Fear

Coronavirus Marketing Kit

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Call me crazy…

I am 98% convinced that this coronavirus scare is overblown.

In fact, I’m about 95% sure it’s completely manufactured and manipulated.

But whether or not you agree with me, one thing is abundantly clear…

The concept has captivated people around the globe.

More than that, it’s driven people to take action.

Think about it: this may be the event that FINALLY gets people wash their hands after using public restrooms.

I don’t mean to be insensitive to those who have been affected by this virus.

But, as I’ve said in the past, anything that grabs the attention of millions can reveal important insights into human nature.

If your business can use some extra attention, can you afford to NOT pay attention to stuff like this?

Agreed.

Now, I encourage you to think about this topic for yourself to see what lessons you can uncover…

But I’d love to share a few of my thoughts.

Let’s start with the most obvious.

Fear Still Works… If You Know How to Work It

You’ve probably heard it a thousand times: the natural human reaction to fear is about twice as strong as the reaction to pleasure.

Makes sense, right? You have to be alive to enjoy… anything.

Despite having heard it, many of the marketers I interact with still hesitate to use fear in their campaigns. It just doesn’t feel right.

And I get that.

But let’s be honest. There are some frightening things out there. Things your customers should be legitimately scared of.

If they eat a pound of bacon for breakfast every day, they should be worried about heart attacks…

If they don’t pay attention to their wives, they should be worried about divorce…

If they can’t get people to buy from them, they should be worried about their relatives mocking them when their business fails. (The resulting money problems could lead to divorce, too!)

[Note the Body, Bank & Boo focus.]

Those are legit fears… and YOU can help them overcome them. Sometimes — more often than you might like — the best way to get their attention is to leverage that fear in your messaging.

Don’t feel funny about it. This is how you make the biggest difference you can make for your should-be customers.

So…

Even though the CDC says most people are infected with some form of the coronavirus during their lives…

Here’s why COVID-19 scares the pants off of so many people — and how that helps you be more influential

One:
This novel coronavirus has been dimensionalized to a greater extent than other strains. It’s seems more “real” and not just a far-away concept

I mean, even if you’re not actively looking for it, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a picture of the virus’ crown-shaped structure somewhere.

Even the name has been leveraged. “Corona” refers to crown. That isn’t unique to this version of the bug… but it now owns a little real estate in your brain that influenza does not.

An invisible germ has been made visible. Memorable.

Two:
There is automatically a fear of the unknown. We all know exactly where this virus comes from, right? An exotic sounding province in China (which is already seen by many as a nefarious force in the world) called Wuhan.

Name another illness that you know EXACTLY where it originated.

If you thought of Ebola and Africa (which is far less specific), remember how scared many people have been about Ebola outbreaks in the past?

Three:
There are lots of specifics. The media continually updates us on how many cases there are and where. The word “pandemic” is thrown around loosely.

They’re also sharing stories about supply shortages, quarantines and other scared people.

Although we don’t see many of stories like this one from the Washington Post…

Which brings us to…

Four:
Social proof works like crazy.

When everyone else is terrified, maybe I should be, too!

And…

Five:
Those supply shortages indicate a complete lack of ability to adequately respond to the potential pestilence.

It’s an effective force multiplier for the fear.

Not only is the disease deadly and spreading quickly… but the people we trust to keep us safe are simply unprepared to deal with the danger.

It’s one thing to go to war with an enemy. It’s another thing to step onto the battlefield with no ammunition.

Six:
There’s mystery about how this germ is spreading. I’ve seen the term “unknown origin” of new cases in the U.S. more than one time.

The unpredictability of “who’s next” makes it all the more nerve-racking… because it could be you.

Seven:
People, especially in America, have already been introduced to the idea of viruses threatening to wipe out our species or turn us all into flesh-craving zombies.

This is a more subtle influence.

Many of us have already seen this doomsday scenario play out in best-selling thrillers or on the Hollywood big screen. In the back of our minds, it’s not all that far-fetched.  

Okay, now…

Here’s a Quick Rundown of Action Steps for You

0) Try to get comfortable using legitimate fear to reach your potential buyer. It is one of the most effective ways to get him to stop and pay attention.

