Fear based marketing: Does it work, is it wrong?

The only "wrong" marketing is off-strategy marketing. Fear works fine in some categories.

Since you, in essence, are selling insurance, one viable approach is, "You could lose everything on your hard drive if you don't back it up!!"

Equally "correct" is your current tag, with images of peaceful children asleep in their beds.

Survey the competition, see what's working and carve out a niche (you can live with) for your brand. -----

Note to anyone reading this post, William easily restored my hard drive and I recommend him highly.

In my line of work, value is king.

I'm not the No. 1 expert but I'll take a stab at it:

My thinking is that if fear-based marketing is prevalent in an industry then that could provide a huge opportunity for a company to position its products and services in a way that is value-based.

Is not losing data a value? In a negative sort of way, yes. I think the true value in saving data comes with stellar customer service and product MarComm. And by showing clients how they and their end users can benefit. Maybe even put together a client-appreciation program or creative promotion to boost loyalty, awareness and profits.

Here's an idea: maybe send out a really cool fold-out poster that your clients would want to put on their wall at work. Include your 800 number on it so they can contact you easily, and also provide an offer on the poster for a discount, rebate, coupon for referral - something like that. If the poster kicks ass, it will work!

What is important to your clients? Improved functionality, great customer service? What is important to the end user of your client's service? Speed, efficiency?

If you can tap into how you can enhance the end-user experience, then you're really getting somewhere.

Attempting to re-frame clients' thinking about the industry and your products and services especially, could help overcome their fears and lead to wide acceptance and huge profits!

Feel free to contact me if you'd like to chat more. -Spk

As a poor, lowly staffer who had to literally sift through ashes to rebuild data after a fire, I say, scare the hell out of 'em--whatever it takes to sell regular and reliable data back-up. (Even after the fire and many other system interruptions, our company is STILL sTuPId about data backup.)

I think you need to qualify fear based marketing. In your case of data recovery and back-up. I think Leila has a valid point. Scare the heck out of me. Most of us are terrible at it and we need to be scared into it or have it happen to us to make us see the error of our ways. Then there is the fear based marketing which is built on something less than the truth, practiced by some of our politicians. And finally there is the perceived fear, such as: "If I don't wash my clothes in this detergent, drive this car, where this label etc, I will be less of a person. Would I recommend the last two, I would hope not, but sadly they are just as effective on certain target audiences as the one where there truly is something which should concern you.

I just read this over this post and decided to add something about my own marketing. In it way say: "we will help think better, work better, and do better in every aspect of your life." I wonder is this not in a sense fear based marketing by possibly making you worry you aren't thinking very well at the present time and won't be able to without our help? I'd be interested to hear some feedback.

Fear is a powerful motivator. I think you should use it but don't make it a crutch. Have more to offer then fear of loss. Art T.

I think fear and value are a good combo for data backup and recovery business. Lets face it, protection is a better value than recovery and being honest about the risks will incite fear which will light a fire under their...posterior.

We both know most won't do the right thing until after they understand disaster (some still not then) but some will once they understand what disaster really means.

I would say that fear based marketing is really just about tone... fear is irrational.

The reality is that things burn, get stolen, crash, get f'up, and even have employee sabotage.

If you have a prospect where information and technology is important... it is rational to tell them what they are risking. When I was at Verizon I was a worse case scenario kind of guy, always planning for the worse... and the worse happens sometimes: when Tower 2 of the WTC came down on 9/11 we lost a major data array... or when Katrina hit the gulf coast one of the primary data facilities was hit.

What you are selling isn't a normal product... it is insurance.

Many of my own services are reactionary, but a few are precautionary. I have performed various online reputation campaigns in the past using SEO and social media techniques. If they had been smart beforehand and controlled an online brand properly, the damages would have been reduced greatly.

Be honest. Scare the crap out of them with realistic expectations and the ramifications they would suffer.

Fear based? Isn't that how we got into Iraq? I think there is a difference between being driven by fear and being cautious and smart. Taking precautionary steps is always a good idea, but, scare tactics are another matter because they suggest a pre-ordained fate if such and such doesn't happen. Yikes! No one has a crystal ball... I like to stay in the win-win cycle where clients are empowered. I think reason and good judgement coupled with professional advice and recommendations are what help clients make sound, cost effective choices. And these are the kind of choices I work best with!

Lets set one thing straight, there's honest fear and dishonest fear.

