While you may already be familiar with inbound marketing, it’s starting to evolve. This year more than ever, companies are captivating their audiences by telling a good story and evoking emotion. Humans, though logical creatures, are also highly motivated by their own feelings, on which we base most our decisions. To incorporate this strategy to inbound marketing, marketers are now more focused on crafting good stories that their target audience will connect with beyond a superficial level.
Gone are the days were you could simply create a brand story and connect with your audience. Now we’re seeing these stories shared in the form of snippets across social media on networks like Instagram and Snapchat. These stories require ongoing interaction as fans are constantly demanding a more engaging experience.
So, how are brands using emotional marketing in inbound marketing today? Here is one great example of how it’s playing out.
Emotional Marketing Campaign: “America, Let’s Do Lunch!”
When the non-profit organization, Meals on Wheels, wanted to launch a brand awareness campaign, they did it by tinkering with our hearts and the message that “One in six seniors face the threat of hunger, and millions more live in isolation,” so just stopping by with a hot meal, for a quick chat can do wonders. The powerful campaign consisted of a series of videos featuring smiling seniors who appear to be sitting right across from you, ready to share their life stories. This video is a call to action for the community: to reach out to your senior neighbors, friends, and aging family members and share a meal. Addressing the compound problem of senior hunger and isolation, “America, Let’s Do Lunch!” grabs its viewers right at the heart and encourages them to share kindness with their fellow seniors in the community. What Meals on Wheels gets right is highlighting the universal human need for interpersonal connections and for basic nutritional sustenance. We cannot do without one or the other, we are social beings who thrive on both food and love.
The ad campaign, launched on in mid-July, is drawing in comments that encourage others to get involved. Placing video campaigns on YouTube and on other social media platforms like Facebook enable organizations like Meals on Wheels to reach users who normally wouldn’t go on their website. This kind of emotional marketing is drawing in a wider audience, and perhaps a new wave of volunteers for the Meals on Wheels cause.
How can you use emotional marketing to create a more personal, intimate relationship with your audience? What are the trigger points that would get them to want to take action?