We like to think of ourselves as rational creatures who make decisions based on calculation of cost and benefit, but the truth is we are strongly driven by our emotional mindset, gut reactions, and moods. This poses a challenge for today’s marketers. Selling to the brain is challenging but straightforward, but selling to the heart? That’s a whole different story.
The first step is to map various emotions and understand how they can trigger the desired action – it could be to make a purchase, subscribe to a mailing list, follow you on Facebook, schedule an appointment, or any other type of marketing goal.
Our advice is to create a business that addresses at least two of these emotions and mindsets in your overall branding and messaging. This will generate a stronger relationship between your potential clients and your brand, which is a surefire way to increase engagement.
 | Trust: A fundamental emotion that underlies all successful business interactions. When trust appears to be questionable, you can kiss that deal goodbye. You can establish trust by embracing a direct and honest tone, and by maintaining eye-level engagements with your target audience. Don’t promise anything you can’t deliver. |
 | Empowerment: People want to know that they are making decisions from a position of power, that they are in control of the situation. If you close a deal with an empowered client, you increase the chances that they will be satisfied with their choice. |
 | Confusion: This may sound counter-intuitive because confusion is considered a negative emotion, but there’s a logic here. The idea is not to cause confusion for the sake of confusion, but to ultimately show your potential clients that your product or your service is the solution to that confusion. Be explicit and tell them that you have what it takes. |
 | Inspiration: This one is a real winner. Inspiration is one of the most effective driving forces for any action, especially spontaneous ones. In order to inspire your target market, you need to clearly understand their aspirations and hopes and incorporate these into your messaging. |
 | Excitement: The feeling of adrenaline is a powerful marketing tool. But how do you generate it? Excitement is an emotion that is triggered by an event or reward that is expected to materialize in the immediate future. Make them feel like they are just a step away from achieving something great. |
 | Envy: Again, why would a salesperson intentionally cultivate an emotion that is, quite frankly, a downer? At the heart of it, envy is the idea that one deserves better than what one currently has. That’s not so bad, is it? What you need to do, is to (subtly) remind your clients that they don’t currently have what they desire, and then show them how you can fix that. |
 | Hope: In politics, culture or marketing, optimism has always been a motivating force. If you want to get hope on your side, you need to first make sure that you know what your target market hopes and dreams for. Next step is to plan what you can offer them to help realize those hopes. |
 | Amusement: Countless research results claim that the physical act of laughing and even just smiling can reduce stress and generate a happy mindset. The conclusion that marketers should be drawing from these findings is that cheerful marketing strategies that aim to keep customers satisfied and laughing are good for business. |
 | Affection: Remember that when you are promoting a product or a service, you’re not just selling to the person who will be the end user, you are possibly selling to someone who wants to treat their best friend, their partner, their parent or their colleague to a nice gift. Think about all of these people and their affection to others when you plan your marketing. |
 | Empathy: Human beings are ultimately social creatures. Our ability to identify with the other is an important factor in how we make financial decisions. Empathy is clearly a significant emotion for non-profit organizations to stimulate, but it should also play a role in the marketing strategy of community-based businesses and all socially-conscious brands. |
