Emotional connection
In an increasingly saturated market, it pays to get personal. Giving your brand human appeal is your key to creating long standing relationships with your audience and presents a real opportunity to offer more and create lasting impact. So, how can you begin to create a more meaningful, genuinely emotional connection with your audience?
KNOW YOUR BRAND, KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Before you can expect to connect to your audience in any meaningful way, it’s a good idea to take a step back and establish what your brand values are and your ethos is. If these foundations aren’t solid an audience will see right through and seek out brands that resonate with them more closely. Our founder, Judy Andrews, believes it’s important to revisit your existing brand values regularly. Do they still reflect your business? Don’t be afraid to dive in – it can be as simple as writing words that reflect what your brand is (or aspires to be) and isn’t as a good jumping off point. You can read all about our own values right here. Once you’ve nailed what your brand is – it’s important to note any brand can carry out this exercise, regardless how established it is – it’s time to think about how (and when!) to reach your audience. We’ve taken a deep dive into the Customer Journey, a key consideration when starting to think how you’ll reach your audience and build that relationship. Good news, the appetite is there – 87% of people want a meaningful relationship with brands.
THINK SMALL
You can’t be all things to all people. It comes very naturally to small scale brands to interact with their audience personal in a personal way. It’s all part of their offering – beautiful packaging, hand-written notes, a compelling social mission and correspondence between the audience and the founder are just a handful of examples. These personal touches not only elevate the experience and help a brand stand out, it also gives the audience the sense of feeling part of a movement and supporting something really special.
At a larger scale brands have to work harder to create this culture and build a strong following. Social and environmental responsibility aren’t just a way for larger businesses to be held accountable, they’re an invaluable way to give your brand credibility within communities who also hold similar values in high regard. In the age of the internet, transparency and consistency is key – so if you’re pledging to cut plastic waste by 2025 you need to stick by your word (or at the very least have a robust statement on the reality of failing to reach an ambitious goal). Beyond cultural and environmental benefits, there’s something for the bottom line too. Having shared values with your customer transcends competitive price – 73% of devoted customers will spend more with a brand they love.
MAKING IT SOCIAL
Social media is one of the more powerful tools your brand has in its kit as an instant way to connect directly to your audience. Get it right and you’ll start building a real troupe of advocates who will spread the word on your behalf, sharing content they enjoy with their own following. It fosters community too – encouraging your captive audience to interact with one another is a no-brainer – they have lots in common after all. The biggest differentiator with social and most other marketing channels is that it’s a two-way street, a conversation and that’s really where an emotional connection can flourish. It’s an invaluable way to truly listen to what your fans and followers have to say and gather first-hand insight into what they love about your brand, what turns them off and what they’d like to see you do next. Appointing influencers has been a key way for brands to connect with their audience using a relatable figure who their audience has an affinity with, but as consumers become more savvy it needs to be more genuine. Ask yourself – is this relevant, will it add value and be truly meaningful to your audience?
MARKETING IN DISGUISE
“The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing,” – Tom Fishburne. Connecting emotionally happens without us really realising it as it’s just part of our very nature of being human.
Brands find new ways to weave story, subject and science to draw us in. When we read positive reviews, we’re already making up our mind, imaging ourselves as an ally of our peers. Is this marketing or just a tip from a well-meaning neighbour? We rely on these everyday, subconscious cues regardless of how technology advances or how sophisticated targeted advertising becomes.
Appealing to your audience on an emotional level will build your brand beyond its logo, giving you not only customers, but advocates. They’ll rally behind your brand and do the marketing for you, extoling your virtues and defying the naysayers. Creating an emotional connection isn’t a vague marketing strategy – it has real results. From differentiating you from your competition to better brand loyalty, recognition and more accurate targeting, you’ll reap the rewards.
For Winn-Dixie’s holiday campaign, we really leaned into this. ‘Bring the love’ understood how we all bring something different to the table during the holidays. It was also about recognising that it’s a very special time and everyone has their own traditions, whether it’s beloved family recipes, new ones created with the best quality groceries or community donations which help causes close to their hearts. It captured the spirit of the season, the emotions rather than simply selling products.
CONNECTING AUDIENCES
We’ve worked with brands to bring this emotional resonance, like Brand Impact award winner, Sad Girls Club. As a not-for-profit supporting young BIPOC women and their mental health journey, we had to understand and respect the complexity of the subject and the community. Solidifying the Sad Girls Club brand purpose, DNA, values, brand statement gave us a steady ground to ensure the rebrand would serve and connect with an already well-established following. Understanding the audience gave us the ability to create a safe space for open conversations through graphical language and tone of voice. It reflects the following by being unapologetically down to earth and authentic.
Its strapline, small talk real talk speaks to the purpose of Sad Girls Club – to diminish the stigma surrounding mental health – and serves as a reminder of the reality of feelings being messy, imperfect and that it’s OK to feel this way and to share those feelings. As the space is predominately for Gen Z and Millennial BIPOC women, we wanted to keep the vibe young and inviting. The aesthetic design coupled with the important messages work together to create an emotional connection with its audience. It understands them, it reflects them, it is for them and digs deeper than the surface, exploring issues which are both personal and critical for wellbeing.
Since the rebrand launched, there have been countless positive comments and shares from community members. More importantly, the rebrand opened up more fundraising channels, attracting sponsors, partners and several merchandise launches. The funds raised this year have allowed SGC to offer free group therapy sessions to over 1200 community members so far. They have an ambitious goal – “To reduce the global suicide rate while combatting stigma and stereotypes specifically amongst womxn of color and womxn of immigrant communities.”
We’re thrilled to know the rebrand has helped Sad Girls Club connect even deeper with their audience and taken them that much closer to achieving their purpose.
Whether you’re an established brand with a large customer base, or a small business with more personal interactions with your audience, consider how you can start to build an emotional connection. If you’d like to talk to us how we can help, please do get in touch.
SOURCES
https://strategynook.com/shared-values-improve-brand-marketing/