How to win the hearts of customers in digital business
Creating a positive impression of their brands and products through digital interactions with customers and prospects is a key factor for success today. Digital business expert Arithnea explains how companies can achieve this in practice.
In view of the general sensory overload and sheer endless choice, emotionalization is a decisive success factor for companies today. If they succeed in positively charging their products and brands, they can set themselves apart from the competition, win new customers more easily and retain existing ones. In addition, positive emotions towards a brand significantly increase the likelihood that it will be recommended to others.
This is why emotionalization should not stop at advertising. Companies should also aim to generate positive feelings on all channels through which they communicate with their customers and prospects. Arithnea names five steps to emotionalization in digital business.
1. focus on images and videos: If a company wants to appeal emotionally to visitors to its online store or its company and brand websites, it is of course not enough to simply present them with functional product features. The first step towards emotionalization is therefore the use of images and videos. They are ideally suited to arousing positive feelings, for example by showing what wonderful experiences are possible with a product or what positive reactions you can trigger in your environment.
2. frame products with storytelling: Ideally, the images and videos are part of a comprehensive "storytelling" in which authentic and coherent texts are used to convey that the products not only have certain technical features, but also bring joy and fun. For example, they can explain what the "fun factor" of a particular item of clothing is, how a piece of furniture can be ideally staged in a home or what other benefits an entertainment system has that you might not even think of at first.
3. offer only relevant content: Even the most emotional images and authentic stories have no effect if they are not relevant to the individual website or store visitor. That's why they need to be specifically adapted to the user. To do this, companies should firstly analyze which digital channels the various target groups prefer to use and align their content accordingly. However, they should also further personalize their content within the channels by identifying the needs of their visitors and then playing out the appropriate content.
4. use AR/VR applications: Augmented and virtual reality applications are the ideal way to bring brands and products to life digitally. They allow customers and prospective customers to take a tour of the store from the comfort of their own sofa, examine a potential new chest of drawers in their living room or virtually try on an item of clothing without having to make the inconvenient journey and search for a parking space - and thus create a particularly positive experience with the company.
5. support customer engagement: Another good way to emotionally bind customers and interested parties to your brand is to enter into as personal a relationship as possible with them. To do this, companies can offer them the opportunity to enter into dialog via channels such as Facebook and Twitter, to give their feedback and possibly even influence the further development of the brand. However, if a company decides to take this step, it must also use these channels continuously and promptly - otherwise the exact opposite effect will occur.
"Studies in the field of neuromarketing show time and again that purchasing decisions are largely made unconsciously and are significantly influenced by emotions. Those who win hearts also win customers," says Nico Rehmann, Chief Sales Officer at Arithnea in Neubiberg near Munich. "That's why companies should do everything they can to positively charge their brands in digital interactions with their customers and prospects."
Arithnea advises companies on their market strategies, creates brand worlds and develops integrated IT solutions. In this way, Arithnea creates holistic customer experiences across all communication channels and national borders. The company employs over 200 people, is headquartered in Neubiberg near Munich and has offices in Bremen, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Jena and Stuttgart. The company is part of a partner network and is a partner of Adobe, E-Spirit and SAP Hybris, among others.
Image: Clownbusiness - Shutterstock, Inc.
