You've certainly heard of Lu, the avatar of the retail chain Magazine Luiza! You've probably also heard of Cortana, Microsoft's avatar. There are many examples. Whereas We are moving towards constant automation and robotic integration. In customer service and communication, it is noticeable strong trend towards humanizing these software programs, which are given names, features, outfits, and their own personalities. Yes, avatars or humanized virtual assistants are all the rage. Why create your own personalized avatar? We promise to provide strong reasons for You create your avatar. And we'll show you the best way to do that next. Follow along.
What is a custom avatar?
First of all, it's natural to define the term. An avatar is a graphic representation of a character that represents a brand.They are widely used in communication and customer service areas of a company, and take into account, among other characteristics, The brand's visual identity, its spirit, positioning, and even tone of voice..
We also commonly hear about mascot (a term strongly associated with the world of football, but which is gaining ground in digital marketing). Mascot and avatar are actually the same thing. The difference is that The avatar is a graphic representation of the bust. (head and torso) of the character; The mascot is a full-body illustration..
Why have an avatar?
The short and simple answer: To generate greater identification with your audience!
Compare: a company that provides customer service with a generic, robotic figure, versus another brand that features a mascot with a human name and features. It's undeniable that... emotional bonds With this second brand, they will be bigger. The identification will be stronger. and the brand or product They will be more easily remembered and retained. by the target audience.
Avatars and mascots are key tools in audience engagement strategies. and they act as intermediaries for your business.
Despite the strong trend, coupled with the "recent" automation of customer service and communication, don't think that mascots and avatars are a new phenomenon! On the contrary! Who doesn't remember the Coca-Cola polar bear, the Cheetos and Kellogg's tigers, Ronald McDonald (who needs no introduction), the Duracell bunny, and countless other examples!
READ ALSO: "3 Tips to Delight and Retain Your Customers"
The Advantages
If you're still not convinced of the importance of having your own personalized avatar. We have listed the main advantages.Follow along:
Exclusivity
A chatbot, or robot, is just another robot! Your avatar belongs to you and no one else.It embodies your business and your brand. It's part of your company's assets.
Engagement
A well-developed avatar, with brand positioning and voice. engages much more. It generates more identification. and it provides situations and opportunities for spontaneous interaction.
Economy
Compared to hiring an actor, celebrity, or influencer, Having an avatar is much cheaper.There are no recurring fees or contract renewal bureaucracy (for exclusivity); you only pay for your creation.
Less risk
Hiring a celebrity or influencer to represent you involves risks: any negative behavior or damage to that person's image can negatively affect your brand. The avatar and its behavior are entirely controlled by your business..
Positioning
Because it is controlled by the company itself, The avatar reinforces the positioning and marketing strategies. of the brand itself.
Humanization
We are predisposed to to create emotional bonds and empathy. With human figures (as opposed to software and machines). The avatar's affective characteristics attract and engage more!
How do I create my avatar?
Note that The creation of the avatar begins long before the elaboration of the 2D or 3D illustration.Yes, before getting down to work, a few points need to be considered:
Firstly, as with everything in marketing, Understand and get to know your target audience in depth.The characteristics and desires of your audience will help you understand the best profile for your mascot.
Take into account the brand's identity and branding.; and build what we call brand personaUnlike buyer personas, which represent the profile of the ideal consumer, brand personas bring to the character the values, colors, personality, and vision of the company.
Define the tone of voice your avatar will use to greet and communicate.Based on your brand positioning, define whether the character will be formal or informal, will use slang and colloquialisms, how they will address their audience, among other things. Note that the brand voice needs to be standardized even if it occurs across different channels.
Finally, yes: a creative partThe illustration of your character, taking into account all the points mentioned so far. Quite common in the market: mascots are gaining positions and outfits in the most varied ways possible!
READ ALSO: "How and why build a virtual assistant for your business?"
We can help you!
How about having an avatar that looks like a real manager or representative from your company?
THE MHA – Matrix Human Assistant it's the service of Brazilian Matrix of creating personalized avatars in the image and likeness of human figures.
With over 90 languages available, these avatars are iIdeal for customer service, business communication, and corporate training. and other situations that require dynamic communication with brand identity!
Are you interested? Learn more!
