FOUR MODULE SERIES I. Visibility II. Authority III. Engagement
Dr. Jim Barry January 2026
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
B OOSTING B RAND V ISIBILITY THROUGH C ONTENT -D RIVEN R ELATIONSHIP M ARKETING ....... 1
A MPLIFYING A UTHENTIC E NGAGEMENT T HROUGH
I NFLUENCE AND S TORIES ....... 44 E NHANCING T OUCHPOINTS WITH C ONTAGIOUS C ONTENT AND C OMMUNITY C ONVERSATIONS .................................... 134-199
2021-2022 2018-2019
VISIBILITY, AUTHORITY, AND ENGAGEMENT
MODULE 1 Boosting Brand Visibility through Content-Driven Relationship Marketing
Dr. Jim Barry January 2026
Table of Contents
Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility ................................... 1 Unit 2: Emotional Content for Likeability and Connection ................................................... 17 Unit 3: Pain Point Understanding for Top- Funnel Awareness ................................... 28-44
Trust You Credible Content
Like You Heartfelt Emotions
Know You Connecting to Pain Points
Awareness ( Stranger )
Brand Exposure
Interest (Prospect)
Micro-influencer Outreach
Storytelling with Drama Minifilms
Brand Consideration
Thought Leadership
Community Interest
Community Excitement
Community Interaction
Desire (Warm Lead)
Brand Engagement
Contagious Content
BOOSTING BRAND VISIBILITY
MODULE 1 UNIT 1 Top-Funnel Content Credibility
Dr. Jim Barry January 2026
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Inbound Marketing ............................... 1 Paradigm Shift in Marketing............................ 4 Credible Content Marketing ............................ 7 Summary ...................................................... 15 Appendix ........................................... 16
Trust You Credible Content Like You Heartfelt Emotions Inbound Relationship Marketing Know You Connecting to Pain Points
Awareness ( Stranger )
Brand Exposure
Community Excitement Storytelling with Drama Minifilms
Micro-influencer Outreach
Interest (Prospect)
Brand Consideration
Thought Leadership
Community Interest
Community Interaction
Desire (Warm Lead)
Brand Engagement
Contagious Content
Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
outbound in nature. i.e., We (brand) talk, you (audience) listen. In effect, social media merely provided another broadcast channel. Furthermore, many of those gravitating away from paid ads to organic content were merely substituting ads with content used as bait (i.e., still outbound). Few recognized the true power of social media in creating relationships with potential customers. Its perception as an impersonal channel (i.e., lacked face-to-face salesmanship at the time) concealed its superiority in building relationships. Add the growing imperative to building relationships as an alternative to deal making and foisting value propositions, and you can see why social media ushered in a new era of inbound marketing 1 . Let us consider why.
INBOUND MARKETING
Inbound marketing has transformed how brands engage with their audiences, shifting the focus from broadcasting messages to building meaningful relationships. This shift is particularly clear in the evolution of social media marketing. The reason for the explosive growth in social media marketing is often misunderstood. At time of its start, social media was seen as a way for brands to have a private megaphone. For the first time, audiences could be reached with online messages directed to a brand’s followers, fans, and connections. But the approach to marketing stayed the same. Communication to audiences was still
1 Inbound marketing is a strategy that focuses on attracting customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. Unlike traditional outbound marketing, which interrupts potential customers with unsolicited advertisements, inbound marketing draws customers in by offering solutions and information that align with their needs and interests. This approach typically involves the use of various digital marketing techniques such as content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and email marketing to engage and nurture potential customers through their buyer's journey. The goal is to build trust and credibility, converting prospects into loyal customers.
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
A 5% improvement in retention will boost lifetime customer profits 25% to 95%.
Cost Reduction
Price Improvement
More Purchases
Referrals
Baseline profits
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Year 7
Source: Bain & Company
Year 1
Relationships are more important than the four P’s (product, price, promotion, and placement). For decades, marketers focused on the 4 P is to compete. However, as the Internet revealed our strategies, these methods became less effective. Brands sought a new competitive edge through relationship marketing. As demonstrated in the Bain & Company study results above, building lasting customer relationships significantly boosts lifetime profits and provides a more secure investment compared to short-term value propositions. This approach, popular in the US in the 1960s, is still prevalent in many collective cultures, such as those in Latin America, Southern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. We know trust is central to relationships. So, why isn't this reflected in our marketing strategies? Building relationships through trust, akin to a marriage, is still unfamiliar to many brands.
