In today’s fast-paced market, establishing and maintaining a business isn’t just about providing quality products or services – it takes more to make brands stand out. Modern consumers aren’t swayed by benefits alone; instead, how they feel about a brand is what drives their interest and product desire. Continually surrounded by various marketing messages, consumers are more inclined toward brands that inspire an emotional connection. Once created, these emotional bonds enable a brand’s messages to automatically resonate with consumers, motivating long-term brand loyalty and product desire.
A brand that emotionally connects and resonates with consumers is like a first love – no matter how many others come into your life, that one lasting impression is enough to make you remember the brand forever.
Why Does Emotional Connection Matter?
You might think that Cupid’s got us soft and all about the emotions this month but that’s not entirely true. As humans, we are generally hard-wired to search for relatability and personal connection among the things around us – it’s only natural that we feel more inclined towards products and services that trigger these feelings, too. In fact, despite the now archaic stereotype that emotions have no place in business, studies have actually found that “emotionally connected customers are more than twice as valuable as highly satisfied customers [as] they buy more products and services, visit [sites] more often, exhibit less price sensitivity, and pay more attention to [brand] communications” (Harvard Business Review). Think of Dove encouraging defiance of traditional beauty standards or Nike normalizing breaking the mold and dreaming big. These world-renowned brands haven’t just amassed millions of consumers by simply giving them products to buy– they’ve created messages that internally move and inspire audiences.
So, how exactly does an emotional connection help a brand succeed?
1. More Loyalty Over Logic
When consumers are emotionally connected to a brand or its message, they feel more confident sticking with the company long-term, even when there are other alternatives on the market. Consumers are also more inclined toward a brand that best reflects their beliefs/values instead of prioritizing practicalities like costs and convenience. Similarly, emotional attachments to brands create familiarity, making customers feel safer about buying from a certain company over others. Take Apple, for instance. Now, we’re pretty big fans of the iPhone but let’s face it – there are brands selling phones at a much cheaper price. Why, then, do so many people still rush to the nearest Apple store every time there’s an upgrade? Because, despite the prices, Apple has fostered a connection with audiences through innovation, making people feel safe enough about their purchases to keep coming back.
2. Greater Word-Of-Mouth Generated
People are excited to share the things they love with others – that is why consumers who connect emotionally with and relate to a brand’s values are naturally more eager to talk about it. Just as people recommend books or films that resonate with them, brands that trigger certain feelings or emotions are more widely mentioned, gaining prominence even without an active marketing effort. Similarly, emotional connection with brands inspires authentic face-to-face promotion as consumers don’t feel forced to praise a business– this sincerity translates into a genuine recommendation, expanding a brand’s audience. Digital ads are cool but these kinds of authentic endorsements? This is the kind of sentimentality that will always win people over (no matter how much one might deny it).
3. Increased Consumer Reception
Typically, every time a notification pops up on our phone, there’s an unexplainable urge to instantly open it– except when the notification relates to a product/service. Then, it stays as is, slowly falling into the abyss of a never-ending notification list until you completely forget about it. Okay, so that might be a little dramatic but you get our point. People generally think it’s tedious to read about product details or brand information; however, emotionally connected audiences actually engage with brand communication. Why? Because they feel a sense of belonging and comfort associated with the brand and are genuinely drawn toward learning what more it can offer them. More so, businesses that curate emotional attachment with their audiences inspire a sense of duty within consumers (toward the brand). Customers believe it is their responsibility to regularly track and stay informed on brand updates as a form of support and display of loyalty.
By now, you’ve probably realized the importance of brands establishing emotional connections with their audience but if you’re still unsure how to accomplish this, here are some tips to follow!
Ways Brands Can Build Emotional Connections With Their Audience
1. Tell A Captivating Story – Audiences don’t remember product technicalities or brand function nearly as much as they remember what a business embodies. Propagating messages that highlight values, mission, or experiences humanize a brand, thus enabling relatability with and understanding of the business’s purpose.
2. Use Stimulative Branding – Components like brand colors and typography are psychologically impactful and can trigger various emotions. Choosing color palettes and font types that correlate with different emotions can help brands curate specific feelings toward their products or services, allowing audiences to feel more deeply aligned with a business and its messages.
3. Be Forthcoming and Authentic – Consumers are drawn to brands that are trustworthy and transparent about their intentions. Offering audiences real-world glimpses into their work process, successes, and even setbacks allows brands to foster a sense of belonging among customers, making them feel confident about their ties with the brand.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it! If you’re someone who thinks all the love in their air will be inconvenient for businesses this month, think again. In fact, we’d say this is the perfect time to channel all the love into evoking emotions within your audiences. After all, emotional connections are crucial in encouraging long-term customer loyalty and brand advocacy, ultimately leading to prolonged success and greater visibility in a crowded market.
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