Shoot For The Love

I recently attended a branding workshop sponsored by Microsoft. Microsoft’s Director of Brand Strategy, Sheila Anderson, discussed how “shooting for the love” is important in our marketing messages.  Sheila explained that in the marketing game, messages used to be more balanced between rational and emotional ways of thinking. But now the game is different. Emotion in marketing matters more. Your marketing message must emphasize that which sets you apart from the competition. Since emotion is such a powerful tool in differentiation, it is vital to attach emotion to your marketing message. According to brain research, our brains tend to retain stuff we care about. Facts are quickly forgotten because they are put into short-term memory, but things that are emotional are stored in long-term memory.

Picture Courtesy of IDC and Microsoft

Why is Emotion in Marketing So Important?

Because people are emotional creatures, buying decisions are based on emotions, not rational choices. If your marketing message focuses only on rational choices, chances are it will be unsuccessful. While it is important to give people facts and describe your product and its features, people won’t be motivated to buy from you just because you throw a lot of facts at them. Prospects will be persuaded to buy if they feel you solve a problem or pain point. People tend to be more motivated to buy or take action when there is something at stake to lose. And that is why a successful marketing message should have a sense of urgency or instill fear.

Fear-based Marketing

As marketing professionals, we tend to shy away from fear-based marketing because we are afraid it will make us appear sleazy or manipulative. However, fear-based marketing can be effective if it brings to your customer’s attention information that they might be previously unaware of. By following these four simple steps, you can ethically and effectively instill “fear appeal” as part of your marketing strategy.

1. Make reader aware that they are vulnerable to a threat.
   • Ex – “Did you know disorganized data can mean missed opportunities and lost revenue?”
2. Let your reader know that since they are vulnerable to a threat, they should take action to reduce their vulnerability.
   • Ex – “Since you don’t want to miss on opportunities and revenue, you want to make sure your customer information is up to date, organized, and easily accessible.”
3. Let them know a specific action they can take to protect themselves from the risk.
   • Ex – “With Dynamics 365, your team can easily keep your data up to date, organized, and easily accessible by anyone within your organization.”
4. Challenge them to take this specific action (call to action).
   • Ex – “Call the experts at enCloud9 to schedule your free consultation.”

Know your Target Audience

To effectively drive your marketing efforts, it is imperative to first know who your target audience or “ideal client” is. Once you have discovered your ideal client, you can focus on that particular “persona.” To find your “ideal client,” ask yourself who it is you WANT TO HELP or who you are MOST QUALIFIED to help…and there you have it!  Once you have figured out who your ideal client is and what they want from someone like you, you will be able to easily uncover effective ways to reach them. For more effective ways to reach your ideal client, check out our blog article 5 Simple Ways to Step Up Your Marketing. 

Why is storytelling so effective in marketing?

Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to bring your brand to life. Storytelling gives your products and services an identity and through developing a personal connection to your brand, your customers can have an amazing journey. Our brain craves stories and personal connections. Emotional branding can determine whether people buy from you or do business with you.

Storytelling has proven to be a very successful marketing strategy. Four of the main benefits include:

1. Storytelling conveys your personality.
   • Lets your brand personality shine through. (People want to see and experience your brand’s personality)
2. Storytelling brings your brand in front as the lead.
   • People tend to remember your brand more when they connect a story or some kind emotion to it.
   • You want people to remember your brand over your competitor.
3. Storytelling hits the emotional quotient.
   • Storytelling is one of the best ways to engage customers on an emotional level.
   • A good story activates many parts of the brain in the listener that turn the stories into their own connections and experiences.
4. Storytelling helps retain customers.
   • When we hear a good story, our brain is activated. Since the brain puts things that have an emotional connection into long term memory, this is a great way to make sure customers remember you (and hopefully come back).

Want to learn more?

To learn more ideas to turbo-charge your marketing, check out our marketing checklist. Make sure to appeal to your customer’s emotions throughout their entire journey. To learn about the six stages of the customer buying journey visit our blog. Dynamics 365 can help during each stage of the customer journey. To learn how Dynamics 365 helps at each stage, download our free PDF. We would love to talk with you about your business and help you reach your goals.

Other great resources for Microsoft partners are available at Marketing SureStep Digital Marketing Resources. It is a great place to learn about the latest trends, best practices, and tools for marketing. The Microsoft Community Connections technology also features education workshops. Also available are their LinkedIn or Yammer groups.