How to Create an Emotional Marketing Experience to Engage Prospects
In my last post, I briefly discussed the idea that marketing communications can be fun and still be perceived as professional. I pointed out that Disney sets a standard for professionalism while employing a dog named Goofy and a spokesrodent named Mickey. But you might say, "We're not an amusement company, we're a life science company. We don't sell entertainment." That is true.But what if I said, "You can sell the same thing Disney sells and not even compete with them. And it will give you a competitive advantage in your own industry"?The Disney magic is the experience. It's how they make you feel. And there is no reason you or your company can't deliver a unique experience to your customers. I'm talking about more than good customer service and technical support. The experience starts at the first touch with your Marketing Communications. There is an opportunity to differentiate your business by how you make your prospects feel.Find your marketing voice.Let's begin with your voice. Who is the character that is speaking to your customers and prospects? This blends a bit with your branding, but there are enough possibilities that regardless of what your brand stands for, you should be able to pick an interesting character to be your marketing persona.Rule number 1. Try to sound like a human being. The more conversational, the better. Even with no defined persona, natural language sets a tone that engages a customer's emotion of trust. Corporate speak sounds like what it is. Because it doesn't sound like a person, it has to work harder to earn trust. Aren't you working hard enough already?Don't be afraid of funny.Humor done well can be very engaging. Keep in mind, that humorous doesn't mean ridiculous. When we created The Varian Experience, we had customers and employees submit videos about the work they do. One of my favorites came from our GC group in the Netherlands. Enjoy the video and read on.
What makes this work so well?
- There is no corporate voice. You hear a real person speaking to you as if to a friend.
- The truck is a humorous idea, but it has a purpose.
- Most importantly, the video tells a story. I will detail the elements that make a good story in a later post.
These three aspects trigger an emotional response for the viewer. The message is fascinating because the video packages Trust (the product works as intended) together with a hint of Rebellion. A mildly rebellious attitude of "Can we break it?" appeals to the target audience who make their living testing things.The well-chosen, extreme example resonates with their ultimate need to prove what works and what doesn't. Who wouldn't have fun trying this? And amazingly the column still works! How is that for Trust? This strong emotional response paves the way for further engagement.Even when you're being humorous, you still need to deliver the goods. Creating an experience around your brand is a longer term strategy that pays off by creating a stickiness and like-ability that breaks down barriers and attracts new customers.Create a never-ending experience.As another example, you might think that bookkeeping software would be a difficult thing to build an experience around, but Freshbooks (no affiliation) has done it. When I log my hours, it rewards me with a nice message just often enough to make it a surprise. Every touch point, from instructions to user experience to customer service is like having a friend helping me out. If it can be done for accounting software, it can probably be done for anything.If you have other great examples of how a company can be professional while delivering a memorable, fun experience, particularly in a B2B environment, please share them in the comments below.And if you enjoy these posts and want more great ideas about how to differentiate your business in your marketing communications, subscribe to this blog and then check out my podcast.