For instance, employee evaluations and departmental accountability often focus on short-term results. Few companies measure the impact of trust building. Consequently, the marriage metaphor does not align with decades of marketing focused on switching costs and deal-making. Additionally, the factors that build trust are rarely discussed in boardroom planning sessions.. What drives trust? A challenge facing many digital marketers is having to: • Embrace behaviors like benevolence (non-opportunitistic behaviors), two-way communication, and social bonding. • Reveal attributes like shared values, credibility, and customer orientation. This is a drastic departure from the deep- rooted marketing practices of “bag ‘m, tag ‘m, automate ‘m, and get rid of ‘m.” Social media offers a superior route to trust building . The growing customer demand for brand relationships is reshaping a marketing landscape that favors inbound marketing especially when executed through
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
Customer Orientation
Expertise & Credibility
2-Way Open Communications
Benevolence
Shared Values
Social Bonds
Often Demonstrated Over Multiple Service Transactions
Difficult to Articulate & Demonstrate Beyond PR Claims Reinforced in Storytelling,
Typically Isolated to Fron-Ltine Employees & Select Counterparts
Numerous Trials to Demonstrate Sacrificed Interests
Requires Proposal & Joint Problem-Solving Opportunities Reflected in Content Evidence of Pain Point Understanding
Often Obstructbeyd Corporate Vetting & Restricted to Select Few Interactions Enable by Social Media Engagement Tactics Encouraging Audience Contributions
Traditional Sales Calls
Behin-dthe- Scenes & Content Themes Evidence 6KRZQLQ³+RZ - WR´ 2WKHU Content Offering Tactical Help
Reinforced in Social Community Support
Social Media Marketing
Donated Content for Helpful Advice
social media content as the primary vehicle of brand message communication. As shown in the Bain & Company study, traditional marketing and sales approaches to winning business offer little opportunity to build trust in the early stages of relationships. In the case of social media marketing, what may have been perceived as an impersonal approach to marketing turns out to be far more suitable to inbound marketing. For example, consider the advantages of relying more on social media compared to traditional marketing tactics in a business-to- business (B2B) setting. An evaluation of key trust drivers (such as benevolence, ability, shared values, social bonds, customer orientation, and open two-way communication) provides evidence of social media's effectiveness over marketing through sales presentations and proposals. This new era in social media marketing is not without its own flaws. As we watch the bulk of advertising and marketing spending accelerating in favor of social media
channels, we may quickly conclude that outbound marketing (TV, print, radio, and outdoor displays) has been retired. Not exactly. Social media faces its own challenges like dealing in a world of infobesity. Check out some of these facts below. As marketers struggle to break through the clutter of social
90% of all the data in the world has been generated over the past 2 years.
Over 2.0 billion websites (600 are blogs)
Avg. American sees 4K -10K ads per day
347 billion emails sent per day
media noise, they are met with billions of others also clamoring for audience attention. This has led brands to follow the advice of marketing scholars and leading practitioners in the following ways: • Escort your potential customers through their buying decision-making journey. • Distinguish your brand as one who is better known, liked, and trusted . • Focus more on the relationship than the conversion.
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
they decide to buy or not to buy following rational and emotional decision-making processes often leading to repeat sales. Escorting is not the same as pushing customers to decide. It means being ready to help your targeted audiences based on assessing where they are in their buying cycle. Herein lies a major advantage of social media marketing (and other digital marketing strategies like email) in their capacity to instantly identify and respond to an audience’s journey progression with useful information. Develop trust through their journey. For brands to break through the clutter of massive digital marketing competition, it behooves them to build trust with targeted audiences as they progress through their buying journey. Imagine instead if every audience touchpoint was greeted with an interruption intend to land a sale (i.e., conversion). A lost sale may
Escorting your customers through their journey greatly boosts your advantage. Several studies on first-touch influence have demonstrated the power of reaching potential consumers at the start of the decision-making journey. Awareness
Interest
Although some would suggest the traditional “sales funnel” has long since faded into obscurity, the buyer decision making
Desire
Action
journey stays the same. Consumers first validate their needs, then acquire information to help evaluate their best solutions. Finally,
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
likely result in starting all over with the process for getting audiences to know and like you let alone getting them to trust you. Brands that recognize the power of relationships will focus more on accumulating relational capital before positioning themselves to win business. Beginning at the start of a buyer’s (or propsect’s) journey, successful brands get target audiences to: • Know them through content that connects with audience pain points. • Like them by intensifying this connection with heartfelt emotions. • Trust them starting with credible content. It’s at this top-funnel stage that marketers devote the bulk of their content marketing. For example, according to Content Marketing Institute, B2C marketers say 43% of the content they create is for audiences at the top of the funnel stage of the customer journey. B2B marketers say 50% of the content they create is for audiences at the top of the funnel stage of the customer journey (CMI).
The goal here is to raise your target audiences’ awareness of your content as potentially a preferred source of influence. Ideally, every touchpoint with our target audience should contribute to their buying journey progression while simultaneously adding to the relational capital we accrue from being better known, liked, and trusted.
