Reilly Newman | The relationship a business has with its audience is dependent on the brand. This is because the brand goes beyond just the transaction. Rightfully so, the business handles the transaction while the emotional aspect of the engagement contributes to the brand.
We can confidently say this because brand is perception, which is impacted by our experiences. Our experiences are shaped and molded by our emotions. Just as a dining experience may be great when you’re in an awesome mood, but really be a drag if you’re grumpy. The experience was the same, however your perception is altered by the emotions at play. This becomes extremely evident when we think about trauma and its impact on experiences. Even how much it can contort a perception because our feelings toward the subject are altered.
In the context of brand and business, this relates to the overall experience your audience has with you. The initial step is the feelings and emotions because these impact your experience whether you like it or not. Depending on your business, you need to be aware of the feelings your audience may have about your business before they even interact with it. These feelings can be fed by their pre-existing perception of the business just as hiring a lawyer makes us feel different than hiring an interior designer. It’s not the professional’s fault, but typically our perception and the scenario fuel these emotions that then impact our experience.
When you’re aware of these perceptions and emotions, you’re able to counteract the feelings with signals from the brand. Just as when a child goes to the dentist for the first time, they are filled with overwhelming feelings that are scary and fearful. Usually the dentist and staff proactively meet the child in this state and try to counteract by signaling with smiles and upbeat tones. They’ll even do balloon animals, games, and toys to help the child counteract these perceptions and feelings so they have a good experience. Ultimately, this good experience encourages future visits and even behavioral changes! Thanks to the care and emotional intelligence of the dental staff, the negative feelings were altered and the experience was salvaged — which then helped the overall perception become positive.
With this example in mind, we can easily apply it to your business and understand where brand plays its roll by being emotionally attuned and intelligent. This is how your business can truly connect — by your brand getting personal with your audience. Just like the dental staff getting personal with the child, your brand can connect and impact the customer’s experience with your business.
Personal is Power
As the brand empowers your business to be more personal, it not only benefits your customers, but actually provides crucial information for your business as you learn more about your buyers. This feedback loop provides your business with more information about the feelings that may be common for your customers before, during, or after a purchase. This knowledge gives you the insight to be proactive with your brand in how you can address the feelings at each situation.
Being more personal with your audience not only benefits the present but creates this wonderful feedback loop that gives you the advantage for the future as well. The power of being personal is limitless as it builds your brand which only furthers the success of your business one relationship at a time.
