Make no mistake: clear, compelling messaging must be developed using a logical and methodical process. Each element within your messaging must be carefully researched, validated, sequenced and worded. But while a formula should be followed when constructing your foundational messaging, what really brings it to life is something entirely different: energy and emotion.
For messaging to truly resonate with and motivate your target audience to take action – logic alone will not do the trick. It has to have a quality that speaks to the hearts of your audience. It has to be able to engage your prospects and customers at a deeper level.
As Roger Dooley of NeuroscienceMarketing.com explains it, “impact is driven by emotion and unconscious processes, well before logic even gets a shot at the situation. You must focus as much attention on non-conscious factors as you place on rational support for those emotional responses.”
Neurologist Antonio Damasio confirms this. In his book Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain, his scientific research is clear: without emotions, humans are incapable not only of rational thought, but are rendered unable to pull the trigger on even the simplest of decisions.
According to numerous researchers, these basic human emotional drivers include:
- Connection: above all else, humans want to belong and look good to others
- Fear: humans want to avoid failure and loss at all cost
- Greed: humans have a competitive desire to win and beat their competition
Does your message strike the proper balance between logical and emotional engagement? Does it tap into the reader’s beliefs and paint a picture of the success they want to experience? Many B2B marketers think that because it’s business – their messaging should be “all business.” The truth is, B2B messaging that pull both the logical and emotional triggers have a much greater chance of connecting with their target.
