{"id":2176,"date":"2018-01-02T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2018-01-02T12:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/creativethirst.com\/blog\/?p=2176"},"modified":"2023-10-15T14:47:33","modified_gmt":"2023-10-15T18:47:33","slug":"use-fear-to-sell-health-products-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creativethirst.com\/blog\/use-fear-to-sell-health-products-online\/","title":{"rendered":"How and When To Use Fear In Selling Health Products Online"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

All good direct response marketers know that people buy based on emotions. In fact, it\u2019s more than just how we buy, it\u2019s how people make any decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEmotion is a powerful force, it\u2019s what drives all action.\u201d
~ Tony Robbins<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotion is one of the biggest direct response marketing tools in any good copywriters pocket. Marketing health products online is no different. People buy based on emotion, then justify it with logic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When selling something like a health supplement bottle, there\u2019s not much to the desirability of the actual product itself. I mean who really wants a white plastic bottle they stick in their cabinet and hide away. What they want and what they are buying is the feeling they get from taking the dietary supplement itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selling through emotion, taps into our inner hopes and desires. When a prospect considers buying a health product, such as a bottle of supplements or a digital health eBook, they don\u2019t see your product as it is. It\u2019s not a plastic bottle filled with little capsules to them. Instead they see your health product as they are, as a reflection of their inner hope and beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo put it plainly, seeing is not believing – believing is seeing. We see things not as they are, but as we are.\u201d
~ Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to connect to that feeling is through emotion and stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are story driven beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our brains are hard wired to think in stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the most powerful story is one that is wrapped in the emotion of fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at an example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following is the introduction to a video sales letter for a health product. This is an excellent example of using emotion and fear to draw in the prospect. The use of fear and emotion sets the stage, making the prospect open to your message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Is What I Call a Story Hook<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cMom, don\u2019t die!\u201d I heard my daughter crying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan you hear me Mrs. Dempsey?\u201d said a softly spoken Doctor, as she leaned over the hospital bed shining a small torch right into my wife\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel blinked and quickly moved her head to the side, irritated by the sudden attack on her senses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnfortunately, you\u2019re not fine, Mrs. Dempsey\u201d, replied Doctor Bloomberg, as I stepped forward, gripping my wife\u2019s hand in mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The left side of her faced had dropped so dramatically I barely even recognized her, and her speech was slurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan you move?\u201d I asked my wife, tears streaming down my face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d she replied, \u201cof course I can move\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doctor asked her to squeeze my hand, but nothing happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She asked her to move her legs, but again, nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Panic struck me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the realization hit me like a freight train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My wife was paralyzed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat the hell\u2019s happening?\u201d my wife screamed at the doctor. \u201cDo something\u201d, she said, with fear in her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMrs. Dempsey\u201d said the doctor. \u201cThere\u2019s very little I can do right now. The feeling in your arms and legs may come back. But it may not.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The next two sentences are the payoff of the story hook set up. It clearly answers the context of the story. What\u2019s wrong with this woman? But it also keeps the question – is she going to be okay? – open in the readers mind. So they continue to the sales message much later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYour blood sugar was off the charts when the ambulance brought you in. You\u2019ve been in a diabetic coma and it\u2019s difficult to tell at this point how much damage your brain may have suffered.’<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This next section pre-frames the problem, which is solved with the solution that you can buy, later in the sales letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBut there\u2019s one thing I am sure of\u201d, she continued\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d my wife asked, desperately praying for some good news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t get your blood sugar under control, this will happen again. And you may not survive next time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Start With The Problem<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the core principles of a \u201cStory Hook\u201d is to start with the problem. This let\u2019s you position your product as the solution. The three act approach to selling health products, which we\u2019ve written about before, is ideal for this type of set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intensify The Emotion<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The more personal risk that a purchase entails, the more emotion the buyer feels. When buying a health product online, there are a number of unique risks that are not present in other sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example:
 The risk of our shattered hope <\/b><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is something specific to buying a B2C health product. There is a segment of people who are buying to treat a condition. For those people hope is just as important if not more important than other factors like ingredients and trust. The main hurdle that a natural health product needs to surmount is the emotional let down of the product not working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with building up hope for the prospect comes the added anxiety of it not working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The risk of change<\/span>
<\/b><\/em>
Changing our self story is a friction point that many prospects won\u2019t be able to get over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot of risk involved in any kind of change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And our own personal self stories, or beliefs, are so set in stone that the thought of changing them is akin to risk of our fundamental self. This can literally freeze up any action or decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why the emotion of fear is a good motivator when trying to change beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many marketers will start with the question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does the prospect need to believe in order to buy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is a great way to list out all of the beliefs that you need to overcome in your marketing argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s almost always better to simply tap into an existing belief that is already established and build top of that, rather than change a current belief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Inner Buying Belief<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you have the emotion and story nailed down it\u2019s not enough to carry it to a sale. It\u2019s only the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key is a two step approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STEP 1: Tap into the inner belief the prospect already has.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STEP 2: Tie the belief into your product as the solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way we look at belief when constructing a health funnel or any marketing for our clients is with our belief framework\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belief = (Desire x Self Story) \/ Challenges<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to uncover beliefs and desires is to look towards the marketplace. If you\u2019re short on time I suggest you start with online research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n