Communicators spend a lot of time thinking about composing the right message. Perhaps, though, we are concentrating too much on the words we’re using and missing other basic elements like emotional impact. A UCLA study, for example, argues it's not so much what you say, but how you say it.
The study says a speaker’s gestures make up 55% of what an audience takes from a presentation. The tone of the speaker’s voice accounts for 38%. The words used amount to just 7%.
Similarly, a message's emotional content can be critical to making an impression, according to the infographic shown here, courtesy of PAN Communications. We expect emotion to play an important role in B2C messaging, and it does. But much of the information below about emotional marketing applies to the B2B sector.
In fact, emotions overpower logic when it comes to influencing B2B buying, as 68% of buyers say they'll pay a higher price for a service that registers with them on a personal level. Just 9% of B2B buyers will pay a higher price for a product that lacks an emotional appeal.
Though unexpected, there is no reason why emotion shouldn't factor into B2B purchasing decisions. As the infographic notes, B2B "organizations are made up of people," and emotion moves those decision makers just as it does consumers.
Seth Arenstein is editor of PR News. Follow him: @skarenstein