Emotional Connection Matters in all Marketing

Published June 5, 2014 at 7:57 am

Branding is all about telling a company’s story. A brand’s influence can be a big determining factor in whether a customer decides to purchase a certain product. Although branding for business-to-consumer industries may more readily spring to mind, it is worth noting that it is just as important when it comes to business-to-business companies.

According to a survey Forbes conducted in 2012, “B-to-B purchasing decision makers consider the brand as a central rather than a marginal element of a supplier’s value proposition.” With this in mind, B-to-b companies should be working on effective strategies to brand their business.

General Electric CMO, Beth Comstock, recently spoke at the annual Business Marketing Association meeting, and made points that add to this idea. As Adage reported, Comstock pointed out that whether it’s for consumers or with another business, everyone being targeted by a campaign is a person. This means that B-to-b storytelling does not have to be, and should not be, boring and bland.

Speaking about a recent GE campaign, Comstock noted that the campaign was designed to have an emotional edge to help connect with viewers, according to the article.

The idea that emotion can have a big impact on an audience is something we have touched on previously on this blog, as it has been shown that successful viral videos cause emotional reactions, causing people to want to share the content.

No matter what industry you are marketing in, making your efforts interesting and giving them a human side may go a long way in building interest and loyalty in your brand. Whether it’s on the consumer or business side, any business stands to benefit from marketing that makes that connection.