PARADIGM SHIFT IN MARKETING
Besides examining each consumer journey stage while building relational capital, a further goal of today’s brands is to comprehend and apply a drastically different way of marketing to their target audiences. Specifically, we examine how we can remain competitive in a world of: • Infobesity – few can find us • Parity – we all look the same • Consumer control – few feel compelled to see us • Skepticism – few believe us
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
Product argument reasoning has been replaced by narrative processing where stories not only speed up the process of evaluation, they are far more credible. Moroever, the hedonic value of entertainment has become the province of gaming and TV commercials. Instead, audiences today gain far more emotional lift from inspirational messaging. Competitive Parity . As audiences get bombarded by a sea of clutter readily shared across the internet, less distinction is noticed in supplier value propositions backed by their products, promotions, pricing and placement. Furthermore, this is removing the once touted promotional approach used by brands to boost your social-identity (i.e., that too has become well worn). Instead, audiences seek brand connections related to their moral values (e.g., how can the brand address certain social issues?). Before Now Discussion Credibility of Ad Arguments Story Realism Module 1 (Unit 4) Product/Service Benefits Shared Values Rooted in Shared Struggles Module 1 (Unit 4) Cognitive Empathy (explained) Emotional Empathy (displayed) Module 1 (Units 3,4) Before Now Discussion Genuine Community Contributor Modules 2 and 3 Rally Cry to Support Brand Community Invite to Share Experiences Modules 2 and 3
Brand Affinity Challenges
Discussion
sio-n d
Module 1 ( Unit 1)
Basis for Belief and Trust
able gles
Module 2 (Unit 1)
INFOBESITY
SKEPTICISM
Brand Persuasion Appeal
us or
ional ging ive sing
Module 1 (Unit 3)
Evidence of Understanding
Module 1 (Unit 4)
er)
INBOUND MARKETING
Brand Affinity Challenges
Now Discussion
ong-term ationships
Module 1 (Unit 1)
Basis for Value Brand Solution
COMPETITIVE PARITY CONSUMER CONTROL
ral Identity virtues)
Module 1 (Unit 4)
Brand Community Role
Before diving into this landscape, watch this 6-minute Dove video as an example of effective inbound marketing.
Infobesity . No doubt, attention to our content is at an all time low. Especially at the top of the funnel, there is no time for audiences to(1) be entertained and (2) decifer our claims of superior product benefits product solutions.
Brand Affinity Challenges
Before
Now
Interruption Based ³\RXQHHGWRVHHWKLV´
Permission Based ³ZHZLOOFDOO\RX´
Attention Getting
Answers (trust building short cuts)
Relatable Struggles (relationships first)
Brand Affinity Challenges
Before
Now
Virtuous or Inspirational Messagin(gmeaningful life lessons)
Basis for Emotional Lift
ParasocialIdentity(e.g., sel-fconcepstimilarity to celebrity endor)ser
Entertaining Value
Basis for BranAdffiliation
Moral Identity (virtues)
Argumentative Processing (compare our features to others)
Message Processing
Narrative Processing (less arduous)
Superior Deals and Offerings
Genuine Community Contributor
Basis for Differentiation
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
Skepticism. As you will discover, trust in brands continues to plummet especially among Gen Z and Millennials. Connections with today’s consumers are made through evidence of empathy. i.e., How well does the brand relate to the target audience’s struggles (pain points).
Brand Affinity Challenges
Before
Now
Basis for Value Perception
Genuine Community Contributions Community Invite to Share Experiences
Framed Scenarios
Rally Cry to Support Brand
Brand Community Role
SUMMARY OF INBOUND MARKETING PARADIGM
To build strong consumer relationships and stay competitive, we must change our marketing approach. In an information- overloaded world, traditional product claims are less effective, so we use storytelling and inspirational messages. As summarized in this study sheet below, brands need to align with audience values and address social issues to stand out. With growing skepticism, especially among younger consumers, brands must show empathy and understand their struggles. Lastly, since consumers can easily ignore unwanted messages, brands need to be invited into conversations and communities
Brand Affinity Challenges
Before
Now
Credibility of Ad Arguments
Basis for Belief and Trust
Story Realism
Superior Product/Service Benefits
Shared Values Rooted in Shared Struggles
Brand Persuasion Appeal
Evidence of Understanding
ExplaineEdmpathy
DisplayeEdmpathy
Consumer Control . Audiences can easily tune out unwanted messages. So, gone are the days where audiences seek to join big brands and support their rally cries. Today, brands must be invited to their audiences’ conversations and communities as was the case for Dove.
