By Kelli Newman, APR
Emotional intelligence is a term you likely hear often. Identifying emotions, both yours and those of others, and applying them to tasks as well as problem solving, has gained both wide acceptance and academic stature. What you may not yet appreciate is the unique role emotional intelligence plays in marketing communications and the results it can deliver. Applying genuine empathy is key. To do that means getting out of your head and into that of your audience to appreciate their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Then creating messages that evoke action.
Stand in Your Customer’s Shoes
The ability to form connections and understand your audience’s perspective is considered a pillar of emotional intelligence, but it does require doing your homework. We recently did some research on marketing communication challenges experienced by entrepreneurs in the innovation sector, particularly those in the life sciences. We discovered that there is a need for greater awareness of the pressures facing organizations that innovation companies are approaching with their services. Rather than simply focusing on sales, our findings suggested that entrepreneurs need to better understand the challenges, goals, protocols and even culture of their potential customers, and address it in their marketing communications. It’s valuable advice for companies in any market segment. Asking questions, taking time for discovery, and most importantly listening, not only achieves greater awareness, it fuels empathy that can result in rewarding, long-term relationships. The key is to clearly incorporate what you discover into the messaging you develop, using empathetic language, and demonstrating a genuine commitment to connection.
Apply Empathic Language to Messaging
Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what they are thinking or feeling. As a result, when it comes to applying empathy in emotional intelligence, the concept of speaking your audience’s language could not be more relevant.
Emotion is a significant motivator for action. Research has shown that humans are neurobiologically dependent on emotions for making decisions and retaining information, which are two primary objectives of messaging and marketing communications. Tapping into the power of emotion to connect with what’s important to your key audiences, while communicating the solutions you offer, can deliver excellent results. However, it is essential that any emotion you use is genuine, or you risk a betrayal of trust that can damage your bottom line, and is both costly and difficult to repair.
Deliver the Expected Experience
When applied to marketing communications, emotional intelligence establishes certain expectations. In other words, are you who you say you are? Delivering on the expectations you create by leveraging emotional intelligence is critical for protecting the trust you work hard to build. In the end, the impact of emotional intelligence isn’t confined to words, it’s experienced. So, if your research has discovered that timeliness is a critical factor for your potential customer, and you are marketing yourself as responsive, are you? Do your actions support the empathy you communicated in support of their needs?
Bottom line, emotional intelligence is a valuable strategy for enhancing your marketing communications. The key is doing your homework for how best to genuinely connect, and ensuring follow-through on expectations you create. The advantages that offers could very well be the key factor in distinguishing your company from the sea of competition.
© 2022 Newman & Newman, Inc.
