Selling fear works. If it didn’t, marketers would have abandoned this technique a long time ago. The sad truth is that tapping into your target audiences’ fears can motivate them to rush right out and buy your product or service whether they need it or not. Sending them into panic mode about a potential risk and offering up your brand as the solution can drive sales like nobody’s business. Fear-based marketing has the potential to perform twice as well as other styles of marketing campaigns because it triggers an emotional – not rational – response from our brains.

Fear is not the only emotion marketers use to elicit a strong response from consumers. Making people happy or sad also can work in an advertising campaign. Happiness makes people want to share the reason for their feelings, while sadness can evoke empathy and connection. However, fear does something that happiness and sadness can’t – it builds brand loyalty. Think about it. When people are scared or anxious, what do they do? They cling to what is comfortable and familiar. Brands that play the fear card well can entice consumers to view them as the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, increasing their sales. It’s a sneaky trick, but it works.

I know what you must be thinking. If fear-based marketing works this well, why would any brand not use it? I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest something radical. People are tired. They are emotionally and physically drained from two-plus years of a pandemic that has paralyzed them with fear. Panic fatigue is real, and some people have reached their limits. What people seek now is hope. Brands that inspire their target audiences have a better chance of building long-lasting relationships with them. Here’s how to stop selling fear in 2022 and give hope instead. 

More than a hundred years of psychology and behavioral science research supports the notion that people seek experiences that make them feel good while avoiding those that cause them pain. Fear-based marketing urges consumers to act based on their fears. The model consists of three elements:

• Providing information on the perceived threat that evokes feelings of anxiety or fear.
• Providing information on how the target audience can be affected by these threats.
• Providing solutions (ideally your product or service) as the solution or safeguard for reducing the negative effects of the threat.

Appealing to their emotions can compel people to immediately act, especially when tapping into their anxieties or fears. The American Psychological Association (APA) found fear appeal is quite effective under the right circumstances. Brands that insist on using the fear factor in their marketing campaigns must adhere to one of the APA’s recommendations: provide an immediate solution. Otherwise, you risk leaving prospective clients with the impression your brand identified a problem but has no idea how to solve it. In other words, you’ve gotten them worked up and they now associate your brand with a negative connotation.
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Fear-based selling techniques are manipulative, and consumers have become wise to them. Too much of it can create burnout, prompting audiences to turn away from your brand instead of running toward it. Even when you present an immediate solution that involves your products or services, you risk creating a one-time customer who has no emotional connection to your brand. Is it worth it? Probably not. 

I would be remiss if I devoted an entire blog to the topic of fear-based selling tactics without addressing whether they are ethical. The ethics of fear-based marketing has been a hot topic among communications and marketing professionals for years. Triggering fear in your intended audience has social, physical, and emotional ramifications that can border on unethical business practices. Let’s take a closer look at why I feel this way.

• Social impact. Let’s say your brand launches a social media campaign designed to prompt your followers into action based on a perceived threat. Anyone who ever has used social media knows how quickly something like that can snowball into an all-out crisis online. Raising anxiety on a global social media platform can backfire by leading to the spread of misinformation that can hurt your brand’s reputation.
• Physical impact. Creating a crisis that only your product or service can solve can lead to questions of credibility if your claims are untrue. If customers believe your product or service can solve a physical problem, you’d better be 100 percent certain it can or risk a hit to your reputation.
• Emotional impact. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 13 people globally suffers from anxiety. Pushing a fear campaign onto someone already struggling with an anxiety disorder can cause lasting emotional trauma. Worse yet, it may prompt those with anxiety disorders, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to harm themselves.

For these and other reasons, I believe fear-based marketing campaigns to be unethical and best avoided. I recommend my clients focus on brand storytelling techniques that help their target audiences build lasting connections for the best return on their investment. 

I’ve already explained that fear-based marketing tactics can be extremely effective. It’s why so many companies use them. However, convincing your target audience to make quick – possibly irrational – decisions based on their anxiety can backfire. Here are some ways focusing on fear can go terribly wrong.

