We’re Only Human: Build B2B Brand Trust with Emotional Connections

By Jacqueline A. Ball

Along with AI and automation, emotion-based messaging will be a top B2B trend in 2025. Sometimes called H2H (human-to-human), the shift to a more personal, consumer-style approach has been gaining traction for years.

Trust me, you’re doing fine

Now, recent research shows that emotional decision drivers are as important or more important than traditional B2B logic-based, rational drivers, such as price points, features and benefits.The number one emotional decision driver: a need for reassurance. Buyers say they want to “feel safe signing a contract.”

That’s understandable: B2B purchases are expensive, so choosing one product or vendor over others carries considerable risk. One wrong choice can torpedo a career or sink a budget. At the very least, it will be embarrassing.

Other top emotional decision drivers include a reputation as a good employer, having ethics and values that align with buyers’ own personal values and possessing the expertise buyers need. (Read the full list here.) Try these strategies to inspire trust and demonstrate strengths in the categories that matter most:

Show your face. Introduce buyers to employees in day-in-the-life videos. Capture typical, candid moments at home, work and leisure. Feature spirited brainstorming sessions, funny moments, serious debates (but keep the tone appropriate to your product or service). Welcoming buyers into your world instantly personalizes your company and makes your brand relatable. Spotlighting customer support or technical staff sends the soothing message that real people are waiting if buyers need more help than chatbot or self-service menu can deliver.

Show your empathy. Reassure them you know what keeps them up at night and want to ease their anxiety. Support claims with data, case studies, testimonials and reviews. Again, videos of actual users talking about how your brand addressed their pain points can move the needle. (No surprise: Videos will be even bigger in 2025.

Share your values. Gen Z and Millennials now dominate B2B buying, replacing Boomers and Gen X. That’s driving a lift in the influence of a company’s social and ethical values to purchase decisions, because younger buyers are more likely to choose companies whose values sync with their own. Explain your mission, vision and purpose and share experiences across channels.

Share your expertise. Buyers want and need to feel well-informed in their field. Help them out by sharing content, industry insights, news and trends throughout the buying journey. Make sure content is relevant to each individual in the decision-making group, which may take some time: on average, groups comprise around 7 members. The higher-ticket the purchase, the bigger the group.

Rational or emotional? Timing is everything

So, does all this mean tried-and-true logic-based, rational B2B decision-making drivers are gone forever? Absolutely not. According to the B2B Institute, a balance of both will work best. However, it all depends on timing. Rational messaging is better late in the buying cycle, when people are ready to buy and want specific information about product pricing, features and benefits. Emotion-based messaging is most effective at the beginning, when people are exploring options and building brand relationships.

The team at Yo Marketing Agency can help you craft a customized plan that taps the right creative approaches at the right time to do what we do best: help grow your brand. Trust us to guide you safely through the buyer journey, starting from the beginning, middle or end. What’s important is where you are. Launch your next success with a call for a free consultation.

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We’re Only Human: Build B2B Brand Trust with Emotional Connections

Trust me, you’re doing fine

Rational or emotional? Timing is everything

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A CMO's Guide: Developing a Winning Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy

The Unseen Culprit Behind Slumping B2B Sales: Has Automation Gone Too Far?

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