In its earlier days, marketing was simply convincing your target prospects to purchase your goods. Or, you may even have said that marketing was nothing more than strategic persuasion. Fast forward to today, and you’ll find that modern marketing is much more than merely persuasion or convincing.
When you think about it from the consumer perspective, life is all about problem-solving our way to comfort, success and happiness. During these pursuits, our minds are constantly multitasking and sorting through all the information coming our way.
The consensus on what now constitutes “great” marketing is offering real information about your product, while connecting with your audience’s emotions. Showing your audience how your product or service will improve their lives, or the world, is no longer the number one goal of great marketing. It’s now about getting your audience to emotionally connect with your product or service.
Impactful marketing uses emotions to stand above all the daily noise in our over-marketed lives. And so, a marketing message that includes something thoughtful that elicits a positive emotional response is much more likely to catch a prospect or customer’s attention.
Where emotions, relationships, and marketing meet
Emotional marketing is defined as the “practice of building brands that appeal directly to consumers’ emotions, needs and aspirations.” Essentially, emotional marketing seeks to create a relationship with the consumer, rather than selling them something.
Humans are social animals, and we strive to develop relationships. This desire now goes beyond personal relationships and now includes seeking true relationships with brands. This type of marketing also tells the consumer that the brand/company cares about how they feel and wants to help them. Unfortunately, where most companies go wrong is by misunderstanding that making this type of connection requires a human touch.
What is better for connecting emotionally? Digitally or physically?
As a business owner you’ve probably heard the mantra of “Be where your customers are.” Yet have you considered the power of each communication vehicle? For example, can digital marketing materials convey your emotional trigger the way a tangible material might? Or, can a physical marketing material deliver the right message without the message getting lost in all the elements?
Because nearly everyone is constantly connected digitally, much more of the focus has been placed on digital marketing. But, as the saying goes, just because everyone is doing it, does that mean it’s the right thing to do? Well, yes and no.
There is no denying that digital marketing is very important, but interestingly enough, a recent self-reported survey completed by USPS indicated very little difference between participants’ inclination toward ads presented physically or digitally.
In this survey, participants chose to review the physical ads for longer but showed more focused attention on specific elements of the digital ads. That means that in the typical focus window of viewers (10-20 seconds), a digital ad can get its message across more quickly than its physical counterpart.
The interesting thing is that while viewers absorb information more quickly from digital ads, the physical ads had the longer lasting impact. Seven days after the initial viewing, physical ads had retained the viewers emotional response and memory much more so than the digital ads.
Brain activity also indicated a greater peaked interest for a tangible piece of marketing material. What makes this information even better is that the brain activity was centered in the Ventral Striatum, which is the same area that processes reward, motivation, and decision-making.
Relationship marketing: Stand out and develop lifelong customers
As more and more businesses continue to adapt to digital marketing, the businesses that are ahead of the curve are focusing their time and attention on including the physical opportunities that contribute to the long-term relationship with their customers. They’ve recognized the value of an integrated relationship marketing plan with its ability to keep a customer loyal and happy through micro-moments consisting of both digital and physical touchpoints.
The long-term outcome of relationship marketing is a slew of committed consumers who are loyal to your brand and are so emotionally connected with your company’s brand that they promote you with any chance that they get. This desire to promote your company exists because of the genuine relationship you develop with your customer.
If you’re ready to take your relationship marketing plan to the next level or want your current plan audited, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Schedule your audit today and start creating lifelong customers who will loyally follow your brand.