The role of empathy in content

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve probably seen Punch, the adorable baby macaque that was abandoned by its mother in a Japanese Zoo and now carries around an orangutan plush from IKEA for comfort. Punch has absolutely stolen the hearts of internet users around the world. It’s been a rollercoaster following baby Punch’s story as he tries to fit in and make friends. We’ve felt sadness, relief, hope, and all the other feelings. Even brands are getting in on the hype, like Walmart Canada and of course, IKEA.

Punch highlights the power of empathy, which is exactly what we’re digging into today!

In our previous blog, we talked about how we used to target demographics, like men, 35-45 years old, with a $75k+ income. Although these are important, they’re just scratching the surface and, this year, we’re going a little deeper. Let’s consider the demographics highlighted above and in the previous blog, a group of men, even just 2 men, 35-45, with a $75K+ income in the same area can have completely different personalities, values, and motivations and they may not all align with your content or your company. You’ll also want to consider things like what they feel, what their hopes and aspirations are, what’s important to them, and what they fear. All these things influence their behaviour and emotional journey.

What does empathy in content really mean?

Empathy isn’t sympathy, manipulation, or using relatable slang and trends. It’s understanding your audience on a deeper level, what their internal dialogue and thoughts are, what their concerns may be, and more. Let’s go back to the intro for a moment. If you take a peek at the IKEA post I shared above, you can see it’s relevant and perhaps “trendy” (references Punch), it has an emotional angle (talks about family), and it’s cute. These things are great and if you scroll through the comments, there are a ton of people who like the post. But there’s also a number of users who want or expect more from IKEA. While it’s cute, people are asking IKEA to donate for conservation efforts, to donate for meaningful upgrades to the zoo where Punch is, and more. This highlights the importance of understanding what’s important to your audience and that content is about more than just what’s presented at face value.

Map the emotional journey

When creating content or marketing, try mapping the emotional journey, here are a few questions to consider:

• What content does your audience seem to connect with?

• What emotional triggers make them act?

• What does your customer think and feel before they search or while scrolling?

• What is important to them?

• What are their values?

Emotional Triggers

Emotional triggers are a huge part of marketing, let’s break down a few emotional triggers and offer some angles to approach them:

• Fear

• Fear of missing out (FOMO)

• Risk mitigation

• Aspirations

• Belonging

• Status

• Growth and “glow ups”

• Belonging

• Connection

• A sense of community

Here are some ways that you can help understand the emotions of your audience:

• Review your comments, DM’s and support emails

• Read reviews (yours and your competitors)

• Look for emotional words, phrases, and cues such as relief, “love it/them,” “support,” “grateful,” etc.

Once you’re ready to create content, write with empathy. Mirror your audience’s language, use storytelling, acknowledge their doubts or fears, and validate them.

We hope this helps! And remember when I said people called out IKEA’s post? Let that and this be your reminder:  We want empathy, not manipulation. That means not being exploitive, being responsible, and of course, valuing long-term relationships.

Good luck creating amazing content and if you need a little help with content development, we can help! Book your free 20-minute consultation here.