Think about the songs that have stuck with you long after you heard them for the first time. These songs all made you feel something, didn’t they? Perhaps it was sadness; perhaps it was joy. It doesn’t matter which one it was, the point is the musician managed to connect with you on an emotional level.
It’s this same sort of emotional connection that a business or brand should create with their audience through their content. Research by Forbes has found that the desire for real brands is driven by emotional engagement. So if you want consumers to interact with your brand, you have to tug at their heartstrings.
Be human, not a brand
Your brand can start the journey towards forming an emotional connection by being real. Do this by letting the brand’s personality show. The moment your brand is perceived as a person, as opposed to a thing, it becomes much more relatable.
Part of being real also entails finding the human truth of your product or service. The human truth is an age-old marketing theory that says if you can find that one thing about your product or service that the majority of people can relate to, you’ve hit gold.
Let’s take running shoes as an example. People aren’t just buying your product because they need shoes. They’re buying your product because they want to run faster and further; because they want to get fitter and become better versions of themselves. This is what you’re selling – not just running shoes. If you want some inspiration, look at what Reebok and Nike are doing.
Show, don’t tell
There is immense power in showing someone how a product or service will serve them, as opposed to telling them. At first glance, the two strategies might seem similar, but there is definitely a difference.
Let’s look at cell phone manufacturers as an example:
Case A: Telling – A cell phone company tells consumers that their phone has an HD video camera.
So what? All phones have cameras. But…
Case B: Showing – A cell phone company demonstrates how easy it is to stay in touch with family during business trips through video chatting.
So you’re telling me I can talk to my spouse and children while I’m a thousand miles away? Congratulations, you’ve just made a connection and sold the consumer on your product.
Tell a story
Humans have been telling stories since the dawn of days. It’s how we connect with friends and strangers. If we don’t share snippets of our lives, how are we supposed to get to know each other?
Take advantage of this – storytelling – in your content and you’re bound to connect with your audience. Strike up a conversation and keep it going. Ask questions, answer questions…
Make the audience feel something
Let’s get back to how those songs made you feel. You want the same reaction from your consumer – happiness or sadness, but also surprise. Don’t stop there. Inspire people, make them laugh and scare them. At the very least, make them feel anxious. After all, how you do think life insurance is sold?
Creating an emotional connection isn’t that hard once you start to work on it. Do it well and a brand loyalty like no other will be formed. It’ll be much like the bond between best friends and everyone knows that’s a bond that doesn’t easily break.
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