A ccruing relational capital vs. closing deals
M eaningful inspiration vs. entertainment
D emonstrating vs. claiming value
R ousing emotions vs. drawing attention to value propositions
N arrative vs. argument persuasion
K eeping fewer customers longer vs. backfilling attrition
U nderstanding persona pain points vs. demographic attributes
E mphasizing trust behaviors/attributes vs. 4P's
D M A R
T argeting universally shared values vs. social identities
K
O ffering empathy vs. answers
N
U
E
I dentifying opportunities for audience-ledvs. brand-led communities
B uildingrelationships vs. sales conversion shortcuts
O
T
B
I
N on-invasivevs.
G etting audiences to know, like, and trust" vs. "buy now" from you N udging/escorting vs. pushing audiences through buyer decision journeys
INBOUND MARKETING
interrupting content
N
N
I nterest-based vs. volume-based marketing
I
G
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
• Consumer (User) Generated - Letting your audiences do your talking with brand-
CONTENT CREDIBILITY
related content that is created by customers and/or brand advocates.
For content to be trusted at the top of the funnel (buyer journey), audiences must perceive it as credible and capable of helping them. According to a research study conducted by Barry and Gironda (2019), 171 leading social media experts found content credibility to significantly impact their social media influence. Today’s consumers and businesses want to be convinced that the content they consume is credible enough to address their needs. Are the presented arguments impartial, free of manipulation, and adequately proved? And does the content attest to the brand’s capabilities and competencies? Finally, do others speak for the brand in an unbiased way? Is there social proof that vets the content? Do users generate their own content in support of the brand? In the following sections, we will explore eight characteristics that enhance the perceived credibility of content:
• Revealing - Addressing questions others are reluctant to provide for fear of showing their cards (e.g., price, competitors, solution shortcomings). • Educational - Revealing your capabilities and competencies through expert-backed instruction. • Demonstrated - Showing visually the problem you intend to resolve often through short-clip illustrations. • Impartial - Offering a balanced range of perspectives to convince audiences of your objectivity. • Backed by Social Proof - Backing up your credibility by what others say about your content (e.g., social proof). • Long-Form - Using long-form content to confirm your credibility and subject matter expertise. • Empirical - Supporting your claims with surveys or other robust research instruments. 171 leading social media experts found content credibility to significantly affect their social media influence.
0
C onsumer (User) Generated
B acked by Social Proof
R evealing
E ducational
D emonstrated
L ong-Form
I mpartial
E mpirical
C R E D I
B L E
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
REVEALING CONTENT
USER GENERATED CONTENT
Revealing means sharing your secrets. When asked what information suppliers are reluctant to provide, the list normally includes:
User generated content (UGC) allows your audience to speak on your behalf. It encompasses brand-related content created by customers and brand advocates. To learn more about UGC and its advantages for brands, watch this 5-minute video from GoDaddy..
Pricing
• •
Known competitors
• Limitations of your own offering Sound familiar? This resembles the list of top priority questions most of us have before investing in high ticket items. Imagine changing our approach from " don't show your cards " to "show all your cards.” That is what transparency in this context means—revealing what no one else would tell them right from the first meeting..
Because of its genuine nature, UGC is ideal for showing your audience what customers really think about your brand and how they use your products and services (Sonnenberg 2023). Consumers rank authentic UGC as the most trustworthy content (TINT). It outperforms brand-created content as measured by authenticity, engagement, brand recall, and buying impact. The more audiences are exposed to genuine experiences and opinions, the easier (1) relationships can be built and (2) audiences remember who you are and what you offer. This especially holds true for Millennials and Gen Z.
Many successful social media marketers take this approach despite fears of:
Competitive exploitation
•
Prematurely showing best guess estimates Divulging hidden shortcomings
•
•
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
So, why take the chance? Let us start with trust. Would more credit be given to the supplier that not only helps us in their evaluation process but also signals their honesty and willingness to go out on a limb? Even at the start of a buyer’s journey, where we aim to create awareness, audiences tend to gravitate towards content providers that tell it like it is. What is more, by responding first to information others are reluctant to divulge, you may be the first in line to manage follow-up inquiries.
effective in offering practical value to your audience. At the top of a buyer's journey, most content looked for is either instructional or provides insights into industry trends affecting their businesses. As shown below, educational content is a cornerstone of B2B marketing strategies, crucial for nurturing audiences. This type of content fosters consumer trust and brand affinity, which strengthens over time. For instance, a study by Conductor found that consumers who engaged with a brand’s educational content were 131% more likely to make a purchase. Even a week later, these consumers were still 48% more likely to buy. There are several key reasons why educational content is so vital. First, it proves your ability and competence in
EDUCATIONAL CONTENT
Educational content is a powerful way to prove your ability. "How-to" guides and "best practice" articles are particularly
Click to source
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
solving problems, allowing audiences to see your ability in action. Additionally, providing educational content highlights a brand’s genuine motives, signaling a willingness to help rather than resorting to hard sell tactics. Finally, search engines favor content that is perceived as educational, boosting your visibility and reach.
