Donna Summer managed to win millions of teenage boy fans thanks to her erotic songs being banned by various radio stations. Songs like “I Feel Love” and “Love To Love You Baby” featured more groaning and heavy breathing than was thought good for the nation’s youth in the 1970s. But there was no doubt it; Donna’s fans loved her, they loved her music and they loved what it did to them. Love and Donna Summer went together.

Few businesses, however, get customers who love them or what they do. We might say we “love” a particular brand, but does that brand actually evoke the same emotional responses as we might have got by listening to the panting of a sexy songstress? Many brand owners talk about the “emotional value” of their products and services, but most only appear to pay lip service to the notion that people might “love” their products.

However, new research shows that if you can produce feelings of love for your business you are onto a winner. The study found, for instance, that if men “love” their beer they buy 38% more of it than similar men who are indifferent. And for people who simply adore their washing powder, well that ups the sales by a whopping 60%.

The research confirms many earlier studies that increasing your sales income is significantly linked to creating higher emotional value in what you sell. If you get your clients to love you, then you will raise your sales.

But love is a two-way emotion. We love someone when we feel they love us. A brand has to show it adores its customers if they are to start to feel they want to love the product themselves. You cannot expect love to be a one-way street.

So, if you want to sell more from your website or make more money online you really need to demonstrate you love your visitors. In turn, they’ll begin to love you back and that will eventually help your sales figures.

And how do you show people you love them? Stop talking about yourself and talk about them and their world. The more you talk about your customers and what they are interested in the more they will love you.

Alternatively, you could adopt the Donna Summer method and just pant a lot.