How to connect with your customers through brand messaging, values, and emotion

Think about the last time you found yourself becoming loyal to a brand. Was it because of a flashy ad campaign? Or was it something deeper – something that made you feel understood, valued, and connected? In today’s world of infinite choices and decreasing brand trust, the brands that truly stand out are the ones that make customers feel like they belong.

As Janet Mesh and Tucker Delaney-Winn from Aimtal explore in the latest episode of Called to Action, brand messaging isn’t just about selling a product. It’s about creating a relationship – one that’s built on trust, authenticity, and shared values. And yet, so many brands struggle to craft messages that resonate beyond surface-level marketing speak.

So how do you make your brand messaging truly connect? Let’s dive into the key insights from this episode, uncovering the strategies that make brands feel personal, relevant, and human

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Why emotional connection is the key to brand trust

Marketing in 2025 isn’t just about what your product does – it’s about how your brand makes people feel. According to Gartner’s Top U.S. Consumer and Cultural Trends for 2025 report, consumer trust in large brands is at an all-time low. People aren’t just looking for quality products; they’re looking for brands that understand their needs, values, and struggles.

The challenge? Many brands dive straight into listing product features, completely missing the emotional drivers behind customer decisions. This disconnect creates a communication gap – one that leaves consumers feeling like brands don’t truly understand them.

How to build an emotional connection through messaging:

• Understand external influences: What societal, economic, or industry shifts are affecting your customers? Speak to and acknowledge those changes - and the impact of those changes -  in your messaging.
• Define your audience’s deeper needs: What do they truly care about? Are they looking for security, ease, innovation, or ethical responsibility?
• Use storytelling over sales tactics: Instead of just listing features, craft narratives that place your audience at the center of the story.
• Make your messaging relatable: Avoid corporate jargon and speak in a way that feels natural, approachable, and real.

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Aligning your brand messaging with core values

In an era where consumers expect brands to take a stance, having a clear set of values isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a necessity. People are choosing brands that align with their beliefs, whether that means supporting sustainability, prioritizing transparency, or advocating for inclusivity. But simply listing a few buzzwords on your website isn’t enough.

The brands that get this right weave their values into everything they do – from their marketing campaigns to customer interactions and even their internal company culture.

How to embed brand values into your messaging:

• Make them actionable: It’s not enough to say you value honesty. Show it by being transparent in your pricing, communication, and product claims.
• Tailor values to audience segments: Different customers resonate with different aspects of your brand. Understand what matters most to each segment and highlight those values accordingly.
• Be consistent across channels: Every interaction, from email marketing to customer support, should reinforce your values with the same messaging throughout
• Demonstrate values in real-world actions: Customers are increasingly skeptical of performative marketing. If you claim to support a cause, back it up with real initiatives.

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By prioritizing value-based messaging, you’ll attract the right customers who become long-term advocates for your brand rather than simply making one-time purchases.

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Aimtal’s methodology for brand messaging that resonates

A strong brand messaging framework doesn’t happen overnight. It requires research, collaboration, and ongoing refinement. At Aimtal, we use a structured yet flexible approach to ensure brand messaging stays relevant and effective.

Understanding your audience: The foundation of messaging

To create messaging that resonates, you first need to understand your audience on a deeper level. This means going beyond demographics and digging into their daily struggles, frustrations, and desires. What are their biggest pain points? What obstacles are keeping them from success? If your messaging doesn’t speak to these challenges, it won’t create the emotional connection needed to foster brand loyalty.

Ways to uncover audience struggles:

• Listen to sales calls: These are gold mines of real customer concerns and language.
• Analyze support tickets and FAQs: These reveal the common frustrations people experience with your product or industry.
• Conduct customer interviews: Talking directly to your audience provides invaluable qualitative insights.
• Monitor online communities and social conversations: Reddit threads, LinkedIn discussions, and industry forums can uncover unfiltered pain points.

By weaving these insights into your messaging, your brand can position itself as the solution to real problems, not just another product in the market.

Defining and adjusting tone of voice for maximum impact

Once you understand your audience, the next step is defining how you communicate with them. A brand’s tone of voice isn’t just about being “casual” or “professional”—it’s about creating a consistent and recognizable brand personality that resonates with your customers.

One way to achieve this is by setting tone of voice scores – a framework that determines where your brand falls on different spectrums, such as:

• Wit vs. Seriousness: Does your brand incorporate humor, or is it strictly professional?
• Formality vs. Conversational: Do you use structured, polished language or casual, everyday phrasing?
• Enthusiasm vs. Matter-of-fact: Is your brand high-energy and playful, or more direct and informational?

However, the tone of voice shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. Different customer personas require different approaches. A CEO looking for high-level strategic solutions might expect a more formal and analytical tone, while a mid-level manager seeking hands-on guidance might prefer a conversational and engaging style.

To create stronger emotional connections, brands should develop clear guidelines on how to adapt their tone based on different customer segments. Consider:

• For executives and decision-makers: A confident, data-driven tone that establishes authority and trust.
• For technical specialists: Clear, concise messaging with industry-specific language that speaks to their expertise.
• For early-career professionals: A more conversational, friendly approach that educates without feeling overwhelming.

By taking these steps – deeply understanding customer pain points, establishing a dynamic brand tone, and personalizing messaging based on persona – brands can create messaging that not only speaks to their audience but truly resonates with them.

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The AI-human balance: How to build efficiency without losing the human touch

AI has transformed marketing, but automation alone won’t create meaningful customer relationships. The real power lies in using AI as a tool to enhance – not replace – human creativity. The challenge is finding the balance between leveraging AI-driven personalization and maintaining authentic, human-led interactions.

AI can make marketing more efficient by delivering highly personalized content at scale, predicting customer needs, and optimizing engagement. However, over-reliance on AI can strip away the warmth and intuition that make customer relationships feel genuine. The key is knowing when to let AI streamline processes and when to ensure human input keeps the brand voice relatable and empathetic.

Here’s how to strike that balance:

• Use AI for insights, not relationship-building: AI can analyze trends and consumer data, but human marketers must craft the emotional narrative.
• Train AI to reflect brand voice: Instead of letting AI generate generic content, program it with your brand’s specific tone, values, and key messaging.
• Ensure AI-driven content passes the human filter: AI can generate copy, but real people should refine it to ensure it sounds natural, engaging, and aligned with customer emotions.
• Maintain human-to-human touchpoints: AI chatbots and automated emails are great for efficiency, but direct human interactions – like personalized customer service or handwritten notes—build deeper connections.
• Be transparent about AI use: Consumers are wary of AI-generated content, especially when it feels impersonal. Brands that are upfront about their AI usage and maintain human oversight earn more trust.

From messaging to connection: Tying it all together

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At the end of the day, customers don’t just want another product – they want to feel seen, heard, and valued. The brands that win are the ones that create messaging rooted in emotion, values, and authentic connection.

Reflect on your brand’s messaging today. Does it speak to your audience’s deeper needs and emotions? If not, take a step back and work through the key pillars outlined in this episode. And if you need a deeper dive into crafting a winning messaging strategy, be sure to tune into the full episode of Called to Action!

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