1) Don’t just mention the fear or the source of that fear in your sales copy. Dive into the details that make the fear real… tangible… visible. Refuse to be 1-dimensional in your descriptions.

2) Consider tapping into the fear of the unknown that all of us have. When your would-be buyer THINKS he knows what you’re going to say — or already knows how to deal with the fear — he’s going to tune you out.

3) Share specifics. Not just statistics, but stories. Both images and word pictures go a long way.

4)  Get as much social proof as you can. It doesn’t have to be testimonials or reviews of your own. Just show how many people are feeling what you’re talking about or doing what you recommend.

5) Don’t let your prospect overestimate his ability to fix the problem alone.

We all deceive ourselves some times. If he’s unprepared, it’s your job to alert him to the fact — and make him believe it. Don’t be a jerk about it. You’re not trying to make him feel bad about himself. You’re helping him be realistic and honest.

6) If possible, create an air of mystery about the source of your chosen fear.

Even as you’re giving details and specifics, an underlying mystery that makes the fear even more unnerving — and the solution that more urgent.

7) Leverage fear your ideal buyer already has. You don’t want to have to convince him he needs to be scared of the thing you’re talking about.

If your boogeyman isn’t something he’s already scared of, you can likely make a connection using the Body, Bank & Boo principles.

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Question for you: have YOU taken any marketing lessons from the 24/7 coronavirus news blitz?

Feel free to share them in the comments.

13 Quick Copywriting Tips

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13 Copywriting Tips

Here are my copywriting tips from this week’s “Connecting With Your Customers” newsletter:

1. Talk about one thing. The tighter the focus, the better. –> Read More
2. Speak to just one person. Copy should be a one-on-one conversation. –> Read More
3. Force your reader to “pick a side.” Don’t allow him to sit comfortably on the fence. –> Read More
4. Whenever possible, write to people who are already at least half-convinced. –> Read More
5. In most cases, you can get away with infuriating 95% of your list/audience in an effort to win over the 5% who are your best buyers and referrers. Court the kingmakers in your list. –> Read More
6. Trust is EVERYTHING. –> Read More
7. Clarity is everything, too. The clarity of your message and offer. And the clarity you create for your readers by explaining the reality of their problem and the available solution. –> Read More
8. Sequences beat single-shots. –> Read More
9. Better products make for better copy. –> Read More
10. Make your copy empowering, not condemning or depressing. If the reader can get some benefit just from reading the marketing message, you’ve made “the sale before the sale.” –> Read More
11. That being said, psychologically, the fear of loss is twice as strong as the desire for gain.
12. Curiosity is the strongest human incentive, says Claude Hopkins. Leverage it.
13. If you use curiosity to grab attention and get clicks, do yourself a favor: pay off that curiosity. “Bait & Switch,” clickbait copywriting tends to burn out their audiences quicker than straight-shooters.

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Is a Recession a Bad Thing? That Depends on You

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You don’t need me to tell you that times are hard. The words of Charles Dickens ring true today: “It is the best of times. It is the worst of times.” How you position yourself and your business will determine whether you experience the best or the worst.

I recently spoke to a well-known certified resume writer/business owner. He described this paradox to me very clearly. “Job seekers need my services more than ever,” he noted. “But this is also the toughest time to spend the extra money to put together a really strong resume.”

The distinction needs to be made between an expense and an investment. Hiring a resume writer who can help your job hunt end satisfactorily is an investment, not an expense. It pays off.

The same is true for marketing, training and business development.

Many people and businesses are scaling back, pinching their pennies and cutting “non-essentials.” The problem is, they need to be good at attracting customers and clients more than ever before. Employees need to be equipped to deliver better service than their competitors, who are too busy saving money to properly train their people.

During “good times,” when money comes easily, the budget has plenty of room for these initiatives. But when revenue starts drying up, most people react in fear. As Samuel Taylor Coleridge said, “What begins in fear usually ends in folly.” You can’t grow a business that way.

When the going gets tough, people and businesses need more information, better direction, more counsel, more inspiration. They need more help. Those who provide the help people need so badly are in position to make these “the best of times” for their businesses.

That is why it is absolutely critical that you:

1.) provide real, tangible value,

2.) present yourself as a trusted advisor, not another money-drain. An investment that will yield a profitable return.

