studio and earn $250 when they purchase our Brand Package. Email me and CC your friend!