Honest fear would be based on facts like 80% of small businesses don't have a functional backup system, data loss incidents cost small businesses thousands of dollars per day, etc.

Dishonest fear are things like Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, gays ruining the American family, [insert other neocon talking point], etc.

BTW, I've met companies who spent $7000 on data recovery and still don't get most of their data back (they picked a bad recovery company I think).

I agree with Kevin. Be honest about the motivator.

Another point to make that I didn't see above (apologies if I missed it) is that fear is an emotion. People buy based on emotion. Whether you tell them to be happy, sad, excited, concerned or scared, emotions control our buying habits. People also buy out of need. If you tell them they need something to be happy, they will buy it expecting to be happy. If you tell them they need something in order to be safe, they will buy it hoping to feel more secure. The sense of need is created by invoking an emotion.

Bringing us back to my point, emotion controls our buying habits.

Ditto what has been said about manufacturing fear, i.e., concocting something out of (next to) nothing and convincing people to be afraid--that's wrong. Laying out the facts, even if they incite some angst, some worry, some fear--well, William, your story of how you came to be in your business, that scares me into thinking about my own data and what I do (or don't do) with it. And that's right.

Bill.. It is my exprience that most people buy emotionaly, not logically. Fact in point: I met you in person at one of my GEM events and bought from you because of our "real world" connection, and the fact that your online picture and profile matched you in the real world.

If we had not met, I probably would not have had the "trust" to purchase otherwise. Now, isn't that sort of silly. Why in the world does that make anyone more "trustworthy". It doesn't make sense does it?

My advice: follow the good advice given on this tread from experts who've showed that that they "care" and have shared with you and remember that: "Perceptiion is Reality". .....Howard

I think this is a topic that would be well worth covering in a meet -- William, you should think about hosting something. Kevin brings up great points about 'Honest Fear' that cover a lot of my feelings about marketing/advertising as a whole.

Fear as a sales motivatior is RAMPANT is used in every industry most of the time. It used to be that marketing and advert used a Problem/Solution template to get their message across, now it is all about fear.

I think you could return to the problem/solution metaphor and feel like your integrity was still intact.

I also think that using fear sometimes dumbs down your customer -- like they wouldnt understand any kind of subtle message about what might occur if they didnt have your product, therefore you have to scare the pants off of them so they'll get it. You might begin your marketing and advertising with an understanding that people are wise enough to get a grasp on the subtelies of why they need you. Trust the people you want to sell to.

Again, wouldn't mind continuing this conversation.

Take Care, els

Wow! Lots of great information and points! I think this topic is a gem and when the "article publishing tool" is added to Biznik, it would be great if someone published an article on this topic and the great points.

-Andrey

I'm late to the discussion, but I like Kevin's point.

For me, there's a difference between 'hype' and 'urgency.' Using fear can put you into either camp.

'Hype' is when you use fear to put someone into their panic zone, and then attempt to get them to make a decision in panic, rather than from their heart, or their truth.

This works, but you don't necessarily build up good relationships with people.

'Urgency' however, is the honest use of fear to wake people up. Spiritual masters do this all the time- we've all heard the stories of the zen masters or sufi masters shouting or hitting students with a bamboo stick to startle them out of the ego's auto-pilot into awareness of the moment.

But, what you do after you wake them up is critical- are you going to continue to amp the fear so that customers are in their panic zone?

or, once you wake them up with fear, are you then going to connect with them as adults, and walk them into a heart-centered decision-making process, to know whether it's right for them.

I use the "Customer-Focused Story" that has what's called marketing syntax in it, to move people from the fear of the problem, into the safety of the solution, without hype.

Andrey, here's my article on the topic:

When it's okay to hype your customers (http://www.heartofbusiness.com/articles/2007/Apr18.htm)

Great topic, here’s something to think about… what is your motive for using fear in your presentation? I have found in my work with men that when their motive is service to others, they typically don’t use the wrong approach for the situation and a healthy fear can fit at times.

Suggestion: Find a quiet place and visualize some of your past, present and future sales meetings… if you can see or feel yourself presenting your product in a way that bests helps your client, how does it go? Do you use fear to serve the client? Who are you in this process? If you feel even a small self centered motive or have any doubt… you might want to do some work around that.

Make some notes and use them to construct your new approach.

Just something fun to try, hope it helps you to find some answers. I would be interested in hearing the results.

It’s good to know how you show up in the world.

Greg