How Emotional Branding Helps You Stand Out in a Crowd
We’re all emotional beings. Whether you realize it or not, up to 95% of decisions happen in the subconscious part of our brains - the Limbic System, that guides emotion, motivation, behavior and memory. Our emotions play a large role in our preferences, decisions and behaviors.
My career is all about helping brands evolve. I help CMO's express their brand in uniquely desirable ways, create stronger connections with the people they want to reach, and earn long-term customer loyalty. Research proves that emotion is the largest driver of brand loyalty. All other things considered, how a brand makes someone feel has the most significant influence on their future behavior toward that brand.
If you apply emotional branding insight to personal branding, job seeking and businesses, it means that how you, personally, make someone feel will have significant impact on their desire to have you in their world, or not.
Emotion and Personal Branding
I recently gave my daughter guidance on her college application essays. These essays help the admissions team get to know candidates better, to feel their personality, to understand how they think, how they approach life and what they value. These essays can make or break a college application. Here’s why… each college admissions person reviews hundreds of applications of similarly qualified candidates. They then meet with the other admissions people who have also read hundreds of applications. Each admissions person pitches the committee on which candidates should be accepted. In those moments, they pitch the ones who stood out in the crowd, the ones who made them feel something, emotionally.
Emotion and Job Seeking
Think about how this applies to job seeking. Many candidates will have similar backgrounds and skills. When applying and interviewing, the goal is to be remembered, in a positive way. What is it about you, your resume, your LinkedIn profile, your interviews, that will help you stand out in a crowd? Instead of focusing on what you’ve done, be sure to emphasize what you’ll do for them. Be sure they feel your energy, your passion and how motivated you are to bring your unique skills and qualities to their organization. Your job, when job seeking, is to be sure that when they sit around a table to discuss the candidates, they feel emotionally compelled to pitch for you.
Emotion and Business Branding
It's similar for businesses of any size. Many of us are offering the same or very similar services to that of our competitors. What separates us from the others is often rooted in the way we make people feel – from the first interaction and throughout the relationship. Do we have a unique product, service or approach that inspires confidence? Do we truly listen and authentically care about our clients? Do we understand and overtly address their needs, frustrations and desires? Are we creating brand experiences that are specifically designed to make their lives better at every interaction?
Standing Out in a Crowd
Standing out in a crowd is all about creating and sustaining a uniquely desirable impression – one that catch peoples’ attention and has positive emotional impact. For those looking to stand apart, think about how you want people to feel and be thoughtful in how you interact with them. Creating positive emotions will go a long way.
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