Many purchase decisions are inherently emotional.
Even in the world of B2B, where the facts rule, emotions still play a vital role.
Without emotions, it would be impossible to know how you feel about competing options, and that would make it many times more difficult to choose between them.
Luckily, there are effective ways to use emotion in your B2B marketing that are sophisticated enough for an audience of experienced decision-makers.
Let’s delve deeper into the best ways to use emotion in your marketing:
1. Tell a Complete Story
A full story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The reason this structure has endured for so long is because it works: people are hardwired to look for stories and make sense of things, and your marketing should do the same. Don’t just wait for case studies to emulate the narrative structure. Build it into your whole site using heroes, action, and results prospects can get behind.
2. Use Color Psychology
One of the fastest way to evoke any emotion is to use color. Color psychology differs between cultures, but if your business is focused in the United States, you largely know what to expect.
Color should be represented in your logo and color scheme, of course, but also the illustrations and photos you use for each page. Each campaign should align colors with emotions and values.
Most color associations are intuitive:
- Red: Passion, power, aggression, energy.
- Yellow: Energy, excitement, happiness.
- Blue: Calm, relaxation, freedom, sadness.
- White: Purity and special occasions (weddings.)
- Black: Sophistication, luxury.
3. Put Your Message First
When B2B buyers go looking for solutions, they have three key points in mind:
- Price
- Features
- Value
Putting a price up front will allow some leads who aren’t fully qualified to opt out of a buying process early on. However, it’ll also scare off some of your leads who would be qualified, but who aren’t fully on board with your message yet. They need time to acclimate!
With that in mind, be sure you gate pricing information in a respectful, yet effective way. Make it part of your overall lead qualification process so you can send targeted messaging to those who show enough interest in your offers to find out more.
4. Sprinkle Social Proof Through Your Site
Social proof is inherently evocative and full of emotion. When people read through a review or testimonial quote, they evaluate what the speaker says by seeing whether or not they feel like they can relate to that person. That human connection is an emotional experience you can boost with long, insightful quotes, photography, and even short video.
Remember: All buying has an emotional component, so never be afraid to use it!