It’s never been easier to reach your ideal customer. It’s also never been harder to actually connect with them.

We’ve all felt it. A tidal wave of outreach tools, AI platforms, and enrichment databases. From Clay to Apollo, we’re awash in ways to find and message people.

But strangely, it hasn’t made marketing any easier. It’s made it feel noisier, colder, and sloppier.

RIP my LinkedIn DMS: they’re filled with generative AI dross and wonky personalisation.

Welcome to the paradox of modern marketing: the tools have never been smarter, but the results have never felt more fragile.

Luckily, marketers are used to this. Changes in the algorithm. Social media sites being overrun with Nazis. The shift to mobile. We’ve seen it all, and we’re good at building systems to suit the new paradigm, whatever it is.

At the end of this article are four ways you can build a charismatic brand that gets closer to your customers, but first, we’re going on a deeper dive into why this is happening and some thoughts on what this all means. 

Why is this happening?

Tools aren’t strategy. Content isn’t connection. And just because you can contact someone doesn’t mean they’ll care.

We don’t have a reach problem… we have a resonance problem.

A great salesperson used to be the centre of customer intimacy. That’s still true, but to succeed, we need to scale it with content and excellent CRM (both the human and automated kinds)

Customer intimacy used to be the domain of great salespeople. People who remembered birthdays, asked the right questions, and built relationships over time.

These days, we try to scale that same intimacy using workflows, CRMs, and generative copy. And while the systems are more sophisticated, they often make the message feel more generic.

When customers’ needs intersect with your content, you’ve got relevance and an interested audience

Content needs to talk to the audiences challenges and opportunities.

People don’t want to hear about your features. They want to hear their own problems reflected back to them.

They want relevance. They want to be understood.

That’s where strategy and creativity step in.

Real connection starts in the same way for marketing that it does personally: attraction is way more powerful than promotion.

Don’t start with what you want to say. Start with what they need to hear.

Build campaigns around real problems. Use customer data not just to target, but to understand. And make sure your creative doesn’t just fill space, but cuts through it.

This is what we call a systematic approach to customer intimacy.

It’s not a new funnel. It’s a new focus.

A system like this helps you do three things at once:

1. Talk to people who are ready to buy
2. Nurture people who aren’t there yet
3. And stay relevant to everyone in between

Speed up your sales process

When it’s working, everything accelerates. Sales cycles shorten. Engagement goes up. Trust builds because people feel like you’re speaking to them, not at them.

Of course, brand marketing and sales activation still matter, but they’re no longer enough.

They’re tactics in service of something bigger: earning the right to speak to your customer, and keeping that right through trust, insight, and creativity that actually matters.

The new advantage isn’t access. It’s intimacy at scale.

So if your marketing is underperforming, don’t add more noise. Add more nuance. Build a system that listens, learns, and speaks directly to what your customers care about.

So, how do you build customer intimacy systematically?

Here are four strategic moves we’re seeing deliver real results:

1. Map buyer signals, not just personas

Knowing who your customer is matters. But knowing where they are in their buying journey? That’s what turns insight into impact. Look for signals—search intent, content engagement, outbound replies—that indicate stage of readiness, not just role or title.

2. Build content that matches their state of mind

One-size-fits-all content fits no one. Early-stage prospects need useful thinking and inspiration. Mid-stage buyers need clarity and reassurance. Ready-to-buy customers need a clear path to action. Match your message to their moment.

3. Align brand and sales activation around the customer

Don’t treat brand and sales like opposing teams. Your brand should make sales easier. And your activation should build the brand. Bring both together under shared goals: resonance, relevance, and results.

4. Prioritise depth over reach

Your best metric isn’t impressions: it’s impact. Focus on the signals that show real connection: conversations started, time spent, demos booked, trust earned. A small audience leaning in beats a big one scrolling past.

This is the strategic opportunity in front of us: not just better tools but better relationships, designed with intent, delivered with empathy, and measured by meaning.

Who can help me get there?

If you want to become a charismatic brand that gets closer to your future and current customers in a scaled, systematic manner, get in touch.

Like the content system we’ll co-design with you, we’re good listeners, fun, and relevant to work with.