It’s easy to understand how consumers search for various topics and the words they use to describe them. Social listening tools also help to gain insight into sentiment. But what about how your audience feels as they search?

Emotion-based keyword research, an emerging approach, provides insight into the “feel” portion of the consumer’s journey. It takes marketers from considering thinking to feeling to doing. With this insight, marketers are able to better understand their audiences, leading to content creation that is increasingly relevant and effective by directly addressing emotions.

Imagine that you are developing a content strategy around the theme of sustainability and are tasked with gathering in-depth information about the needs and interests of your target audience.

Based on search volume data, standard keyword research helps you conclude that people search the most for subtopics like deforestation and food issues (food security, food waste, etc.), indicating strong points of interest for consumers. It’s a correct assessment, but not the full story.

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