• It can turn clients off from your brand. Constantly sounding the alarm can drive people away from your products or services. They may begin to relate your brand with negativity instead of as a solution to their problems.
• It can hurt your brand’s reputation. Customers know your mission, vision, and values. Veer too far away from them during a scare tactic campaign and it can tarnish an otherwise good image. All it takes is one headline that crosses too far into the fear zone to break the trust of your loyal customers.
• It can make your brand seem insensitive. We saw this with some of the advertisements released during the height of the pandemic. Some brands put profit ahead of brand values and it backfired. One example that comes to mind is Boohoo’s fashion face mask. It was a clear money grab, and their customers called them out on it quickly. 

Finding new customers can be downright difficult for some brands. Launching advertising campaigns can be costly, so some businesses choose to focus on customer retention rather than finding new leads. Building customer relationships through inspirational messaging is one of the most effective ways to boost engagement and overall satisfaction with your brand with existing clients. It is an investment that produces amazing returns when done well.
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When customers feel happy about your products or services and secure in their relationship with your business, they turn into brand loyalists with the power to increase your profits by 25 to 95 percent. Not only do they keep coming back to do more business with you, but they also recommend your brand to their family, friends, and colleagues. Word-of-mouth recommendations are more effective than paid ads, producing five times the sales. As a bonus, winning over your target audience can safeguard them from competitors eager to scoop them up. 

Some brands have hope marketing down to a science. They do it and do it well. Here are just a few of the inspirational campaigns that have stood out to me as winners over the last couple of years.

• TikTok “A Little Brighter Inside” Campaign – the creative team of Adam King and Lewis Raven brought this little tidbit to life with the help of Agile Films back in 2020. Under the direction of Social Lab, this 60-second video helped bring hope and joy to people during a time when everything seemed a bit bleak and hopeless. It’s a classic example of how to inspire rather than evoke fear. It acknowledges that the current circumstances quite frankly suck, but that a place exists where people can turn to lift their spirits anyway.
• Extra Gum’s “For When It’s Time” Campaign – surely this long-form film advertisement will win an award for its ability to take a stressful and unpleasant situation and turn it into a total positive. There is no pandering, no stress-inducing fear tactics, only pure hope and happiness.
• Shapermint’s “Remember Dressed” Campaign – sitting around in comfy sweats and leggings has become a bit of a habit for most of us over the last two years. When there’s nowhere to go, there’s no point in getting dressed. Amiright? This fun and flirty ad convinces a couchbound woman to get her groove on again in some stylish new clothes, giving her hope that there is life outside her living room.
• UPS’s “Little Girl, Big Future” Campaign – this is an older ad, but one that deserves mention in this list. It tugs at the heartstrings, for sure, but it also gives us hope and motivation to pursue our dreams.

These are just a few of my favorites, but they certainly are not the only examples of inspiration-based marketing out there. If there are others you would like to share with my readers, please include them in the comments. 

Brands that commit to replacing selling fear with relationship-building efforts can increase brand loyalty among current clients and attract new customers. Establishing an authentic brand voice and offering value can lead to lasting customer relationships that increase sales without evoking panic. Here are some ways brands can do it.

1. Become an authority
   Good storytelling can help your brand highlight a problem it solves without sounding the alarm. Presenting facts shows the value your product or service provides without going overboard with the drama. A hero’s journey is a great way to establish yourself as an authority instead of an alarmist. Create a scenario in which the customer is the star who uses your product or service to solve a real problem. Taking this approach can help customers connect more deeply with your brand, making them more likely to become repeat customers.
   
2. Ditch the threats
   Ask yourself a simple question. Do you want your target audience to crave your products or services because they are simply amazing? Or do you want them to be so fearful of what can happen without them that they feel bullied into using them? Other copywriters may disagree with me on this point, but I always recommend highlighting the benefit your customers will get from using your product or service rather than scaring them into what they are missing if they don’t do business with your brand. No one likes to feel threatened. Ditch the threats and offer positivity instead.
3. Stick to the facts
   Making wild claims can backfire on your brand and tarnish your relationship with your target audience. The quickest way to erode the trust of your customer base is to make promises for your product or service you can’t keep. It is best to stick to the facts and remain consistent in your messaging. Do you want consumers to associate your brand with fear, or feel empowered to solve their problems using your products or services? One of these marketing tactics can backfire. Can you guess which one? Fear drives short-term results. Trust encourages long-term engagement. 