DEMONSTRATED CONTENT
One way to build trust and authenticity is to prove visually the problem you intend to resolve. Demonstrated content means to show and not just tell. Consider the following short clips averaging 5.5 minutes where audiences see the results of points you are making. These exceptionally low budget demonstrations garnered an average of:
• Three million views • 132 thousand likes • Five thousand comments
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
Suppose you were trying to consume a 20- page white paper dealing with best practices for optimizing inventory. Now, imagine on page 3 that the author describes how their firm offers a practical solution. What does that say about the objectivity of their entire piece? Are you likely to hit the back button? In the movie Braveheart , William Wallace pressures his warriors to keep their spears low until the very last minute. The same applies here. Despite the temptations of speed dating and closing the deal, ask yourself how you would react to a prematurely announced brand solution.
IMPARTIAL CONTENT
Impartial content means unbiased and objective. For audiences to trust your content, it must consider a balanced range of perspectives. Especially when distributing content at the top of the funnel, audiences may not have seen your sincere desire to help. This is why it is important to expose half a dozen or more educational pieces of content before suggesting your brand is a contender. Here are some tips for maintaining an appearance of objectivity:
Hold off on brand messaging until a relationship is built
•
Avoid self-serving spin
•
• Demonstrate your intent to inform, not to persuade Hold off on brand messaging until audiences reach the consideration or evaluation stage of their journey. Sharing your product benefits or value proposition at the beginning of a buyer’s purchase journey signals to your audience that your viewpoints are biased.
Avoid self-serving spin , such as exaggerating or overemphasizing a criterion that only highlights your strengths. Doing so may inadvertently provide opportunities for others to educate their audiences more comprehensively. Focus on informing rather than persuading. If users are simply looking to confirm their needs, why rush to insert a sales pitch prematurely?
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
CONTENT BACKED BY SOCIAL PROOF
Social proof in this context involves bolstering your credibility by highlighting audience reactions to your content. New audiences perceive engagement metrics as an endorsement that the content they are considering is valuable to read or view. Establishing your authority begins with showing your following on authoritative platforms such as LinkedIn. As shown on the right, are readers or viewers evaluating your content based on their reactions (likes, insights, comments, and views)? Are respected authorities (e.g., Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc.) recognizing its quality? A blog that has aged well but receives little engagement is often likened to an empty restaurant. If it is truly trustworthy, why aren’t others responding accordingly?
1M+ followers 402 reactions 48 comments
ers ns nts
BuzzSumo Top 10 Content Marketers
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
LONG-FORM CONTENT
There has been extensive discussion about the surge in short-form content. However, does this imply that long-form content is vanishing or becoming shorter? Not at all. In fact, long-form content is also on the rise. Why? For marketers aiming to show their expertise, it is challenging to achieve in a 30-second video or a 500-word blog post. Furthermore, search engines require more than just a few relevant keywords to consider your content authoritative. Several studies on search engine optimization show that blog posts exceeding 2,000 words tend to have the greatest chance of achieving high rankings in search results.
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
EMPIRICALLY CONTENT
Empirically-backed content involves substantiating your material with research results, allowing audiences to verify the evidence behind your claims. This practice is particularly important in the current era of fake news. The prevalence of amateur journalism and hidden agendas has led to widespread skepticism towards content on social media platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. To illustrate this, refer to the Edelman Trust Barometer charts in the Appendix (2025). It shows that trust in social media has consistently remained in the distrust range over the past decade. Moreover, the study reveals that only 39% of people in the U.S. trust media in general.
SUMMARY OF CREDIBLE CONTENT
Content marketing focuses on creating reliable and helpful content for audiences early in their buyer's journey. Today's consumers and businesses demand content that is impartial, visually demonstrated, and reflective of a brand's capabilities.
Supporting your claims with surveys or other robust research instruments.
Letting your audiences do your talking with brand-related content that is created by customers and/or brand advocates.
Consumer (User) Generated
Empirical
Using long-form content to validate your credibility and subject matter expertise.
Addressing questions others are reluctant to provide for fear of showing their cards (e.g., price, competitors, solution shortcomings).
Long-Form
Revealing
Backed by Social Proof
Backing up your credibility by what others say about your content (e.g., social proof).
Revealing your capabilities and competencies through expert-backed instruction.
Educational
Impartial
Demonstrated
Offering a balanced range of perspectives to convince audiences of your objectivity.
Demonstrating visually the problem you intend to resolve often through short-clip illustrations.
