The Importance of Emotional Marketing for Building Customer Rapport

What Is Emotional Marketing?

Every day we will all experience a huge range of emotions – happiness, anger, relief, disappointment, sympathy, fear… the list goes on.

Emotions are the main motivator in everything we do. As consumers, they play a big part in the spending decisions we make.

The choice to make a purchase may seem a rational one, but its roots run much deeper. Effective marketing engages customers with emotion, not reason.

Take, for example, the iconic Hovis advert from 1973.This advert is not designed to reason with customers about bread; its success lies in its ability to stir feelings of wholesome nostalgia.

Why It Matters for Your Business

So why make the effort to engage your customers emotionally?

Whether you’re a recent startup or a successful business, the best way to stand out is by creating an emotional connection with your customers. It’s not enough just to sell a great product – you need your audience to buy into your brand’s ideology and the whole experience of doing business with you. Trigger the right emotions and you will attract new customers and, more importantly in the long run, build a level of trust in your brand and a stronger customer base. Remember: emotions trigger actions.

Whatever you’re selling, whether it’s vintage jewellery or a window-cleaning service, an emotional connection with the brand can and must be achieved for a brand to be successful.

If your customers connect with your brand, they’re more likely to buy your product – it’s that simple.

How to Engage Customers with Emotional Marketing

So how do you implement emotional marketing tactics in your business plan?

Emotional marketing is largely about giving your customers an ego boost. You need to assure them that they’re on the right track  and that they’re not alone in their anxieties.

Take, for example, the 2006 advert for Dove’s ‘Evolution’ campaign.

This ad sets Dove apart from its competitors: although it’s a cosmetics brand, they manage to convey that their concern is with ‘real’ beauty.

The ad aims to show how female beauty in the media is manipulated by clever makeup and photoshop editing. Dove is offering a comforting ‘truth’ for its image-conscious customers, instilling feelings of relief and empowerment – both positive emotions.

You can apply the same rules to your small business.

Here are our tips for using emotional marketing in your own branding strategy:

• Get visual: a picture speaks a thousand words. It’s easier and more effective to use evocative images than to try and write compelling copy.
• Identify with your customer. Put yourself in their shoes to really think what they might need from your product, and deliver it.
• Embellish your service. Give your customer the best experience with extra bits and bobs. Create an email newsletter with helpful tips and news from your industry, if you’re selling a tangible product, consider the way it’s packaged and displayed. Show care in the little details and it can give your rapport with customers a big, subliminal boost!
• Have a great website! A website should act as your front of shop. Whatever your product, a cohesive website with a few extra resources is a must. Consider including a blog, an image gallery, comprehensive contact information etc.

Effectively harness the power of emotion with your marketing tactics and you are guaranteed to gain trust and leads for your business.

Source: www.create.net