By Joshua Snape | 01/08/2018 9:30
A major bank launched a credit card for millennials with spectacular success. How did they do it? They designed a campaign that would inspire an emotional connection between their customers and their new service.
A leading household cleaner went from loss-making to double-digit growth by using the same tactic. What is the lesson?
When you connect with the feelings of your audience, there is a big payoff.
The Good News
That’s great you say, but how do we make that work for our company?
Research proves that it is possible to scientifically tap into the emotions that drive consumer behavior; more precisely their buying triggers. Doing so can provide real sales growth.
The most competitive business organizations in the world are now making “emotional connection” a major part of their marketing strategy.
How to Do It
First identify and isolate the emotional motivators of your target group, then leverage those motivators by helping customers fulfill those desires.
Two simple examples: (keep in mind that there will likely be multiple emotional motivators for each target segment)
- Your research shows that targets want to feel a sense of freedom – your marketing strategy should be to help the target group to feel that your offer comes with no strings attached, no obligations or restrictions, and that they can act independently.
- Your research shows that targets want to feel a sense of belonging – your marketing strategy should be to create a sense of affiliation with people they can relate to or aspire to be like; help them to feel part of the group.
Everyone has made purchases that have left them highly satisfied. We will drive across town for that particular brand. We have, to some extent, become emotionally engaged with the brand.
Taking a customer from being completely unconnected to the point of being highly satisfied, can be a tall order, but it is achievable.
Enlightened companies, in addition to the above strategy, have switched their marketing investment focus to bringing already satisfied customers to the point of being fully connected emotionally. Statistics show that putting the same effort into building an even stronger brand relationship with your already satisfied customers proves to be a much more profitable strategy.
Fully connected customers are 52% more valuable, on average, than those who are just satisfied. In fact, their relative value is striking across a variety of metrics, such as purchases and frequency of use.
This sampling of increased value between satisfied and fully connected customers across nine different categories is revealing:
| Normal Baseline – Satisfied Customers | Percentage Increase – Fully Connected Customers |
| Household cleaner purchases | +103% |
| Tablet app purchases | +82% |
| Credit card swipes | +68% |
| Online retailer purchases | +52% |
| Hotel room stays | +41% |
| Discount store visits | +37% |
| Consumer banking products | +35% |
| Fast food visits | +27% |
| Casino gaming spending | +23% |
If your company already has a good number of already satisfied customers, the above statistics highlight the wisdom of switching your investment focus from attracting new customers to maximizing the emotional connection with existing highly satisfied customers and turning them into fully connected customers.
Taking this strategy to the next logical step which is to focus on customers who are already fully connected and maximizing their emotional connection even further, the sky is almost the limit. With this new focus it is possible to turn a customer into a veritable evangelist for your brand, the benefits of which are significant. Why not begin the shift in focus right away and see your business thrive!
In our next blog we will offer further insights into the science of behavioral marketing.
In the meantime, connect with us to learn how we assist businesses turn their loyal customers into brand evangelists.
Featured Image source: Chatstack
Joshua is an accomplished writer, blogger and marketing consultant. His successful track record includes sales and marketing across four continents—Europe, N. America, the Middle East and Africa. Josh is also a successful entrepreneur and established his own marketing consultancy in Cyprus, which serviced clients throughout the Middle East. He now enjoys living and working in Vancouver for part of the year, and spends the rest of his time in the Turkish Riviera working remotely to assist clients communicate effectively in a wired world. Connect with Josh at: joshua@strategisconsulting.ca.