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 1: Meeting Inbound Marketing Demands with Content Credibility
To build credibility, content should be user- generated whenever possible, transparent, educational, backed by social proof, long- form, and empirically supported. Clear information about brand pricing and limitations especially enhances this feeling of trustworthy content.
APPENDIX: EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER
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BOOSTING BRAND VISIBILITY
MODULE 1 UNIT 2 Top-Funnel Emotional Content for Likeability
Dr. Jim Barry January 2026
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Table of Contents
Emotional Content for Likeability……………17
Manifested Feelings…………………………..18
Mood Provoking Devices……………….…….20
Inspiring Audiences Through Empathy ……. 24
Summary………………………………………..27
Appendices……………………………………..28
Trust You Like You Heartfelt Emotions Inbound Relationship Marketing Credible Content Know You Connecting to Pain Points
Awareness ( Stranger )
Brand Exposure
Community Excitement Storytelling with Drama Minifilms
Micro-influencer Outreach
Interest (Prospect)
Brand Consideration
Thought Leadership
Community Interest
Community Interaction
Desire (Warm Lead)
Brand Engagement
Contagious Content
Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 2: Content For Emotional Resonance
Campaign Content Effectiveness
Emotional Content for Likeability Although creating authentic content starts the trust building process, “videos are the easiest way to grab the attention of your audience” (Forbes, 2023). As shown in Appendix A, emotional content follows a different path to social media influence than what we saw in Module 1 (Unit 1: Credible Content). The capacity of
31%
26%
16%
Emotional
Combined Rational
campaigns with purely emotional content performed about twice as well (31% vs. 16%) as those with only rational content. Based on data from the IPA (the UK-based Institute of Practitioners in Advertising), the study examined 1,400 case studies of successful advertising campaigns over the last three decades. This analysis compared the profitability boost of campaigns which relied primarily on emotional appeal vs. those which used rational persuasion and information. Video influences emotional dominance. No doubt, the accelerated rise in video consumption (estimated 65% - 82% of all internet traffic in 2023) impacted the attention given to emotional content. Even the best in audio storytelling or heartfelt blogs cannot reach the levels of emotional arousal attainable in videos.
emotional content to inspire action and arouse empathy is what drives consumers to follow your lead. Research shows that entertainment and visual storytelling especially contribute to this inspiration and consumer perceptions of empathy. Emotional content boosts bottom-line. The impact of emotional content on boosting the bottom-line performance of social media campaigns has been widely researched. One study found that
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 2: Content For Emotional Resonance
for viewers to experience early tension before reaching a triumphant outcome. In social media, we see high performing content involving momentary tension like getting through a stage performance or long-term character building (e.g., overcoming mockery or fears of failure). A cluster analysis further divides the fortitude category based on whether the tension is fueled by high confidence (e.g., rising to the occasion) or a determination to overcome some personal strife.
Manifested Feelings
The interplay of emotions with each other, as well as with reasoned arguments, is a highly complex psychological process. As many as 24 emotions have been examined in scholarly literature. Our own study of 1,412 YouTube videos evaluated by 614 students concluded that emotions in content marketing can be clustered into four manifested feelings: fortitude, excitement, liberation, and tenderness. Results of the
Rising to the Occasion
Stage Nerves
Empowerment
Overcoming Disappointment
Overcoming Mockery
study are shown in Appendix B.
Fortitude is a high intensity emotional sensation driven by active distress factors like anger, fear, and anxiety. It’s typically manifested in video clips of at least two minutes. This allows enough time
Overcoming Adversity
Excitement is also a high intensity emotional sensation, but it operates under limited or no distress. (i.e., no need for a tension trigger).
ACTIVE DISTRESS
LITTLE (OR NO) DISTRESS
EXCITEMENT
FORTITUDE
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 2: Content For Emotional Resonance
Dramatic
LITTLE (OR NO) DISTRESS
Pranks
Victory
Suspense
Exhilaration
LIBERATION
Vibrant
Far less serious than the content that typifies themes of fortitude, excitement is embodied in entertaining forms of content also lasting at least two minutes. As shown in Appendix A, entertainment has an indirect impact on social media influence (SMI). But it only impacts SMI to the degree that entertaining content provides a platform for inspiration, which in turn drives SMI. Notice from the video examples shown above that high quality entertaining content is typically reserved for large brands with sizeable budgets. This is not to say that short-form videos viewed on TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts cannot garner millions of views from low budget provocative content. But a growing body of research suggests this hedonic value may be short-lived. Instead, audiences seek content that inspires action. Entertainment is just one route to get there. A more effective route is through storytelling embodied in themes of fortitude and tenderness. The combined effects of storytelling on social media influence are 3.6 times higher than that of entertainment.
