I’ve done it, you’ve done it. We’ve all made the same mistake in our marketing, and it’s hurting our dance stores.
Generally, we talk about our products, outlining their key features and benefits. It’s all very rational—and ineffective. We forget that people don’t buy products; they buy how products make them feel. They buy with their hearts, not their heads.
Research has suggested that 95 percent of decisions are subconscious and driven by emotions. One survey found that ads that appeal to emotions are twice as effective as those that don’t, and an fMRI study—which measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow—revealed that people rely on emotion when evaluating a brand. In short, emotion drives decisions and purchasing behavior. If we don’t infuse emotion into our marketing, we’re simply wasting time and money.
So, what types of emotions should we inject into our marketing? According to John and Nicholas Jackson O’Shaughnessy in their book The Marketing Power of Emotion, the emotions need to be consistent, authentic to your store, and, most importantly, resonate with your customers. For example, while a campaign based on the fear of missing out (FOMO) could work for teen dancers, it probably won’t register with the parent of a young child.
Think about your customers’ pain points. A campaign that leverages those pain points is likely to be successful. What emotions do they experience while using the product? What emotions would they like to experience? Lean into them, and your marketing will connect and convert into sales.
Here are a few emotional motivators to consider, courtesy of the O’Shaughnessys and an article in the Harvard Business Review:
- Fear: This could be anything from fear of missing out to fear of buying the wrong product.
- Joy: The pure happiness associated with movement, the excitement of performing, or the thrill of finding the perfect dancewear.
- Novelty: Some customers are on a quest for the new and novel. Highlighting exclusivity can attract them.
- Alleviating frustration: Like the frustration of choosing the right shoe from so many options.
- Standing out from the crowd: What do you carry that will make them feel unique?
- Feeling a sense of belonging: Create a sense of community around your store.
- Aspiration: Speak to your customers’ dreams and ambitions, just like Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign inspires athletes. What’s your version for dancers?
- Nostalgia: This is most effective when times are tough (like we’re living through now).
You’re likely to have different customer segments that will respond to different emotional approaches. Try splitting your customer base into different buying personas, such as the dance mom, the hardcore dancer, the adult recreational dancer. Then, think about each persona’s needs and pain points. What emotional appeal will register with them?
You can get a good sense of what your customers are thinking by dropping into Facebook groups or looking at reviews and seeing what concerns and emotions are commonly expressed. You could even survey your customers.
Once you’ve found your emotional angle, start crafting your message. If you’re not a great copywriter, don’t worry—just get AI to write the copy for you. Remember to tell it to “act as an experienced copywriter.” Make sure it knows that the goal is to make an emotional connection with the audience. I recommend using Claude; it’s a better copywriter than ChatGPT.
Creating a narrative around your product will make the emotion resonate even more. Researchers have found that we humans are hardwired to connect to stories. Could you share a story about how a product was created? Or one about a dancer who struggled on pointe and came to you for a fitting? Now, not only is she not struggling anymore, she’s getting ready for her first pointe solo. That story will have your customer cheering on the dancer’s success—and coming to you for their pointe shoes.
To take your emotional marketing to the next level, you could even create a video to tell these stories. Combining sight, sound, and motion, nothing connects emotionally like a video. And, thanks to AI, professional videos are easy to produce. Invideo.ai is a great place to start.
Don’t forget to evaluate the results of your campaign. Decide how you are going to measure your success. Is it clicks, sales, or store visits? Set up a simple spreadsheet with the date, marketing piece, emotional appeal, and results (taken from Google Analytics, social media insights, or your POS system) to track what works.
Whether through video or ad copy, make sure you include emotion in all your marketing. Not only will this increase your sales, it will also build a deeper connection with your customers. According to an article in Harvard Business Review, fully connected customers are 52 percent more valuable than customers who are “highly satisfied.” We could all use more of the former.
Gilbert Russell is a seasoned dancewear retailer who helps independent stores thrive through his book “Retail AI Unleashed,” coaching programs, speaking engagements, and weekly newsletter.