Why Emotions Matter in B2B Content Marketing

According to a survey by CEB Marketing Leadership Council™ and Google, emotions matter in B2B buying, but did you know that they actually matter even more than logic and reason? Almost 43% of respondents said that personal value matters more to them when it comes to B2B buying decisions.

Image Credit: “From Promotion to Emotion: Connecting B2B Customers to Brands” – CEB Marketing Leadership Council™

Logic and reason matter, but are trumped significantly by personal value. Marketers would be wise to change the focus of their B2B content marketing programs to target personal values like professional benefits at the job, social and emotional benefits of the readers, and personal self-image benefits.

Here are four ways to push the personal value buttons with your B2B content marketing:

1. Content that helps with readers’ career advancement potential is a good way to engage them. Try it with blog posts and case studies that give examples of how companies have met business goals. Meeting these goals is often the measuring stick for executives at B2B organizations.
2. Creating useful content that highlights social benefits like popularity can decide whether readers bring your product to their decision makers. Try it with videos and good content curation on social media.
3. Engaging content that hits the emotional sweet spot can also be useful to B2B marketers. Generating emotions like confidence or fear can be very powerful motivators. Try it with email autoresponders and landing pages.
4. Stroking the ego of your readers with compelling content that talks directly to their pride. Try it with blog posts, emails, landing pages, and case studies (also known as success stories).

Making your readers feel better about themselves and their work by tapping into their emotions with your B2B content marketing can pay big dividends for you. It’s an untapped resource right now, so why not give it a try with your next project?

Next Steps:

• Subscribe to our blog to stay informed on B2B marketing news and insight.
• Contact us to learn more about how we can help your company with content marketing, website design & development, search engine marketing, and corporate branding.