Emotion is such a strong force. It’s powerful in many ways because it can help connect with people, influence a decision and urge people to act. That’s why it has been an effective marketing technique to inspire people to take specific actions. Emotional triggering is the deliberate use of persuasive messages that tap into human emotion to form a deep connection with the audience toward achieving the desired result. Often, it appeals to a single emotion only. It can be humor, sadness, anger, motivation, fear, or any other human emotion that is strong enough to influence decision-making or urge an action. So today let’s talk about a few of these emotional triggers and how they impact people’s buying decisions.
1.Humor
Okay yes, business might be serious.. but people aren’t. We like to laugh. We like telling jokes to entertain and bond with others. Think about it, we look for a sense of humor when choosing a partner, when choosing friends and even when choosing movies to watch. Think about all the companies TV commercials you see using humor? Too many to count right? State Farm, Geico, Progressive, Charmin, Old Spice, Skittles, Oreo’s… just to name a few. These companies’ sales and success speaks for itself. But keep in mind, humor can be risky because it’s extremely subjective. What someone may find absolutely hilarious, someone else may find extremely offensive. Nevertheless, when brands do manage to find their audience’s funny bone, it’s a strategy that pays off.
2. Sadness /grief
Be honest, how many of you have been emotionally impacted by Adele’s new album ‘30’? Don’t worry you can admit it, haha no one’s watching! So why is Adele one of the biggest singers in the world, with music that has impacted so many lives? Her beautiful voice? Yes. Her stage presence? Absolutely. But you certainly don’t get up and start dancing around when her music starts playing. More than likely it makes you sit, think and maybe even shed a tear. You may relate on a personal level with experiences that you’ve also been through. Sadness makes us empathize and connect. It’s no surprise that organizations like the ASPCA feature sad photos of animals paired with emotional song while asking for donations. Feelings of sadness inspire people to act. So ask yourself, are there ways that you can connect with your audience based on things you’ve dealt with and experienced? How can you use that?
3. Anger
Anger invokes passion, passion makes us stubborn, and stubbornness leads to viral content and loyal followers. Anger lets people realize that there’s something that needs to be done or changed to achieve justice or solve a compelling issue. I’m sure you remember when feminine care brand Always did this by redefining the meaning of “like a girl” and turning it into a source of inspiration. It was a confidence movement that redefined gender stereotypes. That campaign was a big success with over 4.5 billion impressions around the globe. Anger isn’t the niche for everyone, but studies show that producing content that inspires high-energy emotions like passion, anger, and anxiety will lead to increased views and shares.
4. Motivation/Inspiration
Everyone needs a little motivation and inspiration every now and again. Whether that’s to get out of bed, go to work, be productive with their day or simply not be lazy. People also tend to have fear of failure. Humans are affected by a competitive desire to feel equal to or better than the people around them in order to achieve a certain level of status in the world. Try using a marketing message that elicits feelings of motivation to “be better” and the ‘glory’ that comes with it to get a viral response from your audience
5. Fear
Ever heard of the phrase “FOMO” aka Fear of Missing Out? I’m sure most of us have experienced this before and can agree that fear is a powerful emotion. It can produce reactions without conscious thought and override our entire thought process. Everyone is afraid of something. Fear makes us cling to what is comfortable, and it makes us desire a quick solution. Acknowledging that fear exists, and then removing the threat with your business solution will encourage people to see your brand as a “good thing” in a dark world. That in turn motivates people to take action and reinforces brand loyalty.
In the next blog post on this topic we’re going to talk about how you can use these emotional states to trigger certain actions in your audience when you truly understand what they’re interested in and what’s important to them! And don’t forget to visit rightclickagency.com/consultion to schedule your FREE consultation today.
Stay tuned!