Emotional Marketing: Your small business doesn’t sell what you think you sell
Your bakery doesn’t sell cupcakes.
Sure, you might think it does. But stop for a minute and think about WHY people buy cupcakes. To celebrate something? To cheer someone up? To suck up to their employees after asking them to work late? (Yes, I’m guilty lol!)
Let’s cut to the chase: you don’t sell cupcakes. Or dresses. Or personal training sessions.
You sell the feelings people get from them.
A clothing boutique? You’re not selling fabric and zippers. You’re selling the confidence boost when someone walks into a room and knows they look amazing — or the perfect outfit for their graduation photos, making them proud for years.
Bakery? You don’t sell cupcakes — you sell the look on someone’s face when you walk in with a box and instantly become the hero of the office birthday.
A fitness coach? You’re not selling workouts. You’re selling the moment a client zips up their old jeans again or carries their toddler upstairs without breaking a sweat.
See the shift? That’s emotional marketing. It’s not about tricking people or sounding “salesy.” It’s about understanding why people really buy from you — and speaking to that.
Story Time!
And this isn’t just theory — it’s how I’ve always sold without feeling like a sleazy salesperson.
When I worked in jewelry, I had the top sales in both stores I worked at — but not because I was pushy or trying to upsell. Other salespeople would just point someone to the birthstone jewelry case and shrug if the customer wasn’t interested. Me? I asked questions.
A woman who hated every engagement ring she’d ever tried for YEARS? No one else would talk to her, said that she came in all the time and would never buy. I told her, “You’ve tried all those, let’s just play around.” She swore she hated marquise cuts… until we designed a big custom marquise that she fell in love with and I pi$$ed off every employee at every jewelry store in the mall with my $13,000+ dollar sale.
Teenage boys with no clue what to get their girlfriends for their birthday? I didn’t shove them toward birthstone case and half ignore them because they weren’t looking to spend a ton of money $$$. I asked, “What’s your girlfriend like, tell me about her — simple t-shirt and jeans kinda girl, or flashy and bold? What’s her favorite color? What colors does she wear all the time?” Together we found jewelry she’d actually love and wear daily. I know because the women would come in and tell me how much they loved it! 🥹 And all those $120 birthday presents no one else wanted to waste time on? They turned into Christmas presents, gifts for their family members, treating themselves to something special, and they just kept coming back and my commission checks were very happy!
Later, when I ran my craft party business…
I booked almost every single person I talked to for private parties — not by pushing, but by finding out what they wanted: a stress free process? A fun night with friends? Something creative where they didn’t have to do the cleanup after? Somewhere that would let them bring in cake and wine? (Sure, as long as there’s some for me!)
Seriously, you have no idea how many events I landed with the line: “and best of all, you don’t have to clean up after!”
That’s the magic of emotional marketing. You’re not selling the object or the service. You’re selling what people want to experience. You sell how they want to feel. You sell making their party planning stress free and simple.
Why Emotional Marketing Works
People remember feelings, not features. People aren’t usually bragging about the cotton content of their dress. They brag about how comfy they felt wearing it and how good they looked, and “omg it has pockets!!!”
It cuts through the noise. “Half off today!” is everywhere. But “fit into your old jeans again” makes someone stop scrolling and really want what you’re offering!
It builds loyalty. If your customers feel something real — comfort, joy, freedom, confidence — they’ll keep coming back AND they’ll talk about you.
The Hard Part (Where Most Business Owners Get Stuck)
It’s really hard to see this in your own business. You’re too close to it. You think you’re selling clothes, photos, or cupcakes… and when sales feel slow, the panic kicks in. Suddenly your posts and emails start begging for sales like you’re standing on a corner with a cardboard sign saying: “30% off today only! Please buy now!”
But here’s the truth: desperation isn’t a good feeling — and it’s turning your customers off.
I know, because I’ve been there too. I’m great at sales in person — I can ask questions, connect, and make the sale feel natural. But translating that online? Especially when I got desperate, my messaging got awkward, and it didn’t work.
Your buyers aren’t buying discounts. They’re buying the emotion, the memory, the transformation. And when you start speaking to that instead of pushing sales, everything clicks.
👉 Book a coaching session — and start selling what people really want to buy.
