Alex Makura is the founder and CEO of Your Digital Assembly . A full service agency supporting online businesses through their digital growth.
We've heard the saying that people go with their feelings and rationalize with their logic. But this only applies to B2C marketing, and how do emotions play a role in B2B marketing?
When I say "emotion" in a B2B context, people often give me strange looks. I think marketers think B2B buyers are bots that make decisions based on hard facts, features and benefits.
People trade with people.
In any marketing, your target audience is other people. Until proven otherwise, even if they stand behind the biggest corporate brands or are part of a decision-making group, there is only one person behind those decisions.
There are feelings behind every person. Fear, anxiety, boredom, excitement, indecision, faith, etc.
So imagine this scenario.
• "My team is not achieving its goals, if we don't get the numbers, their jobs and mine will be in jeopardy."
• “This project requires resources beyond the capabilities of our internal team. Entire projects can fail. How do I know which source to choose?
B2B problem? a lot. passionate? Undoubtedly.
Emotions and decisions
Whatever decision is made, there is an emotional trigger that drives it. It should be noted that all this is done unconsciously; We often feel right.
How do you tap into your customer's emotions?
There are four S-elements to consider when it comes to emotions in the customer journey.
1. Himself. Do everything for them. Not you, your product, or your benefits. This is especially true in the stage of overwhelming consciousness. Focus on them, what interests them, their goals, problems, etc.
2. Emotions. Use your five senses as much as possible; Using images, smells, sounds, textures and smells.
3. Confidentiality. Make it about one thing, one experience, one feeling, one reaction.
4. Simplicity. If you overcomplicate it, the logical centers of the brain will activate and destroy the powerful emotional machinery you desperately want to activate to get the desired response.
How to pitch your product or service in a non-emotional way
It is highly unlikely that your product or service will be affected by any emotion. Your SaaS product, your outsourcing company, your ERP system are pretty dry. How do you generate passion?
you don't know At least your product doesn't run on its own.
So what do you do? You start thinking about the emotions that customers feel when they see your product. Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself how you would feel if you were faced with such a problem. How would you feel if you never had to deal with this problem again?
I assure you, it's not the presence or absence of any features or benefits at this point in the channel that keeps them up at night. If you can convince potential customers that your product or service solves the problem of sleep deprivation, or that it can keep their business open, you're on the right foot.
Then convert it into each sequence of your ad copy: landing pages, social channels, and case studies. Use testimonials that talk about how customers feel when they use your product or service.
Focus your marketing more on those sentiments, and not just on your app's screenshots or feature list.
Balance data and heart in the funnel
As B2B marketers, we rely heavily on data. Information such as website traffic, devices, age, location, session length and bounce rate influence our decisions. This is great information and will tell you how your campaign will fare after the incident. However, this is not a good starting point and is not an accurate representation of who your customers really are.
If you've been with me for more than five minutes or read any of my previous posts, you know that everything about fully effective B2B marketing is based on knowing who your ideal target customer is. And I don't mean "all American CEOs." I digress a little.
• Why do your current customers use your product or service?
• What supported or resisted the initial emotional decision? Is it price, features, reliability or customer service?
• What are the motivations that helped them decide to sell? Less, discount or free?
• What are the benefits of making the right decision? Is it a welcome email, social confirmation, or phone call?
• How did they feel when their problem was solved and what kept them coming back for more?
These are all emotional factors that underlie the customer's decision-making process. When you focus on these, you can ensure that your ideal customer is at the center of your marketing strategy.
Emotional marketing along the funnel
B2B funnels are different (longer and more complex) than B2C funnels. It is often higher priced and involves decision makers, internal approval committees, and budget committees, so it is rarely used by the ultimate decision maker. Adjust your emotional marketing accordingly.
• Top of Funnel (TOFU). In the awareness phase, your blog or e-book can be "effective ways to solve XYZ problems." Show that you understand the concerns, frustrations, and issues (e.g., emotions) in your blog and how you can address those negative feelings.
• Contrast (MOFU). Your customer has done their research and is now comparing you to your competitors. Use case studies that show how others have experienced using your solution, highlighting features and benefits to help remove confusion or choice paralysis.
• Transformation (BOFU). Use reliable pricing, reviews, scarcity, and waitlists to move customers from consideration to conversion.
Once a marketer has a lead, it's the sales team's job to move them to the next stage of the sales funnel. Your emotional marketing has done its job.
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