There are only so many things you can measure. In many cases, it is the intangible soft indicators, such as the emotional connection with a brand, which drive more results than the things you can measure in facts and figures.
Though it tends to get overlooked whenever a new management tool becomes available, building emotional connections between users and brands is now more important than ever. The rise of social media platforms such as Snapchat, which rely on creating emotional connections between people and things, has given brands unprecedented opportunities to engage with new and established audiences on a personal level.
People act on the basis of how they feel about something, not graphs and charts, even if their feeling is generated by graphs and charts. This article explores strategies for creating these emotional bonds, with a particular focus on using Snapchat ads effectively.
Understanding Emotional Connections in Branding
There are many types of emotional connection in branding, and the idea is to hit all of them without the potential customer realising it. The Big Five of emotional connections you are looking for are:
Recognition: Users instantly recognise and remember your brand.
Trust: Consumers associate your brand with reliability and integrity.
Affinity: People have positive feelings towards your brand.
Loyalty: Customers choose your brand consistently rather than others.
Advocacy: Satisfied customers openly recommend your brand.
These connections are built over time through consistent, authentic interactions which resonate with your target audience’s values, aspirations and lifestyles.
The Power of Snapchat for Emotional Branding
Snapchat has unique features which make it particularly suited for building emotional connections between customers and brands. These include:
Authenticity: The platform’s ephemeral nature encourages direct, as-you-feel-it content.
Interactivity: Features such as filters, lenses and games promote user engagement with the platform and other users.
Youthful demographic: Snapchat attracts a younger audience which has segmented itself as such, making it ideal for brands targeting younger consumers.
Visual storytelling: Snapchat’s visual focus makes it a prime platform for creating immersive, emotional narratives.
Real-time engagement: The platform offers immediate, in-the-moment connections with potential customers.
Strategies for Building Emotional Connections
Emotional connections can be complex, intangible and mysterious, but they are not impervious to influence. Here are some strategies you can use to influence the connection a potential customer has with your brand.
Develop a Strong Brand Personality
Your brand should have a consistent, relatable personality which is manifest in all interactions. In order to develop this, you need to take the following steps:
- Define your brand’s core values and voice
- Create a style guide for visual and verbal communication
- Ensure consistency across all platforms, including Snapchat
Use a consistent and recognisable visual style in your Snapchat ads and stories. Develop a unique “voice” for your captions and interactions which aligns with your brand personality.
Tell Compelling Stories
Storytelling is a powerful tool for creating emotional connections. Experience speaks to experience because that is the way to capture the emotional territory behind it.
- Create narratives which resonate with your target audience’s experiences
- Use a mix of formats: video, images, text and audio
- Highlight customers’ own stories and testimonials
Utilise Snapchat’s Story ads to create episodic content which users can follow. A mix of photos, videos and interactive elements will keep users engaged throughout the narrative.
Leverage User-Generated Content
Interaction also means responsiveness on your part. Therefore you should encourage your users to create content and showcase it.
- Run contests or challenges which prompt users to create content
- Feature user-generated content in your marketing materials
- Engage with and respond to user content
Create custom Snapchat filters or lenses which help users create content featuring your brand. Share the best user-generated content in your brand’s Snapchat story.
Personalise the User Experience
As ever, the more you can relate your message to individuals the more they will listen. Therefore tailor your content and interactions to individual users.
- Use data to understand user preferences and behaviours
- Create personalised recommendations and offers
- Address users by name where possible
Utilise Snapchat’s advanced targeting options to deliver ads relevant to particular users based on their interests, behaviours and demographics. Create different ad sets for different segments of your audience.
Provide Value Beyond Your Products
If your product has any value it will have a positive impact which goes beyond its utility. You should therefore be able to offer content and experiences which enrich users’ lives.
- Share interesting educational content related to your industry
- Offer exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at your brand
- Provide entertainment which aligns with your brand values
You can use Snapchat’s Discover feature to create a series of educational or entertaining content pieces. For example, a fitness brand could create a daily workout series.
Be Authentic and Transparent
If people believe you are genuine they will listen to your message with positivity and reassurance. Build trust by being open and honest with your audience.
- Share your brand’s journey, including the challenges it faces
- Be upfront about your products, including their limitations
- Admit and address mistakes promptly
Snapchat’s casual, immediate nature enables you to share real-time updates or behind-the-scenes content demonstrating the human side of your brand.
Engage in Two-Way Communication
You want your audience to recognise themselves as a specific group with a shared interest. Foster a sense of community and dialogue.
- Respond promptly to messages and comments
- Ask for feedback and act on it
- Host Q&A or Ask Me Anything sessions
Use Snapchat’s chat feature to have direct conversations with users. Host live Q&A sessions using Snapchat’s live video feature.
Align with Social Causes
You want to be seen as part of the community, not an abstract commercial entity. Show that your brand cares about more than just profits.
- Support causes which align with your brand values
- Encourage user participation in charitable initiatives
- Take genuine social responsibility measures
Create Snapchat ads which highlight your brand’s social initiatives. Use Snapchat’s donation features to empower users to contribute directly through the app.
Create Exclusive Experiences
Make your customers feel privileged. Offer your Snapchat followers something special.
- Provide early access to new products or sales
- Create Snapchat-exclusive content or offers
- Host virtual events or product launches on Snapchat
Use Snapchat’s Snap to Unlock feature to provide exclusive discounts or early access to new products for your followers.
Leverage Influencer Partnerships
Don’t wait for people to take your word for things. Collaborate with influencers who resonate with your target audience.
- Choose influencers whose values align with your brand
- Allow influencers creative freedom to maintain authenticity
- Create long-term partnerships for consistent messaging
Partner with Snapchat influencers to create sponsored content, or take over your Snapchat account for a day.
Best Practices for Snapchat Ads
Snapchat ads which build emotional connections will reflect these best practices.
Keep it brief: Snapchat users have short attention spans. Make your point quickly and memorably.
Use sound: Unusually, most Snapchat users watch their content with sound on. Therefore add music or voiceovers.
Embrace vertical video: Design your ads for full-screen, vertical viewing to create the best user experience.
Incorporate interactivity: Use Snapchat’s interactive ad formats like Playables or AR Lenses to boost engagement.
Be playful: Snapchat’s audience appreciates humour and lightheartedness. Show your brand’s fun side.
Call to action: A clear, compelling call to action should be part of each ad.
Test and iterate: Continuously test different ad formats, content styles and messaging to see which resonates with your audience.
Measuring Emotional Connections
While emotional connections can be challenging to quantify, several metrics can indicate the strength of your brand-user relationships:
- Engagement rate: High engagement (views, interactions, shares) suggests content resonates emotionally.
- Brand sentiment: Monitor social media mentions and comments for positive sentiment.
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Emotionally connected customers tend to have higher CLV.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): This measures how likely customers are to recommend your brand.
- Repeat purchase rate: Emotionally connected customers make repeat purchases.
- User-generated content: An increase in user-generated content indicates strong emotional connections.
Conclusion
Building emotional connections between users and brands is a complex, ongoing process which requires consistency, authenticity and a deep understanding of your audience. By leveraging the unique features of platforms such as Snapchat, brands can create immersive, interactive experiences which resonate on an emotional level and make your brand personal to them.
The key to success is to view your brand as a personality, with the same characteristics as its customers, who users can relate to, trust and even love. If it isn’t, why are you, as a person, part of it?
By following these strategies and best practices, particularly in your Snapchat advertising efforts, you can create lasting emotional bonds. These will translate into long-term brand loyalty and advocacy without your customers even knowing it, as they will see this ongoing connection as an unspoken and unquestioned part of their life.
