There’s a lot of talk on the internet about businesses being transparent—being upfront about their fees, policies, goals, history and any other pertinent information. What I often see on a business’s website and other media are these facts and figures but the language and images are as sterile as a morgue. The information is trite, stale and boring and the end result is the image of insincerity. The key ingredient that’s missing is heart.
When we talk about matters of the heart, we think of emotion. In terms of your business, have you ever asked yourself what kind of emotions your business is catering to? Do you want to give your customers peace of mind, pride, excitement, mental clarity, more freedom, stress release, relaxation, a boost in self-esteem, amusement, security, love, popularity, joy or even fear, anger or hatred?
Your product or service must connect with your customers’ hearts. Sometimes a business’s emotional goal is more obvious, like a hotel wants their customers to feel relaxed and comfortable. Other business’s emotional goals may not be.
For example, if you own a lawn care business you may think that you’re in the business of tending lawns but, really, your business is there to help relieve stress from a busy homeowner who has too many other items on their to-do list or who can’t physically do it themselves. If you own a business selling toys, you probably want your customer to feel joy watching their child have fun or perhaps even more freedom since the toy can keep the child busy while the mom or dad focuses on other things.
Often a product or service can touch on more than one emotion (like the toy both allowing more freedom and joy). Be sure to look at it from all angles. If your business can touch on many emotions, pick the top one or two and stick with those so that the message on your website and ads is clear.
Many businesses have also opted to have an “Our Story” page in lieu of the traditional “About Us” on their websites and, hopefully, you have, too. This page should reveal your own personal struggles, along with the reasons for founding the business. While most businesses use the “Our Story” page for their “about” section on their website, only a fraction get into the gritty details of the founder and emotional foundation of the business.
Going back to our lawn care business example, maybe you mowed your elderly neighbor’s yard as a kid and it made you feel good helping her out. You started the business in hopes of helping other people who lacked the time or physical capabilities to handle their own lawn care.
Or maybe you started that pet memorial business because you lost your own pet two years ago and understand first-hand the grief the loss of a pet can cause.
If you focus on being authentic and connecting with people and make money your secondary goal, your business will grow exponentially with less effort from you. Customers will love you and as a result, do most of your marketing for you via word-of-mouth.
The quickest way to your customers’ hearts is to show them yours:)