Liberation is a low intensity emotional sensation often absent of any tension triggers. As shown in the videos below, its manifestation includes both physical and emotional sensations. And it could be
Physical
Pampered Indulgence
Letting Loose
Mesmerizing
Defiance
Emotional
facilitated as a continuous state of serenity as well as a release mechanism for pent-up tension (i.e., blow-outs leading to chill-outs). Videos embodying themes of liberation typically average under one minute. Many are TV commercials recast on YouTube. Engagement in the form of comments is the lowest among the four manifested feelings given the more personal and momentary experiences associated with this sensation.
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 2: Content For Emotional Resonance
Tenderness represents another low intensity emotion. But unlike the affective state of liberation, the sensation is triggered substantially by one of the passive distress factors such as sadness, guilt, pity, or embarrassment. It is especially suitable for drama minifilms averaging over 3.5 minutes in duration.
Mood Provoking Devices
Also shown in Appendix B is the impact of five mood-provoking devices used by marketers to evoke emotions: humor, social experiments, amazement, reflective vignettes, and theatrical performances. Humor remains a dominant form of mood setting devices. As of 2023, an estimated 3,000 videos remain on YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo where total views exceed 100K, the vast majority of which are recasts from 30-sec. to 1-min. spot TV commercials. Our own research (Barry and Graca, 2018) found that ten forms of humor operate under three very distinct theories: incongruity-resolution, superiority, and relief-release.
PASSIVE DISTRESS
TENDERNESS
Stories embodying themes of tenderness typically score the highest in comment engagement (both in terms of number of comments and average words per comment). It’s not unusual to find over a million words of YouTube commentary posted in response to these videos as viewers share their own relatable struggles or other heartfelt moments.
Relief-Release (Physiological (Ahh!))
Incongruity-Resolution (Cognitive (Ah-Hah!))
Superiority (Emotional (Ha-Ha!))
The incongruity-resolution theory proposes that we laugh when we see something out of sorts. This comic-wit is cognitive in
Wittiness
Goodness
Irony
Exaggerated Outcome
Generosity
Acceptance
Innocence
Nostalgia
Malicious Joy
Unruliness
Fond Memories
Mockery
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 2: Content For Emotional Resonance
nature in that we laugh after discovery of trickery. It could be realized immediately (e.g., irony) or immediately following an unexpected plot twist. The theory of superiority suggests that we laugh at others’ misfortune (e.g., well- deserved mockery). Besides putdowns, it often involves witnessing someone’s embarrassing quandaries. Finally, the theory of relief-tension suggests that laughter comes from our innate desire to blow off steam. It too is driven by a surprise twist, but the humor is physiological in nature. Much of it includes some form of social order deviancy or unruliness where an individual aggressively violates norms of professionalism. As seen in some of the humor video examples, reach and likeability scores for humor are perhaps the highest among the mood provoking devices. The one labelled
actors. This leads to a second shortcoming: its limited capacity for having a lasting impact. Once the humor is released, it rarely resurfaces. Finally, quality humor productions often require celebrities and elaborate props. The combined costs are prohibitive for most brand marketing budgets. Social experiments represent perhaps the most promising form of emotional content. Its ability to evoke emotions in unscripted real-world settings leads to extraordinary audience reach and engagement for productions that cost far less than recast TV
Acknowledgment
30K Likes, 1,203 Comments
123K Likes, 5,126 Comments
Reaffirmed Love
Community Help
186K Likes, 9,948 Comments
21K Likes, 726 Comments
Self-Esteem
Common Ground
Effectiveness in Practicality and Brand Impact
Mood Provoking Devices
Budge t (more stars = l ow e r b u d g e t )
Awareness
Engagement (comments)
Las t i ng Impac t
Reach
or social media created theatrical performances. Their long durations and live productions (often suspenseful) make them especially attractive for social media created content.
H umor
E
xperiments
A
mazement
R
eflective Vignettes
T heatrical Performances
Effectiveness in Practicality and Brand Impact
Mood Provoking Devices
Budge t (more stars = l ow e r b u d g e t )
Engagement (comments)
Las t i ng Impac t
Reach
“Exaggerated Outcome” is approaching 1M likes. But herein lies one of the major drawbacks of using humor. There is little opportunity to spark a conversation. Comments are typically accolades related to the humor production or associated
H
umor
E xperiments
A
mazement
R
eflective Vignettes
T heatrical Performances
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 2: Content For Emotional Resonance
Topics associated with the highest performing social experiment videos range from self-enhancement, like boosting your self-esteem, to self-transcendence (e.g., addressing pro-social concerns or causes). Despite the seemingly greater attention placed on pro-social issues, topics focused on self-enhancement performed the best in overall likeability. A further distinction among successful social experiments is whether the subject matter focuses on awareness (e.g., how you or others see you) or acknowledgment (noticing the pressures faced by moms or the disabled). Both perform well in reach and likeability. Amazement taps into our sense of awe often captured when we witness extraordinary beauty, masterful craftsmanship, or human potential.
