We all know from experience that consumers need information and time to check a product or service before buying.
But marketers, advertisers, you, and I all know that these decisions are more based on emotion than reason. Hence the appeal of emotional marketing.
In the realm of marketing, emotional advertising creates first and lasting impressions about your brand. If you run a campaign with strong emotional appeal, customers remember you and think of you first when they are looking for a product.
Great Emotional Marketing Campaigns Have Strong Emotional Appeal
This is why advertisers believe in advertising with an emotional appeal. Emotional marketing can and does influence human decisions. It creates greater brand awareness and affinity, can trigger higher sales, and grow customer loyalty.
Digital marketing amplifies these messages, reaching across various demographics, interest groups, and timezones – and disseminate campaign messages to huge audiences practically overnight.
Emotional marketing did well in mainstream advertising. It does even better in the digital world.
Emotional marketing can connect with Millennials and Gen Z “Zillennials”. These consumer segments respond to powerful, arresting visuals and are more impulse-buying in nature.
Tailoring the message matters. You can also reach Gen X-ers and upcoming Generation Alpha. They are all on the Internet, and so are you.
Emotional Marketing – And Why it Works
So what is emotional marketing, and why does it work?
Emotional marketing is the process of crafting and sending out marketing messages that communicate a specific emotion, with the intention of creating a deep connection with audiences.
Emotional marketing makes strong appeals to human emotion using joy, fear, anger, sadness, and other feelings – and persuades a consumer to make a decision.
Emotional marketing can do many good things for your brand, like:
- Creating a memorable impression
The best emotional marketing campaigns are successful when you know people remember taglines and scenes and quote them in conversation.
Emotional marketing creates value for your brand in terms of recall, preference, and loyalty. Consider it a huge compliment if your ad or commercial is turned into a GIF or a meme.
- Triggering real purchases and conversions
Consumers will always remember how you made them feel – and if you’ve convinced them with your emotional appeal, they will buy.
- Giving Your Brand High Visibility – Maybe Even Go Viral
In the offline world, people talk about brands or commercials that strike them. In the online world, people share. The best campaigns, depending on the response they generate, can and do go viral.
- Transforming Buyers Into Advocates
Emotional advertising that resonates with viewers can inspire them to share your message and promote your brand. When a user is proud, satisfied, and inspired about using your products or services, they become an extension of your brand by advocating for it.
Adapting Emotional Marketing to Digital
Emotional marketing, just like mainstream advertising, carries over well in Digital, but if you are not crafting “traditional” advertising, what can or should you do differently?
1. Adapt to digital advertising and social media formats.
We’ve all had to adapt to marketing in new digital formats and sizes. The marketing campaign you may have made for TV may work well for YouTube, but would your Out of Home billboard design work on Google Discovery or YouTube’s social feed?
Design for digital. Resize and reconfigure design and copy for mobile-first and desktop environments.
2. Speak the Language of Social
Your brand may have its own tone – but getting your message across on social media platforms also requires knowledge of the “local” language.
Are you creating emotional content for Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok? Be on the level. Craft copy that speaks to people, not at them or above them.
3. Work on Your Timing
Learn about your audience behaviors on the platforms you target. Maybe your brand message is not for morning people, but for moments like early evening or after work. Timing matters as much as the form and content of the message.
4. Figure Out Your Campaign Mix
A great emotional marketing campaign receives plenty of attention from customers and industry insiders. And in today’s world, many are interested in how the campaign was crafted.
Don’t confine yourself to digital marketing tactics. A behind-the-scenes story on YouTube or LinkedIn will work, but so can a digital PR campaign on industry websites, or an interview with popular podcasters.
Talk to journalists and disseminate stories in print if it fits your brand. Flex the virtues of your campaign using both digital and mainstream media.
5. Go Straight For Conversions
The beauty of digital marketing is that we now have the tools and platforms to bring your customer straight to a booking, a sign-up, or outright purchase.
Make the most of your emotional advertising campaigns by integrating them directly into your e-commerce activities.
6. Get Digital Marketing Support
Marketing budgets distributed across various digital platforms can spread your efforts thin if you aren’t sure of what metrics you are tracking.
Don’t let your digital marketing efforts go to waste. Tap into PPC agency or social media marketing support; in the Philippines, experts are here at your disposal.
In Conclusion
Since emotional marketing is all about your audience, how you design and craft your message is crucial.
Use your knowledge of your audience to appeal to their core values and beliefs, as well as their imagination. If you can make the emotional connection, you may succeed in convincing them that your pitch, your product, or service, can make a difference in their lives.
Read more about emotional marketing and digital transformations at www.truelogic.com.ph