Why Emotionally-Driven Brands Build Stronger Connections
Even though it’s my job to help businesses show up online, in my personal life I try to be very selective about what makes it into my feed. I think I only follow about 2 or 3 actual influencers at any given time, and I regularly unfollow accounts if I find that I keep skipping past them. When I look at the list of business accounts I’ve followed for years, they all have one thing in common — they make me feel something. Whether it’s Katie Daisy’s incredibly moving artwork (I think her aesthetic might be what the inside of my soul looks like) or Hammerly Ceramic’s inspiring entrepreneur journey, the only strangers I allow in my personal feed are the ones that actually add some value to my life. And although I’m not yet in the tax bracket to spend $150 on a mug, the second I am you better believe I’ll be the first one in line at Curt’s next product drop.
That’s the difference between the kind of marketing that convinces you to buy something, and the kind that makes you feel something. It’s the kind that softens your shoulders a little, that makes you feel seen, that inspires you or teaches you something valuable. Those are the brands I return to time after time, and that’s what I aim for in my clients’ marketing.
The Feeling Comes First
Most businesses start with the physical pieces of a brand: The business name, the logo, the tagline. But strong messaging doesn’t necessarily start with what looks and sounds good. It starts with knowing what you want someone to feel when they land on your page, read your email, or walk through your door, and run everything you say and do through that filter. If you start with the feeling, all the rest of the decisions should come a little easier.
More Than a Feeling
When people connect your brand with a feeling or emotion, it lands differently. It gets stored somewhere more permanent than the rest of the noise they scroll past in a day.
That feeling builds trust faster than any clever headline or flawless logo ever could. It softens defenses, builds recognition, and turns your work into something personal. People don’t come back just because they understood what you offer (although that is definitely important). They come back because it moved them, and they want to feel that again. When your words, visuals, and values evoke a real human response, you become part of someone’s emotional landscape.
I’ve Got a Feeling (Oooo Oooo)
If you’re not sure what your brand feels like, start by asking a few people who aren’t familiar with it:
What emotions come up when you read my homepage?
What three words would you use to describe my brand?
What does my logo or aesthetic remind you of?
Pay attention to what they say, and what they don’t. If their answers don’t line up with the feeling you’re hoping to create, that’s your cue to dig deeper. Maybe it’s time for a brand audit, a messaging refresh, or simply a moment to reconnect with your own story.
When your brand makes people feel something, like really feel it, you stop competing for attention and start building connection.
And connection, my friends, is what it’s all about.
