Editor’s Note: Today’s post comes courtesy of Chuck Green, a marketing and business writer for the past 30 years. His work has been published in the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, and more.
From LEGO’s heartwarming father-son moment to Dove Beauty’stouching ode to female self-esteem, B2C marketers know there’s no better way to pluck the heart strings than through good, old-fashioned emotion. But when courting B2B audiences, marketers too often forget to factor in the human side of decision-making. And industry experts agree: B2B customers respond just as strongly to emotional appeals as their B2C counterparts, if not more so.
In fact, to most effectively reach customers, emotion should be a central tenet in the sales pitch of B2B marketers, says Bob Leonard, owner of B2B marketing agency acSellerant Studios. “The world changes around us by the hour, [but] human nature doesn’t really ever change,” he says. “A trigger causes people to pay attention and remember. When emotion’s attached to an idea, event or argument, it makes an impression.”
To stand out, B2B marketers must create anticipation of both professional and personal rewards, according to astudy by Google and CEB’s Marketing Leadership Council, working with marketing research firm Motista. How? By building emotional connections with their customers, which can drive important purchase outcomes like purchase intent and pricing power. B2B purchasers are almost 50% more likely to buy a product or service when they see personal value in their business purchase decision, the study found. Additionally, they’re eight times more likely to pay a premium for comparable products and services in light of personal value.
Of the nine B2B brands studied, seven forged emotional connections with more than 50% of their customers. And surprisingly, results showed that B2B customers are, on average, significantly more emotionally connected to their vendors and service providers than consumers.