Customers are complex. Brands that reduce their target audiences to a basic fear response do them a great disservice by overlooking their overall value. They reduce consumers to nothing more than dollar signs, which is not the best way to achieve sustainable growth. Here are some better ways to build lasting relationships with your client base to keep them coming back without the scare tactics to drive them.

• Customer loyalty programs reward repeat business. From points-based programs to VIP clubs, loyalty programs put the customer front and center, letting them know their value to your brand. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study revealed that customers were 77 percent more likely to purchase from brands that rewarded them over competitors. Consider finding a rewards program that works for your brand and launching it in 2022.
• Personalized interactions help your customers feel valued rather than exploited. Adding personal elements to your marketing emails (like using first-name greetings) is one way to incorporate personalization. Customers want to feel like they matter, not like they are just part of the collective.
• Reliable customer service is a must when building lasting relationships with your customers. Whether they are first-timers with questions before they buy, or making their 100th purchase from your business, ensuring they have access to a team member who can help has a huge impact on brand loyalty. Make sure members of your customer support team have the training to offer consistent support, including appropriate methods for responding to feedback and inquiries.

Not sure how to create a marketing campaign that inspires hope instead of fear? Reach out to the team at The Write Reflection™ to schedule a planning session for all your 2022 content needs.

A brand without a blog is like an Oreo cookie without its creamy center. I know what you must be thinking. What about social media? Podcasts? Email newsletters? All these communication tools have their place in your marketing plan. Still, none have the power to build your business the way a well-written blog can. Blogging remains one of the most effective ways to boost brand awareness and reach target audiences. A business blog gets twice as much traffic from content than email campaigns. Authoring content relevant to consumer searches guides consumers to your products and services while establishing your brand as an authority.
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Do you need more convincing that a brand blog is the way to go in 2022? Here are some reasons to compel your brand to give blogging a go. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a tricky skill. Just when you think you have mastered it, search engines like Google change their algorithms. Using SEO when you blog is worth the effort. Professional bloggers and SEO copywriters rely on keyword research to discover which keywords will help your content rank higher organically. For instance, let’s say you want to blog about choosing an air purification system to reduce the spread of germs in residential settings. Using a keyword tool identifies words relating to the topic based on search engine activity. Plugging in the phrase “air purification system germs” and optimizing for Google produces a list of potential keywords to include in your content. Some of the suggestions:

• Air purifier germs
• Air cleaner for germs
• Air purifiers for germs and viruses
• Air purifier to remove germs

Those are just a few of the longtail keywords recommended. Keyword tools reveal search volume, trend, and competition for each keyword it suggests. Choosing keywords with less competition can be an effective way to get noticed online.
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In addition to SEO, you also can find out what searchers are looking for by doing a search yourself. Go to your search engine of choice and enter “air purification system germs” again. The results will produce a list called “Common Searches” that reveal the key phrases others are using to find information related to this topic. Include those in your blog as subheadings to maximize your searchability factor. This is super easy to do in a blog. 

Hard as it is to imagine, businesses did not always have the advantage of touting their wares online to a global audience. Once upon a time, they had to print ads, buy mailing lists, and send those mailers out to potential customers in their service area to entice them. Direct mail campaigns have not completely disappeared. They can be quite effective under the right circumstances. However, they can eat into your advertising budget. The average cost to produce and send a direct mail advertisement is between 30 cents and $10 per mailer. Cost varies and depends on whether you use professional copywriters and designers to produce the advertisement and a printing/publishing company to mail them.

Blogging eliminates much of the cost associated with targeted mailing campaigns. Hiring a professional writer to plan and produce the content can cost between $50 and $2,000 depending on the blogger’s experience level and length of content produced. While you certainly can find writers who will crank out a blog post for $30, you likely will not get the kind of quality that tickles the fancy of Google and other search engines. Copywriters that charge low rates tend to produce “copy mill” content that is recycled from other information they find online. Search engines look for relevant content that adds value.
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Producing copy that helps your target audience solve a problem attracts both prospective customers and search engines. “How to” blogs featuring your products or services can attract an audience and eventually convert them into valuable customers or business partners. 

