“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart” ―Helen Keller
The human experience revolves around emotions. According to research, the six basic emotions of a human being are happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, and surprise. In everyday interactions, one or more of these feelings are indicated to have a significant impact on the human ability to make decisions, including shopping decisions. Some of the most successful brands understand the importance of emotional effects on decision-making and have enhanced the overall customer journey experience to influence an overall positive emotion. If we think about it, some brands were able to become closer to our hearts than others.
According to a marketing agency report, the hashtag #love was the most used across social media platforms in the year 2020 globally. The previous gives a brand the opportunity of going beyond thinking of the target audience as targets but rather as part of their community in which consumers can express their emotions associated with a product or a service. Those brands become a lifestyle, a representation of a set of values and personalities.
If we take a closer look at how brands can influence the way we feel about a product or a service, we may find that those brands align with our aspirations of whom we want to become and what we want to achieve. For example, the overall intense excitement of fashion lovers (over 20K of them) watching a fashion show on a live stream while engaging and discussing the runway. The accessibility versus exclusivity concept is being applied by luxurious brands as they aim to sustain the emotional connection between their brand and audience in a highly competitive environment.
There are other brands able to develop a sense of belonging through their global branches. A director of a renowned coffee brand once said, “we are not in the coffee business, we are in the people’s business”. The previous brand was able to create a welcoming space in their branches in any country the consumer may visit. They were able to become that familiar face and enhance the sense of belonging along with a decent coffee in any foreign country or a city a consumer visits. Again, they were able to form an emotional connection between the brand and the target audience.
As a result, brands that are the most successful are the most loved.
Why is being a heart melter important?
Increases loyalty
When you identify with certain lifestyles and values aligned with the audience’s aspirations, the probability of switching to another brand decreases. Increasing loyalty can be enhanced by providing a great customer experience, loyalty programs, and solving customer complaints swiftly and smoothly.
Increases advocacy
Advocates are the ones who have a large online network of contacts, are highly satisfied with the brands’ products and services, and follow the brand’s news more than the average consumer. Building a relationship with those is highly important as it would influence the decision of their networks as those advocates’ opinions are heard and trusted among the target audience.
Price is not as relevant
When you are providing an excellent and consistent customer experience across touchpoints and can shift your focus on adding value to your consumer’s interaction with the product/service, consumers won’t be as price-sensitive to your brand compared to others and will justify the slight price increase.
How to be a heart melter?
Serve to deliver an unexpected customer experience (be genuine)
Go beyond expectations as you may exceed the needs of your customers, by providing a total solution product and service. For example, a car company would go the extra mile to book a hotel for its client in case the car needed maintenance away from home to achieve excellent customer service.
The bond
In a world where competition is intense, keeping a closer approach to your target audience via community engagement, closely listening to them, and dedicating time and efforts to serving them would enhance positive word of mouth.
Being ethical
Consumers are often loyal to brands they trust, which is why they are willing to spend more money on brands they believe to be ethical. This is an incredibly powerful marketing tool that can have a profound impact on a company’s bottom line.
The world is changing. We’re living in a time when consumers have more power than ever before. They can spread their message to others and have the ability to make purchases without the help of a salesperson. This has allowed brands to rethink their strategies. The only way to assure that your brand remains relevant is via understanding the emotional aspect of your target audience as well as their values and personalities. To be a brand that is loved you need to add value and remain close to the audience you are trying to serve.
Cover image source: H.F.E & Co Studio