People
Incredible Performance
Stunning Features
Awe-Inspiring Space Feats
Breathtaking Nature
Planet
However, a drawback of this form of content creation is the budget and limited opportunities to capture extraordinary moments. Also, comment engagement is often limited to brief expressions of awe.
Effectiveness in Practicality and Brand Impact
Mood Provoking Devices
Budge t (more stars = l ow e r b u d g e t )
Engagement (comments)
Las t i ng Impac t
Reach
H
umor
E
xperiments
A mazement
R
eflective Vignettes
T heatrical Performances
Reflective vignettes refer to slices of life that entertain us without having a storyline plot to maintain our interest. Often
Appreciation
Gratitude
Honored Profession
Among its key advantages in evoking emotional responses is the universal nature of its appeal and its capacity for grabbing attention. When displayed in video, its engagement performance is typically accentuated by the element of surprise.
Unrecognized Strength
Inclusion
Individuality
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 2: Content For Emotional Resonance
portrayed as a montage, they evoke emotions by having us reflect on meaningful moments. Google’s Year in Search amassed over 8K in comments and 172K likes as global audiences reflected on their own pandemic healing experiences.
Energetic
Creative Arts, Beats & Dance
Suspenseful Drama
Choreographed Slice-of-Life
Concept Imagery
Effectiveness in Practicality and Brand Impact
Mood Provoking Devices
Budge t (more stars = l ow e r b u d g e t )
Engagement (comments)
Las t i ng Impac t
Reach
Mesmerizing
H
umor
pure hedonic value restricts the capacity for inspiring audiences. For example, choreographed performances lack the capacity to stimulate ongoing conversations on meaningful life experiences. Consequently, these productions are intended primarily for extending audience reach and brand image.
E
xperiments
A
mazement
R eflective Vignettes
T heatrical Performances
Like social experiments, reflective vignettes often attain extraordinary performance success despite their low production costs. Theatrical performances cover a range of musicals, mini-movies, and artistic entertainment typically reserved for high- end luxury brands (e.g., fashion, fragrances, and exclusive resorts) where entertainment suits the emotional appeal of the brand’s products/services. Because of their short-durations, emotional responses are often short-lived. Also, their
Effectiveness in Practicality and Brand Impact
Mood Provoking Devices
Budge t (more stars = l ow e r b u d g e t )
Engagement (comments)
Las t i ng Impac t
Reach
H
umor
E
xperiments
A
mazement
R
eflective Vignettes
T heatrical Performances
Manifested Feelings
Mood Provoking Devices
E xperiments Theatric Entertainment H E A R T A mazement R eflective Vignettes
L iberation
T enderness
H umor
F ortitude
E xcitement
F E L T
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Module 1: Boosting Brand Visibility Through Top-Funnel Relationship Marketing Unit 2: Content For Emotional Resonance
think.” The tear-filled women exemplify the affective empathy that successful brands demonstrate when they sincerely acknowledge the feelings of their targeted audiences. Similarly, the well-known reflective vignette produced by Dodge features a continuous flow of scenes characterizing the life of a farmer. The vignette amassed over 13K comments as farmers added their own perspectives. By reflecting their understanding of a farmer’s grueling lifestyle, Dodge expressed their cognitive empathy . Cognitive Empathy (ability to know what another person thinks or believes)
Inspiring Audiences Through Empathy
Next, we examine the attributes of emotional content that contribute to
inspirational intensity and brand distinction. Specifically, we assess its effectiveness across the following eight dimensions.
N egative Valence Emotions N
M oral Elevation M
I mparted Wisdom I
E mpathy
O riginality
T ributes
O ptimism
S uitability
E
O
T
O
S
Empathy impacts social media influence both directly and indirectly through its capacity to inspire (See Appendix A).
Affective Empathy (ability to feel another person's emotions)
13,597 Comments
9,948 Comments
The Dignity of Farming
Recognizing Your Real Beauty
Moral elevation is defined as “the emotional response to witnessing the virtuous acts of others.” Emotions almost always rise when videos or images display acts of generosity or the noble pursuits of those fighting for a worthy cause. Especially
Recall Dove’s Beauty Sketches from an earlier session. The mini-film features a group of women describing their facial appearance to a forensic artist unaware of their true appearance. Others interviewing the women later describe their perspective of the women’s looks to the forensic artist. The women invariably underestimate their intrinsic beauty as reflected in Dove’s slogan “you are more beautiful than you
when the cause is for inclusion or helping the needy, watching the heroic deeds of others is a powerful way to conjure up feelings of tenderness.
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