Instead of Checking Your Emotions at the Office Door, Use Them to Engage Your Audience

By Vice President of Digital Services Kristy Bonner

You may be all business, but sometimes exuberance – or worse, insecurity — takes centerstage, no matter how hard you try to remain professional.

As someone who has worked in a newsroom, I can empathize with the daily emotional breakdowns of news producer Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) in the 1987 film “Broadcast News.” And, remember the famous line from team manager Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) in the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own” when one of his players was having a tough day, “There is no crying in baseball.” These are memorable examples of the struggle to remove emotion from a professional environment. But, is it possible to completely remove emotions from the workplace? And, should we? Emotion has impact, so keeping your work devoid of emotion may stifle your potential.

What’s your eq?

Emotional intelligence, or emotional quotient (EQ), measures a person’s ability to manage and understand their own emotions and others’. Many experts consider this a more powerful indicator of success in the workplace than IQ or personality, according to Talent Smart EQ.

Those with higher EQ scores tend to have the ability to better manage stress; communicate more effectively with clients and coworkers; handle challenges and setbacks; navigate conflict; and build stronger relationships. Such skills make for stronger managers and employees and can lead to career advancement.

A survey by Talent Smart EQ found that every point increase in EQ equates to $1,300 added to your annual salary. Emotional intelligence is a flexible skill, so you can improve with practice. So, amping up your emotional game could improve your career outlook.

do you remember?

We’ve all said it, “Do you remember that commercial where …?” Those commercials you recall days or even years later are usually because of their emotional content. Whether they make you laugh, cry or become a bit nostalgic, emotional advertising makes an impact. Consumer products and non-profits have been using this secret sauce since the early days of advertising to sell everything from batteries to gum and for causes such as animal rescue and advancing education. Airbnb even underwent a rebrand to leverage emotion, focusing on building a sense of belonging. And according to Alder and Alder, it worked, with Airbnb showing an 80 percent increase in revenue within two years.

In the business-to-business segment, we’ve seen emotion leveraged through comedy and storytelling in efforts by Zendesk and IBM.

In digital marketing, tapping into emotion generally leads to higher conversion rates. In a world where marketers are vying for audience attention, you have about 8 seconds to make an impact before you miss your chance with a prospect. The good news? Research shows it only takes 3 seconds to stir a gut reaction that could make a lasting impression, according to The Drum.

In social media, we encourage viewers to share, click and comment. Why not use emotion to amp up engagement? The Digital Transformation Institute says to engage emotionally with prospects and clients, focus on the “4 Rs.”

The ‘4 Rs’ of engagement

Consider applying these concepts to your marketing efforts.

Respect: We want to like the people we work with but, at the very least, we want them to be honest, trustworthy and have integrity. It really comes back to the Golden Rule … “do unto others” and all that.

Reciprocate: You should strive to build a relationship, as you do face-to-face, so don’t make it all about you. Get to know your viewers, too.

Recognize: Create content they care about. We all like to talk about our businesses, but do your customers really want to hear about you every day? Make sure you are creating content that provides timely information, tips to make their jobs easier or offer moments of levity to brighten their busy day.

Reward: Offer something of value that your audience will want. Consider giving them free access to a webinar or a case study.

Research from The Digital Transformation Institute shows striking an emotional chord pays off, with 70 percent of consumers with a high level of emotional engagement with a brand spending twice as much time engaging with that company.

Welcome to emotional marketing

Indeed.com defines emotional marketing as, “messaging that companies use to target specific human emotions and engage with consumers. These emotions can include happiness, anger or sadness.” Additionally, business leaders note that another emotional tactic involves referencing current events to create an emotional connection.

Ready to give it a try? Consider these tactics in your next campaign:

• Foster inspiration: Encourage your audience to dream big.
• Use aspiration: Tell how your brand can help customers achieve more.
• Location: It’s not about a map, it’s about showing your concern about where your customer is and being connected to that location, such as offering aid when needed or sponsoring an event.
• Mark milestones: Making a viewer recall a fond memory of an anniversary helps them remember your brand, too.
• Show some love: Love is a big emotion and viewers actively seek it out. Bring a bit of this into your brand through an effective campaign or even a play on words.
• Color: Colors carry emotion, so sharpen your color theory skills.
• Tell a story: Storytelling is powerful and a narrative creates a memorable impact. Don’t just talk about your product, share the product’s origin story.

Feeling a bit emotional after all this? Good, then it’s time to get to work on your next marketing campaign. We’d love to help you with your next campaign. Connect with us on LinkedIn or via our website.