Emotions. They are the reason people share articles, websites and products online and via word of mouth. When you feel awe, excitement, amusement, anger or anxiety as a consequence of reading an article, you’re much more likely to share it, author Jonah Berger discovered.
One study in the UK showed that ads with mainly emotional content performed twice as well as ads containing just rational content. Although many of us would like to believe we make decisions and purchases based on reason (I’m a logical person!), the reality is our emotions play a significant role in whether or not we share content or buy something.
What’s the difference between rational and emotional content? Rational content focuses on facts and figures, and tells us why we should do something. However, emotional content makes the audience feel something and gets into their subconscious mind.
Don’t miss out! How can you ensure you’re capitalizing on emotions? One approach is to get emotional on your website. While it may seem tricky, the results are well worth it. Here are a few steps to help you get started:
Identify the Emotion You’ll Use
Go for excitement, awe, happiness, a sense of belonging or even fear. Nike uses excitement about achieving success in sports to power their content. You can also use the fear of missing out on a great experience, product or result to encourage conversions through your website.
Tell Stories
Relatable situations, milestones and stories are great for evoking the emotion of your choice. Include these elements in a video, graphic, short text or blog on your website.
Be Visual
Show the emotion in pictures and drawings. This will help you communicate the emotion more quickly.
Use Time Wisely
Once your audience is feeling a certain way, you have a short amount of time left to convert this into a sale or desired action. Use calls to action to direct potential clients to contact you, make a purchase or get a quote.
It’s time to get started! Need help? Contact BottomLine Marketing for a free consultation!