Building your brand requires earning the trust of your customers. This is known as brand authority. An effective method for gaining customer confidence is to provide relevant content that solves problems or answers questions. Establishing brand authority is easy with a well-crafted blog. Choose topics to which your target audience can relate. Then, commit to producing the kind of quality content that will have them returning to your site for more tips and tools.
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Brands that provide accurate and compelling content build lasting relationships with their target audience that convert to eventual sales. Once consumers realize your blog is a source of valuable and trustworthy information, you can build rapport. Helping customers solve a problem before do business with your brand convinces them to return when they need your products or services. After repeated exposure to your blog, they will view you as an authority. They enter the sales funnel with pre-existing knowledge of what you bring to the table, making it easier to convert them.  

Consumers today want more than impersonal sales transactions with a brand. They want to connect with your products or services and the people behind them. Blogging is an effective way to tell your brand story and give target audiences a reason to return to your business. You can feature news about team members doing incredible things in their communities or announcements about the launch of helpful new products or services. Best of all, since it is your blog, you can control what information is shared and verify its accuracy before publication.
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Blogging allows businesses to show their human side. Customers never want to feel like they are nothing more than dollar signs. Humanizing your brand can help flip the narrative. There is no limit to what kind of storytelling you can do on a brand blog. 

Blogs are the gift that keeps on giving. Sure, you might spend $1,000 on a professionally crafted piece of content, but it has the potential to drive long-term results. Once you hit that post button, blogs can continue to drive traffic to your site and convert customers eager to do business with you.

​Blogs that perform well in search engines offer the best return on your investment. Once your blog begins ranking, it remains relevant in most search engines for months or years, depending on the topic and how much competition there is for the SEO keywords. Well-written blogs continue to work hard for your business. Copywriting professionals call them compounding posts because they contain evergreen content that continues producing leads. 

Before you rush off to your computer and start writing your first blog, you may want to consider bringing in a pro to assist. Just because anyone can write does not mean they should write. Content production is not as easy as it sounds. First, you must develop a content strategy that aligns your mission, vision, and values with any copy produced and published. Then, you must identify your target audience. Your brand cannot provide value without fully understanding who it is serving.

Other aspects go into content planning, including competitive analysis and researching information from credible sources. A professional blog writer can assist with these steps required to establish your brand authority through blogging. Reach out to the brand blogging experts at The Write Reflection™ to learn how we can leverage the power of blogging for your brand. First-time customers receive a 25 percent discount on their first blog order. 

Ah, Google. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a love-hate relationship with this top search engine.  Google’s complex search algorithm likes to keep SEO copywriters guessing. No one quite knows how it works. If they say they do, they are spinning tales. Following Google’s webmaster guidelines can help somewhat, but it is not a complete roadmap for search-ranking success.
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When Google first launched, it only updated its algorithms a few times during the early years. Now, it makes thousands of changes every year, frustrating SEO experts frantically trying to keep their clients at the top of Google search results. Why do we even bother, you ask? Nearly 87 percent of global users turn to Google to find what they need. SEO copywriters and web designers feel pressured to play the Google game to get their clients found online. It rarely ends well. 

For many years, SEO copywriters would awkwardly plug industry-relevant keywords into on-page copy, hoping to attract the favor of the almighty Google. Sure, Google found their content. It may have even rewarded it with the number-one spot on page one of search results for the ranking keyword. The problem is that the content was written for an algorithm and not real people. Real people tend to find keyword-stuffed jargon disinteresting (and that is being kind about it). I have read some truly awful copy online from writers trying to get Google’s attention while forgetting their target audience.

Herein lies the problem of playing the Google game. Your content is unreadable. Peppering your content with industry-relevant keywords might get traffic to your site, but what happens once they are there? Do they connect with your brand in an engaging and meaningful way? Or do they take one look at the nonsensical words that were super appealing to Google (but not so much for real customers) and show themselves the door? 
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Playing the Google game can hurt your brand. Putting people first is a better solution. 

