Consider
television advertisements that you’ve seen for fragrance products, such as Axe
deodorants and body sprays, Calvin Klein colognes, or Chanel perfumes. Some of
these commercials entice would-be buyers with the promise of an exciting and
glamorous lifestyle, others portray an image of coolness, stylishness,
manliness, gracefulness, attractiveness. Almost universally, they seek to
appeal to the emotional desires and ambitions of the target audience.
Of
course, the power of emotion extends far beyond the world of fragrances;
branding experts regularly employ emotional techniques to plug items ranging
from soft drinks, to jeans, to automobiles. By connecting your brand identity
to the emotional aspirations of consumers, you too can convey a potent message.
But you’ll need to begin with a solid understanding of your customers’
emotional drivers.
What
motivates your customers?
Every one of your customers is a unique individual, and each may have
h/er own reasons for seeking out what you offer. Nonetheless, you’ll often be
able to identify emotional drivers that many share.
As
part of their research into customer emotional connectedness,
published this month in Harvard Business
Review, analysts Scott Magids, Alan Zorfas, and Daniel Leemon compiled a
list of High-Impact Motivators that includes the following:
•
A desire to stand out from the crowd,
which businesses can leverage by emphasizing the uniqueness of their brand.
•
Confidence in the future, and a feeling
that the best in life is yet to come.
•
Well-being, including relief from
stress.
•
Freedom and independence, and
sovereignty over one’s own decisions.
•
Success, defined by the sense that one’s
life and endeavours have meaning.
•
Belonging, as in being part of the “in”
crowd, and/or perceiving oneself to belong to something greater.
•
Thrill/excitement, and the associated
pleasure or buzz.
•
Environmental protection: the belief
that one’s purchasing decisions are either helping to prevent (or at least, not
further exacerbating) the degradation of the ecosystem.
Other
common emotional drivers are the desire for love, financial security, the
admiration of one’s peers, and the wellbeing of one’s family.
Identify
emotional connections.
Existing
customer and market data, surveys, and social media can all offer valuable
insights here.
If
your customers have liked or favourited your business or its products on social
media, there is a good chance that these individuals would welcome updates,
including information on special deals and limited-time offers. Surveys provide
a means for you to learn about the emotions associated with particular
customers and their shopping behaviour. (Questions like “Do you place greater
value on individuality, or social acceptance?” or “Do you consider (X) a good
brand?” can yield enlightening insights.) By aggregating basic customer data
points—such as age, profession, gender, and transactional records—you can
develop a profile of the kinds of customers who most value what you have to
offer.
Emotionally
connected customers tend to be lucrative ones.
Typically,
your data will reveal that a minority of your clientele consists of regulars
and comparatively big spenders. The research of Magids, Zorfas, and Leemon
suggests that there is substantial overlap between your most frequent or
lucrative customers, and those who feel emotionally connected to your business.
By
reaching out to your most emotionally connected customers first, and striving
to forge stronger connections with your borderline-emotionally connected
customers, you can give your business greater staying power and a competitive
edge over those that overlook this factor.