Fear is natural. Implementing defensive strategies is instinctive. But both are counterproductive. You can’t advance and retreat simultaneously.

Retreating is what your competitors are doing.

Statistics show that businesses that maintain or increase aggressiveness in their investments such as marketing and coaching during recessionary phases grow more than 200% more than those that pull back. (See “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Don’t Skimp on Their Ad Budgets.” )

The challenges are daunting; the opportunities are awesome.

How are you responding to the economic climate we’re facing now? How does this affect your interactions with clients and prospects?

Counteract This Trend

You’ll do well to consider different strategies to make your services accessible to your target audience. Low-cost entry items, pared-down basic coaching, and group sessions are possible choices.

Whatever you do, do not devalue yourself or your services. The attitude that says “I know it’s hard out there, so I’ll discount my prices,” is a position of weakness. You are not a commodity. You are not less valuable just because the economy is in bad shape currently (If anything, you could charge more because of inflation!)

A better move would be to present alternative options, multiple ways you can help different people in different financial situations.

The quality of what you deliver is of paramount importance here. If you sell a book that makes marked improvements for the reader, not only will he be more likely to purchase your higher-level offers, but he’ll be more able to do so because of those improvements.

Business is not a zero-sum proposition. Your clients are not $2,000/month poorer because they retain your services. They pay you (you win), you help them achieve their goals (they win), and everyone is richer and happier.

Companies who approach their practice from the perspective that someone wins and someone loses are forfeiting some of the benefits they should be getting. They may be doing more harm than good.

You’ve probably heard it said that more millionaires were created in the Great Depression than any other time in American history.  It seems that “bad times” aren’t bad for everyone. It’s up to you to decide if you’re going to use this downturn as an excuse for mediocrity and failure, or if you’ll look for the opportunities to gain the ground everyone else is forfeiting.

Set Your Sails

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“It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.”  – Jim Rohn

The economy is front, middle and back page news these days. Debt ceilings, the declining dollar and defaults are all we keep hearing about.

And lets face it;  the economy is in shambles. Experts across the country and around the globe are saying that a crisis is unavoidable at this stage.

Now I’m no economics expert, but I’m forced to concur.

The truth is, you and I can’t do much about America’s economy as a whole. The problem is just too big.

I’m not saying that to convince you to throw up you hands and take a fatalistic mentality. Quite the contrary.  Any good coach will tell you not to get caught up in things you have no control over, but to focus on what you can control.

So here’s the question that really matters: how’s YOUR economy?

You can get bogged down about the macroeconomic situation, but you should be more worried about protecting your personal microeconomy.

2011 has been my most profitable year yet as a copywriter. While so many of my colleagues are complaining about taking a hit, having difficulty finding gigs. On the other hand, right now, I have a waiting list for clients who want to work with me.

I’m not saying that to brag, believe me. I bring it up because if I can do it, so can you.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t give you a few insights into why my economy is not currently reflecting what we’re seeing in the economy at large.

1.) I’m continuing to give. So many businesses are clenching their fists, holding back what they could be sharing, for fear of being ripped off. Or, instead of taking the time to nurture leads and develop relationships, they are rushing the selling process.

Give as much value as you can. Giving information (in a strategic fashion) will firmly establish you as an expert, as an individual or business that cares about it’s customers and communities.

2.) Positioning. Don’t get caught in the death spiral of commoditization. You absolutely must be unique, especially during a downturn like we’re facing now. If your competitors can honestly make the same claims that you make about your business, you can only compete with them on price. You don’t really want to do that, do you?

Find your own unique selling proposition/competitive advantage and make sure your target audience knows why you’re a smarter choice than the other guy.

3.) Don’t react in fear. Define a plan of attack and be proactive. What do you want to achieve? Who do you want to work with? What  account are you aiming for? What do you have to do to get it?

Fear is killing your competitors.

Remember: “The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react.” (George Bernard Shaw)

4.) Find out what your audience wants and help them get it.

5.) Don’t be afraid to negotiate confidently.

By all means, seek to understand the big picture. But also understand that no matter what the economy at large is like, there are always some people who are winning. Put yourself in a place to be one of the victors.