The internet is content. A few minutes on social media, a spot of online shopping, a bit of research or light reading – all these experiences comprise the content we encounter from the moment the screen lights up to the moment it goes dark.
But ‘emotionally engaging’ has become such a key phrase to digital marketers that its true meaning is often glossed over. So, what is it? What does it mean for you? How do you emotionally engage your audience?
What do we mean by ‘emotionally engaging’?
Emotional engagement is the most genuine type of engagement there is. It’s responding to a funny image or video with genuine laughter, or feeling a sense of happiness or positivity – even being moved to tears (although, admittedly, very few brands want to do that to their customers).
Emotional engagement means that our brains are really responding to the content we’re looking at. It stops the scroll, gets us to settle on one thing – a piece of text, an image, or a video – for more than a second or two. We’re more likely to share or interact with content that we find emotionally engaging, and it’s a lot more compelling when it comes to maximising conversions and clicks.
Customer loyalty depends on emotional engagement. If we’re feeling engaged on an emotional level, then we’re going to start performing key behaviours – reading their blog, additional transactions, signing up to their emails, leaving positive feedback and creating that all-important UGC.
Emotional engagement is a big topic in web design. Customers behaviours are made evident by your performance metrics, which means tracking the parts of your site that are emotionally engaging (vs those that are currently falling short) is a great way to boost business.
But what about content?
What makes content emotionally engaging?
First of all, get your head straight on the topic of engagement itself. It’s easy to assume that, in order to be emotionally engaging, you’ve got to tug at the heartstrings – create an ad campaign with a plot worthy of Nicholas Sparks, post content alongside a picture of a sad kitten…whatever gets the heart sinking and the tears welling.
This is not the case. Emotional engagement isn’t limited to the most extreme of emotions. Making your audience feel happy, interested, motivated, confident, thoughtful, or excited is just as valuable (if not more so) as making them lie on the sofa and weep.
The foundations
The foundations for emotional engagement are quality writing, originality, topicality, and clarity. This list is the same as the list of criteria for good content. Bad content is not emotionally engaging – or, if it is, it’s engaging for the wrong reasons. It makes audiences angry, frustrated, apathetic, or distrusting.
Part of the trouble with AI content is its inability to put opinions or subjectivity into articles. Well-written articles speak for a particular viewpoint, rather than summarising the world into a number of predictable and objective points.
The emotional hook
An emotional hook is a device used by creators to really pique interest. They come in many different forms, including…
- Stories
Since we first started gathering round open fires telling myths and fables, we’ve been inspiring people to action through stories. You don’t need an entire novel to get a compelling narrative going. Look at the popularity of storytelling in ad campaigns. Bringing that onto the smaller scale of a single blog post or social media post is a great way to keep things dynamic.
UGC often inadvertently follows the storytelling format. A customer had a problem, found your brand, and solved that problem. Who doesn’t love a happy ending? - A sense of community
We all like to feel part of something, and a lot of brands have found strong success through creating a sense of community between their customers. Apple is a great example of this – strong branding, and a clear image of their ‘ideal customer’ turn their userbase into an exclusive club, and FOMO compels many of us to want to join in.
This is a valuable tool, whether you’re digital marketing for a small business or a global brand. - Faces to names
We’re all a lot more tuned-into the importance of more ethical, more sustainable business practices that don’t depend on the exploitation of the environment or vulnerable communities. Brands like BAM Bamboo Clothing are shining examples of the power of putting a human face to the brand, and celebrating employees as much as they celebrate their customers. - Humour
The classic, although not the easiest to get right. If you can get them smiling and laughing, you’re definitely doing something right. - Relatability
Businesses that can achieve a more relatable voice tend to see a high ROI from their content strategies. Think of brands that are targeting Gen Z right now – their use of memes and TikTok trends are surprising, and cut through the more corporate noise other brands are still sticking to. - CTA
The good, old-fashioned, tried-and-tested call to action. It may not be enough on its own to emotionally engage your audience, but it never hearts to compel them toward action. A little nudge in the right direction.