Real people like to have their questions answered. After all, that is why they turned to a search engine in the first place. Maybe they were looking for an auto repair shop near them or checking out reviews for a restaurant. What they were not seeking was content sprinkled with SEO keywords in sentence after sentence that all say the same thing without ever really addressing their concern. Some SEO experts claim it is too difficult to write for both people and search engines. I agree that it is more challenging but not impossible. Storytellers who know how to leverage the power of SEO can do both.
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Here are four ways to put people first in your copy that guarantees results.  

1. Invest in a great title 
   People have short attention spans. Like, 8 seconds, and they have moved on to something else, short. That is why your content needs what I like to call a train-wreck headline. Make it so good people cannot help but look.
   
   Here are some examples of train-wreck headlines:
   - 6 Lies People Believe About Weight Loss
   - 5 Ways to Lose Weight Without Trying
   - McDonald’s vs. Burger King: Which is Better?
   - How Twitter Can Predict Your Future
   
   Writing headlines can be challenging. Search engines like them to be between 5 and 7 words and include at least one relevant SEO keyword. Follow these tips on how to write engaging headlines that entice readers and search engines. There is no such thing as writing for people vs. writing for search engines. You can do both if you put a little effort into it. Taking time to craft a compelling title pays off in spades with both search engines and people.
2. Align your copy 
   Once that compelling headline sucks readers in, will they be bored to death by the first sentence? Including the same keyword from your title in your opening appeases both search engines and readers eager to make the connection between your title and the rest of your copy. Then it is up to you, the storyteller, to keep readers going from one sentence to another until they have read your entire piece from top to bottom. If your title asks readers a question, be sure to answer it in the first two sentences. For example, say you have this title: Can I remove bedbugs myself?  The very first sentence should repeat the question in answer format and give a small step toward the answer. Something like this would work: You can get rid of bedbugs yourself, but it will take the right tools and weeks or months of persistent treatment. From there, you go deeper and deeper into every step involved in the process, keeping the reader hooked until the end.
3. Stop trying so hard 
   Putting people first in your copy does not mean abandoning industry-relevant keywords that help your brand get found online. What it does mean is to stop trying so hard to get every keyword imaginable onto the same web page. Do you know what happens when you take that approach? Keyword stuffing that makes your copy unreadable. Search engines will find it alright. Readers will run from it. Here is an example of keyword stuffing using the phrase SEO copywriting:
   
   Here at The Write Reflection™, we offer the best SEO copywriting services. SEO copywriting is important if you want your business to be found online. Without SEO copywriting, search engines will never rank your business. SEO copywriting is the solution to all your search engine problems. Connect with us to find out how we can leverage the power of SEO copywriting for your brand.
   
   That is a lot of SEO copywriting. Not only does it sound redundant, but it runs the risk of turning off your reader. The phrase SEO copywriting is mentioned five times within the first five sentences. It is not necessary to use your keyword in every sentence. Doing so makes the copy uninviting to humans. Instead, use it more naturally throughout the entire piece.
   
   
4. Beg to be shared 
   Your content, that is. Truly spectacular content does more than simply reel in your target audience. It begs to be shared. Brand loyalists who like and share your content can be valuable assets to sustainable growth. Forty-nine percent of consumers follow influencers, trying out anything they recommend. According to Nielsen, 92 percent of global consumers trust word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family. How do you make your content irresistible? Appeal to your readers’ emotions. Tug at their heartstrings, make them laugh, or get them so worked up they must act. The emotion you elicit depends on the goal of your content. If you get readers this far into your content, then you have done a stellar job of hooking them and converting them. 

Digital content should rank well with search engines, but never at the expense of your target audience. It is entirely possible to craft engaging content that sucks readers in while also tickling the fancy of search engines like Google. What is the magical secret? Putting people first and SEO keywords second. Weave a tale that turns readers into the heroes of their journeys with your brand. Toss in a few well-placed industry keywords and – voila! – you have the magic recipe for appealing to both people and web crawlers.

Not sure you can master the art of putting people first in your content? No worries, mates. That is why SEO copywriters exist. Drop us a line here at The Write Reflection™ and we can arrange a time to chat about your needs.