Content Creation

How to Connect with Your Audience

CopyPress

August 6, 2018 (Updated: March 2, 2020)

Making your company and product stand out in today’s business world is a very challenging task. There are many other brands trying to earn business from the many competing customers; you must do something special to make your business noticeable. The need to stand out to a customer has renewed the focus on meeting their needs and wants, resulting in businesses working to build an emotional connection with their potential customers.

50 percent of buyers in the business to business setting explain they are more likely to make a purchase when they feel an emotional connection with the brand. Making the content memorable, provoking a strong emotional reaction, and emotional campaigns are all ways to connect with your audience to help the brand stand out among its competitors.

Make Your Content Memorable 

Image via Flickr by perzonseo

The memorability of the content is important in achieving the goal of connecting with your audience. Memorability is also increased when the content creates a buzz because it gets the audience talking about it on and offline. The buzz around content increases as more people begin to discuss it and share it through the various social media platforms.

Storytelling is the main goal for all content, rather than on selling the product or brand. Connecting with your audience is more about reaching an individual on a personal level, with the hopes of gaining a customer for life. Yes, some people may always choose the cheapest option available, but there are plenty who will buy the same brand, regardless if there are better deals out there. Those are the individuals you are trying to connect with.

Provoke an Emotional Response

In order to increase the likelihood your content is remembered, it is recommended to provoke an emotional response. The stronger the reaction, the more likely it is to be remembered. This is achieved by pulling the “emotional trigger” freely and without fear of consequences. This can be explained better with the saying, “it is better to ask for forgiveness, rather than permission.” The fact is, that while speaking about emotional topics is not always best, sometimes it does need to be presented in a more creative manner to help sugar-coat topics some do not like to talk about.

It is also important to keep the direction of the emotions towards the positive, rather than being sad or upsetting. It makes more sense to try to link the brand to positive ideas because it helps the intended audience view the brand in a positive manner. While it is true that there are some topics that cannot be conveyed in a positive manner, once the emotional connection is established, the content can then be used to depict the brand as part of the solution to the problem.

Recently, Domino’s Pizza started filling potholes on severely damaged roads in the United States. They were having a problem with their customers complaining about their pizzas being damaged by the time they got them home or were delivered. Domino’s took it upon themselves to fill in potholes where they were receiving the most complaints. This campaign is a good example of using the brand to solve problems which prompts the reader feel a series of emotions.

First, why does a pizza company need to fill in potholes? Second, why were the roads in such poor condition? Can you imagine what these potholes are doing to our cars? Third, the reader was encouraged to feel extremely proud of Domino’s Pizza for taking this proactive approach to addressing their customers’ concerns. Not only were articles written about the actions of the business, there was also footage on news programs and television commercials showing them getting the work done.

Emotional Campaigns Are Not New

Emotional campaigns are used to attract others to invest in the campaign by depicting the progress made already. Campaigns can also raise the possibility of the need for future funds to continue and expand the existing good work. The right content connects with the audience in a way that is able to encourage collaboration because they were moved emotionally. Emotional campaigns allow businesses to voice their opinion on society and how they view their role within it.

Emotional campaigns are only successful when they appear to be authentic. No one likes to read or watch anything that seems forced, or to be overly seeking publicity. When the content seems authentic people are going to remember it more. If it does not seem authentic it could also be remembered, but for the wrong reason.

Connect with your audience through emotional campaigns. If you are able to make the audience feel something, success follows. Superbowl advertisements are the best examples of businesses going out of their way to stir up emotions with the hopes of being the best commercial of the night. This is always based on what people like or do not like.

Activism always played a role in the business sector, but it seems more apparent and obvious in the modern world because of social media and the internet.  Approving content for distribution is a way for a business to show what they are for or against in a political vein. This does seem somewhat risky depending on the topic, but most businesses are aware of the optics related to how they will be portrayed from the content. If a business makes an unintentional faux pas, it is important to apologize if anyone was offended.

It is very difficult to keep everyone happy, especially in today’s tense political climate. Focus on keeping the content as memorable as possible, hoping to connect with your audience on a thoughtful and considerate basis. Provoking an emotional response is the best way to get the buzz going about the content. An emotional campaign may upset some people, but the buzz around the brand is always good. The business is the one choosing the topic and main goal of the content. It is your job as a content creator to convey their ideas and wishes to their audience in a clear and thoughtful manner.

Kristina Lasher

CopyPress writer