In the world of advertising and marketing, being able to understand what causes people to take certain actions and believe certain things is an amazing super power. Among the many types of emotions that marketers want to stimulate is the emotion of fear. Fear really causes people to act. But, using the “fear factor” in marketing and advertising is about more than just causing people to be afraid of something, it’s about reaching into a customers deep emotional being, causing them to be motivated to take a certain actions. The fear factor can revolutionize your small business’s marketing strategies.

Understanding the Fear Factor

The emotion of fear is deeply ingrained into our very being. When fear takes us over, it immediately grabs our attention over anything else we’re doing or thinking about. In advertising, this fear can be fear of failure, fear of inadequacy, fear of the unknown or the famous (FOMO) fear of missing out.

Many small business share the problem of how to get noticed in an increasingly crowded Market. If your business can learn how to use the fear factor in advertising you’ll easily be able to create messages that your target market will understand and quickly take action on.

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Eliciting Emotional Responses

Advertising something effectively is about more than just introducing a product or service: it should cause the consumer to feel certain emotions around it. They should be able to identify in a certain way with the product. For example, speaking about the consequences of not using a certain product or service could trigger a fear of missing out. A gymnasium could use an advertisement showcasing what could happen to your health if you continue to lead a sedentary lifestyle. People might then feel compelled to take action to avoid this.

Your small business can take advantage of the feeling of fear by pointing out the problems people are having with something, or may have in the future, that your service or product will solve or could prevent from ever happening. Identifying and emphasizing the pain of common problems and difficulties that your product can resolve right now can provoke a fear of missing out on a chance for improvement.

Building Trust and Credibility

The interesting thing is that by using fear in your advertising, you also build trust and credibility in your brand. When your small business uncovers, analyzes and attacks a fearful concern that your audience is affected by, it will now be in the position of knowing how to understand and empathize with their problem.

For example, a company that installs home alarm systems that continually warns about the rising threats of home invasions doesn’t just instill fear but also identifies itself as a great solution to this potential problem. In the process of doing this it’s also building trust among people who might later decide to purchase a home alarm configuration.

Creating Memorable Campaigns

Advertising campaigns that people remember usually turn on some kind of emotion in people. Fear leaves a long-lasting impression in people’s minds. If you use it correctly, a fear-based marketing message won’t easily be forgotten by consumers, making your brand stand out in their minds.

A small business should be strategic about using fear in their advertising campaigns. An insurance company could use the fear of unexpected expenses to highlight how important insurance coverage is for a potential customer. Their company will be what that person remembers when they start to look at purchasing an insurance policy.

Ethical Considerations and Balance

Using fear is extremely powerful at getting people to take action, but small businesses have to be careful in the way they use it. The fear factor should always be used with the highest ethics in mind and never to exploit or manipulate people’s emotions without honest intentions of providing effective solutions for the problems people have.

We need to have a balance when we use fear-based marketing. While shining the spotlight on a problem that causes fear we should also be diligent in offering a solution which causes consumers to feel hopeful that they can see their problem finally resolved.

Conclusion

In the ever-changing field of advertising, the Fear Factor is a powerful tool that your small business should be taking advantage of. We don’t want to try to cause people to panic, but we want to have a real connection with people, speak to their concerns and provide them with genuine solutions. If you can use the fear factor in an ethical way you’ll create an even stronger connection with your audience and continue to grow your business.