The Emotion Map: The Wheel of Emotions for Deep Understanding
Following on from the series, we can now say, that we know we need to create content that makes people feel something. We have a toolkit for how to craft that emotional work. And we understand that this emotion needs a home. A community campfire where it can be shared, amplified, and transformed into a living culture.
But there's a foundational skill required for all of this: empathy.
What if you could understand not just what your customers do, but what they feel? What if you had a map to their emotional world, allowing you to connect with them on whole different level of emotion?
Such a map actually exists. So let’s see how we can read it. It is immensely helpful in creating a more effective approach to content, community, and brand building.
First, We Need to Better Understand Emotions
There is a reason why we have art, music, and literature. It's because emotions are really hard to understand, and even harder to articulate. We have these creative tools that help us express what we’re feeling, as words are sometimes too clumsy to capture the nuance of what our emotional reality is.
Try it for a moment: what are you feeling right now? Once you find a word that you feel best describes your current emotion, go a little deeper. Chances are it’s not the only emotion you’re having. Context matters for our emotional state just as much, what came before, and what your brain is expecting next.
This complexity is where so much messaging and content misses out. We aim for broad targets like "happiness" or "trust" without understanding the intricate layers that make up those feelings. Luckily, we have a handy tool, a map, to help us here. The American psychologist Robert Plutchik produced a wheel of emotions that at its centre has the prime emotions. The further out you move from the centre, the more nuanced the emotional description becomes.
While it doesn't map all 34.0000 of individual emotions we're capable of experiencing, it is a helpful guide for identifying the deeper-rooted emotions that dictate our behaviour and decision making.
The Emotional Exercise: Map Your User’s Emotional Journey
You can use the wheel to map feelings towards a brand. But to build true empathy, we must go further. We need to stop thinking about ourselves and start mapping our customer's emotional state throughout their entire journey with us.
Let's break it down into three stages. Grab the Wheel of Emotions and start mapping.
1. The "Before" State (Living with the Problem)
Before your customer even knows you exist, what do they feel in relation to the problem you solve?
Are they feeling Annoyance at a recurring inconvenience, which is starting to turn into Anger? Are they feeling Apprehension about making a big purchase decision, leading to a state of Fear? Or are they simply feeling Boredom with their current offer of games, which offers Interest in something new? Don't guess. Use online comments, reviews, social listening data, interviews, and support tickets to find the real emotional starting point.
2. The "During" State (Engaging to find a Solution)
What do they feel as they interact with your brand for the first time? As they browse your website, read your content, sign up to a mailing list, create an account, speak to your sales team?
Is your long winded checkout process causing Annoyance? Does your clear, confident guarantee provide Reassurance? Does a surprisingly insightful blog post create Curiosity? This is where your brand makes its first emotional impression. Mapping this stage honestly can reveal painful friction points or highlight hidden strengths.
3. The "After" State (A Problem Solved)
This is the most important stage. After they've used your product or service, what is the ideal emotional outcome you have delivered?
This is your brand's emotional promise. Do you provide the Serenity that comes from a complex task made simple? Do you creating an emotional ‘high’ of achieving a long term goal? Do you foster a sense of Appreciation for the quality and care you provide? This "After" state is the emotional destination. This is what you ultimately sell.
From Empathy Map to Action Plan
This three stage map is more than an interesting exercise, it's a strategic basis for your entire brand.
From Empathy to Content: This map is your content strategy. If your customer's "Before" state is Fear and Apprehension, your content must be designed to create Trust and Reassurance. Your blog posts, videos, and social media could be filled with testimonials, clear explanations, and reassuring language. If their desired "After" state is Joy or Fulfilment, your marketing must showcase that feeling vividly. This is how you use the "How-To Toolkit" effectively.
From Empathy to Community: This map is your culture foundation. If you know your audience's journey is one of moving from Annoyance to Serenity, your community manager's role is to create a space that feels calm, supportive, and helpful. The "Community Campfire" must provide the right kind of warmth. The tone of conversations, the type of content shared, and the way members are celebrated should all reinforce that core emotional promise.
The most successful and beloved brands of the future will be the ones who listen the deepest. Using the Wheel of Emotions isn't really about manipulation, it's about developing deepest empathy. It's about having the respect to understand the complex emotional worlds of your customers and the integrity to acknowledge and serve them.
The subsequent connection you build will be your greatest brand asset weathering storms and changes.
