Human beings are often referred to as emotional beings. No matter how we portray ourselves as to the outside world, deep down all of us feel, and these feelings matter to us. Studies show that emotions are stored in the unconscious part of our brain and control our decision-making process. B2B businesses have a more prolonged purchase cycle than B2C businesses, but B2B are also made up of people. And a large part of people’s decisions is based on their emotions.
Steps to emotionally influence B2B customers can be summarised as below:
The art of storytelling
Stories create sensory experiences which influence our thinking. An impactful story has the power to create thoughts and form opinions that are aligned with the person telling the story. It is one of the best ways to influence the audience and control their behaviour. Few qualities that make a story compelling are:
- Originality – Your business customer needs a reason to buy your product. An interesting and authentic story forms a connection on levels that transcend business.
- A story that moves establishes your authority on the subject and makes your position stronger for the emotional buyer.
- We like to be motivated and inspired and believe that we make a difference in the society. A story that effectively shows the challenges and hurdles faced by the main character and how the character can overcome them give hopes to the listeners.
- Create an experience for your audience where they can imagine the feel and relate to the characters.
- Your story should be able to reflect on the insights gained from research conducted on the audience.
Creating a story that can influence a customer’s decision needs a lot of research. Information about the target audience like their preferences, struggles, pain points and aspirations will lay out the way for formulating the marketing strategy.
Social Proof
B2B people like to play safe. They prefer to buy a product referred by someone they know rather than the brand itself. Sending a proof to the potential buyer that the product you are advertising is used by people they know establishes their trust in the brand. IT can be done through testimonials, reviews, shares on social media etc.
Features and Prices
B2B companies are more cautious of the prices and features of the product than the actual consumer. They will compare the prices and features with the other options in the market. But if the price is not on your side, hold that information and rather play with the emotions first.
Highlight the strong points
As mentioned earlier, the B2B customer will compare the product with the competitors. But you can win by playing your strongest card. Whatever comparative advantage your product has to offer over the competitor’s is your asset. This advantage can be anything like a lower price in comparison or a smaller and better design. Build the entire campaign around that advantage and remind the customers often.
You can take your business’s revenue to the next level by invoking the right emotions amongst your potential B2B customers. Also, make sure not to overdo the emotional part.
