5 Tips for Emotional Branding in a B2B World
Consumerism: “A cultural model that promotes the acquisition of goods and services as a vehicle for personal satisfaction and economic stimulation.”
Making consumers feel the way they want to feel about themselves
In a world where people consume in order to achieve personal satisfaction and increase the perceived value of their lives, brands have power. In B2C industries specifically, branding encourages consumers to personally identify with brands.
People buy Rolexes rather than watches with comparable quality and attractiveness because the brand functions as a status symbol. A Rolex watch indicates wealth and prestige. It is a means of displaying success and high social status.
Does emotional branding also apply to B2B industries?
We tend to think that in B2B industries, “consumers” are unaffected by the emotional values corresponding to brands. It is believed that their buying patterns are solely focused on logical factors such as benefit analysis, risks and feasibility. Emotional branding refers to the practice of building brands that appeal directly to a consumer’s emotional state, needs and aspirations. Research shows that this certainly does apply to the B2B buying process.
The decision-making process within a company is accompanied by significant risk, such as making a purchase mistake that will affect the entire company. B2B purchases are generally financially more significant than personal B2C purchases. Therefore, individuals involved in the purchasing process will in fact definitely make an ‘emotional’ decision. This decision is based on trust, a feeling of professionalism, and responsibility. In fact, he/she feels personally accountable for the outcome.
Whether your business is B2C or B2B, here are five quick tips to enhance your emotional branding.
1. Tell a story
Your company story is the source of inspiration, where the core values of your company lie. This core story contains everything you are and everything you do. It brings diverse threads together: history, mission, sources of inspiration, goals and the reason for the company’s existence. Storytelling helps your customers connect with your work, and connect to the company on an emotional level. Accomplished through text, videos, graphics, audio, or a combination of these, storytelling helps to make your B2B enterprise accessible on a human level.
2. Build an identity around your ability to adapt to customer needs
Show your (potential) customer that your company are able to adapt completely to your customer’s needs, and demonstrate that you have the right solution to their problem. By providing a total solution and helping the customer discover their potential needs/problems, you make your service relevant to their goals. This makes it increasingly likely that your customer will choose you as their partner.
3. Establish trust and quality
Being available for your customer at every step of the process is crucial. By being there for the customer even after the sale is closed and the product/service has been completed, you demonstrate that your business is relationship-oriented, with long-term intentions.
4. Build your brand name
Research proves that “brand name” ranks as one of the most important components to decision-making within a B2B exchange. Therefore, ensure that your brand name comes across as professional, trustworthy, and easy to recognize. As the first point of visual contact, your logo must be easily recogniseable, professional and resonate with your purpose.
5. Be honest
For people who genuinely want to connect with you and believe in your work, your business must practice honesty and disclosure. Even large B2B corporations can facilitate emotional connection with their customers by being honest and transparent in all exchanges with the public. Collect real, user-generated content and testimonials, and communicate these to the outside world. Include everything, even opinions that might be less than enthusiastic. This is the easiest means of communicating sincerity.
Don’t forget: whether you are in a B2C or a B2B industry, in the end we are all human. Therefore, emotional branding applies to everyone.
Interested in more tips to grow as a business and connect with your audience? Read ‘9 Tips for a successful Instagram Strategy for Service Providers’.
By Shannon, Communications Coordinator at WORTH Internet Systems
