Emotions are very powerful things, and all buyers are influenced by them. Supermarkets take advantage of this by putting “impulse buy items” by the checkout counter. Smart marketers take a more long-term view. They take action over time to build the strong positive emotional connections that can drive both loyalty and sales.

Remember the Pareto Principle from Economics 101? This is the “80/20 rule,” which says that 80% of your sales are likely to come from 20% of your customers. But what makes that top 20% so loyal to your company? Chances are it’s emotional connections.

Emotionally connected customers can be goldmines

A recent study for the retail sector¹ compared two groups of happy customers: those who feel an emotional connection to a brand versus those who are merely satisfied with the brand. The emotionally connected customers proved to be far more valuable. They spent up to twice as much (or more) with their preferred retailers, and were nearly four times as likely to recommend these companies. On average they had a 306% higher lifetime value, and stayed with the brand 1.7 years longer.

Build emotional connections with your customers

How do you create this type of emotions-based loyalty? Start by identifying the emotional need(s) that your brand can fulfill for your customers, and then keep these in mind as you implement the following tactics:

• Knock their socks off – Make them happy. Wow them in a way that goes beyond simply meeting their needs, to create a fabulous experience that exceeds their expectations.
  
  
• Be authentic – Build trust, rapport and positive feelings by working to create a genuine, human connection with them.
  
  
• Show them they’re important – Remember their name. Use language they can relate to. Be happy to hear from them and excited to serve them.
  
  
• Tell stories – An emotionally-charged story can result in the release of dopamine in the brain, which will in turn help form long-lasting memories.

Finally, use your marketing materials. The words and images you use can help foster a strong positive emotional connection right from the start. People are emotional beings. Use that to strengthen their relationship with your brand.

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT: CARE PATROL

Nicolet Araujo is a Senior Care Consultant at Care Patrol, a free senior housing placement service. Nicolet helps area families find independent living, assisted living, memory care and in-home care options.

This really is an amazing service. At absolutely no charge to the family, Nicolet assess the family’s needs, provides a list of pre-screened care options that meet these needs and preferences, and then personally tours the facilities with the family and helps them analyze the pros and cons and each option. Then, once the decision is made, she helps the family make all of the arrangements. To learn more, read the article I ghost wrote about her for the San Clemente Lifestyle Magazine.