We live in a world that is driven by fear more and more. Fear is a powerful marketing tool, but you must utilize it wisely to get your prospects’ attention without coming across as a slimy salesman trying to manipulate them.
We do not recommend using fear-mongering in your business just to scare people into buying from you (there are enough politicians and media outlets deploying this tactic every day.) However, if you don’t address the fears people have, you will miss an opportunity to move them to take action and receive the help they need from you.
There is a fine line for using fear in your marketing, but there is a way to ethically and effectively deploy it to connect with those you desire to serve.
Implement the following 4 steps and test what works best to reach new customers and clients for your business.
1 – Determine What Your Audience Fears Most
In order to connect with your prospects, you must know who they are, what their interests are, and what they fear most. Unless you know what makes them tick, you can’t develop a compelling marketing message that will move them to take action. Talk to people and interview them. Read articles. Check out the sources they are already paying attention to. Observe how others are addressing your target audience. When you determine what they fear most, you can take the next step to effectively communicate with them and serve them better.
2 – Connect Your Marketing Message to Their Fears
It’s not enough to just have a great product or service. You must be able to communicate with a compelling message that gets people to move. When you call out their fears directly, they will feel that you’re speaking directly to them. They will wonder if you’ve been reading their minds. You’ll get their attention long enough to influence them. Too many entrepreneurs focus on telling people about their product and service features rather than speaking to their prospect’s needs and desires. When you know what people fear, you can focus on connecting with them deeply rather than making your offer the primary focus of your marketing message.
3 – Show Your Customers How You Can Remove Their Fears
Once you grab their attention by addressing their fears head-on, you will have the opportunity to showcase your products and services as their solution. This must come AFTER you have connected with them at the heart level and called out their fears. People don’t care about the features of your offer. They care about getting results. When you position your offer as the solution to get the results they desire, you’ll be on your way to acquiring quality customers and clients. Be specific in how your product or service can directly help them overcome their fears.
4 – Highlight the Cost of NOT Working With You
Finally, it’s important to let people know what will happen if they choose not to use your product or service. This isn’t about strong-arming them. Rather, it’s about casting a vision of what life will be like in the future if they choose to do nothing. You can show a comparison of what things will look like when they do work with you versus if they don’t. Remember, it’s not the product or service they’re after, it’s the result. They have fears that need to be resolved. How will working with you address them? What will happen if they say “no” to your offer? Make this a key component of your marketing message.
Once again, be careful how you utilize fear in your marketing, but do not ignore it. Fear is real in people’s lives. Don’t use it to manipulate them. Instead, find ways to connect with your audience so they know you understand them and want to help them overcome the things they fear the most.
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Design Launch Grow is a business coaching program focused on helping you get clear on who your ideal customers are, where to reach them, how to help them, and how to deliver your products and services most effectively.
We believe that everyone has a fantastic opportunity to build a thriving business that serves their dream customers and clients while fulfilling their God-given calling. Most people simply need training, quality coaching, and a supportive community to make their vision a reality.
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***This 5-part series is inspired by the book “Motivational Marketing” by Robert Imbriale.