Image credit: Charles Ngo

POSTED BY: | March 10, 2016

Consumers migrate to brands that trigger emotionally charged experiences that fulfill emotional aspirations. Without an emotional connection, a brand will not capture a customer – just a transaction.

The path to creating an alluring brand invitation begins with an in-depth understanding of what “emotional triggers” drive behavior. Companies that master these understandings are making brand connections that attract and retain very profitable and very loyal customer relationships.

The companies that do master this type of strategy seem to be making the right choices about what type of emotional linking value to offer and how to deliver it throughout the consumer decision journey. However, these types of marketing choices often run contrary to the conventional wisdom within your industry. The process begins by discovering what “inspires” your most profitable customers: a sense of freedom, securing control, inspiring confidence, protecting the environment, feeling secure, or enjoying a sense of well-being.

Mapping a consumer’s decision journey reveals how brands can recognize, measure and appeal to the consumer’s most rousing inner feelings. These understandings confirm that your brand’s messaging and customer experiences are meaningful and support the undertow of emotional fulfillment. Brands that foster fully engaged customer relationships also experience double digit annual profit growth.

Modern multi-platform research methods now allow marketers to structure learning processes that enrich every step throughout their customer’s decision journey, ensuring that a relevant and personalized value chain is delivered.

The pivotal aspect in cultivating customer loyalty, however, is sustaining product or service relevance by integrating all of your customer’s digital and interpersonal touch points with this sense of personalized intimacy that can truly connect your brand with their desired sense of self-inspiration.

This article originally appeared in the March edition of the Hendricks County Business Leader.