Two words simplify and clarify the work of marketing. If you understand “anxiety” and “friction,” you can see what is wrong with a marketing effort, and correct it. Whether it is a website, an email, a Google Ad – or for that matter, a TV commercial or a postcard, the same principles apply.
Of course, you have to be communicating in sufficient volume to get noticed. And you have to be talking to the right people – those who would, could, or should be interested in what you are selling. Given that, these two things stand in the way of a response actually happening.
By FRICTION we mean anything that makes the marketing or sales process less than smooth. Things that rub a prospect the wrong way, so to speak. It’s a big deal but it’s not the most important of these two. Let’s devote this newsletter to talking about the other:
ANXIETY
Bluntly, FEAR. How many times have you heard a prospective customer say, “I’ll think about it.” That’s usually the death of a potential sale. But when it occurs out of sight, you don’t even get to hear or deal with that gigantic red flag.
If someone is looking at your website, looking at “contact us for more information,” telling themselves “I’ll think about it,” there is some concern keeping them from pulling the trigger.
If you’re going to get anywhere with that prospect, you have to anticipate what they might be thinking and answer his concerns, directly or indirectly. You put yourself in their shoes and imagine what would stop them.
“What if it doesn’t work” is often answered with a guarantee, free 30 day trial, or “no questions asked” return policy. But it often takes more. Testimonials, of course, case studies, video demonstrations are helpful. Having your address and phone number on your website reassures people of your legitimacy.
It’s important to realize that anxiety can strike at any point in the marketing cycle. The huge volume of spam and outright criminality, along with the poor economy we are faced with currently, makes it that much harder to even get out of the starting gate.
Smart marketers, especially in a down economy, are selling trust and building want, from the first moment of contact, continuously through to the sale and beyond.
The flip side of anxiety is desire. The stronger the person’s desire for what you are selling (or what it will do for them), the less of a problem anxiety is. It’s like a stream blocked by a beaver dam. Get enough of a water flow (desire for the product) and it washes the dam away. Some years ago when Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were going crazy, people were throwing all caution to the winds. People were captivated by the prospect of an easy chance to “get rich quick.”
There’s a winning formula. Strengthen desire and reduce anxiety enough and you’ll have a winner.