Ethical Marketing & Messaging – how to give people the option to choose you without pressure

Scarcity and FOMO let people make decisions out of fear. Taking the pressure off makes for happier and more motivated clients.

Ethical marketing – how to give people the option to choose you without pressure

We all know that scarcity and FOMO work in marketing.

Yet many of us are not comfortable with applying pressure to convert prospects to clients. It feels like manipulation and deep down you know that the way it makes you feel is a signal from your subconscious mind that your values are not aligned with (fake) pressure.

Instead, you believe that people should…

  • Make well-informed decisions in their own time
  • Not feel buyer’s remorse
  • Be super motivated when they sign up with you
  • Come on board when they are ready to take action and get results

And, even if they don’t sign up with you, they still might send you referrals because they appreciate your knowledge and that you shared your knowledge with them free of charge. There’s the law of reciprocation – when people receive something for free, they feel the urge to return the favour.


The implications of servant leadership

Bro marketing and miraculous 7-figure income claims feel spammy and are focused on bank account numbers rather than serving the client.

It’s not focused on creating change that improves the client’s life but on FOMO and being left behind. On being an outsider not belonging to the exclusive club of those who are heading straight for a headline in a prestigious business magazine.

But there is a difference between push and pull. Those who push with scarcity gain clients that sign up out of fear. Those who create a pull through prioritising their client’s transformation, gain clients who are super-motivated and desire change and growth from within.

They are also well-informed and sure that they have made the right decision because they have experienced the depth of your knowledge and how you work. They have got a taste of working with you and can imagine where they will be after working with you and that you will guide them through their journey.

They know that because your content has educated them for some time. Your content has shown them what’s possible for them.


Writing content that creates desires

The sentence “Your content has shown them what’s possible for them” is an important sentence. It opens their vision to change and a new you – a new happier and more fulfilled life.

Your content interrupts their lives’ patterns as they currently are and creates a desire for change.

When you share customer stories or your personal story of growth, you start these stories at a stage that they are currently experiencing. They see themselves in the stories you tell. They can relate to the scenarios, emotions, and experiences that you are describing. They feel like you are talking directly to them.


When you share your knowledge in an educational post or open up and let them look behind the scenes of your business, you demonstrate that you have the knowledge and integrity that they need to complete their journey.

When you tell them not only about the “WHAT” that they need to work on but also a good portion of the “HOW” they can achieve their goals, then they have first-hand experience of how you can help them succeed.


Understanding your audience’s internal narrative

What are the stories your ideal clients are telling themselves? What are the beliefs that they have that might hold them back? How do they see themselves now?

We all have inner dialogues that pop up in different situations. Often these narratives are not positive and they prevent us from reaching our full potential.

Limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome are all too common.

But our audience’s inner narrative doesn’t need to be negative. It can be defined by the determination of reaching a goal they have set themselves, or part of a plan that they want to implement.

Whatever their internal narrative is – when your content taps into that narrative and shows them how they can change the status quo, then you give them a reason to take initiative to actively create change.

You can show them that they can change their expectations and aim higher. You can show them that wanting more is within their reach and that what they choose to tell themselves now doesn’t necessarily serve them well. And that changing their narrative will serve them better.

Your content raises the awareness of the choices that your audience has to change their lives and with that their narrative.

By becoming a copywriter and starting my own business, I changed my narrative from being an employee (coming from a family that had no business owners anywhere in their ranks) to being a business owner.


Understanding your audience’s drivers

Behind every intentional action that you take is a driver. There are reasons for what you are doing.

Usually, there is a gap between where you are now and where you want to be. This gap creates tension which could be positive like a desire, wish, dream, or aspiration – or it could be negative like fear.

Often it is in your control how you frame this gap. Whether you let yourself be motivated by positivity or driven by fear.

If, for example, you want to do LIVES on Linkedin but don’t know how to go live, which technology to use, or how to appear confident on video – you could either be excited about the learning opportunity – or you could be discouraged and overwhelmed by the number of things that you yet have to learn.

However, for you as a marketer, it is important why your audience wants to close that gap and in which emotional state they are so that you can communicate in a way that allows them to connect with your content.

Understanding the reasons and the motivation for your audience’s growth needs is important for creating the right content and the right “vibe” in your content.


Writing stories that matter

Never forget that your clients are the heroes in your stories. That there’s no better way than connecting through stories.

Your clients go through a transformation from being flawed and incomplete to being empowered and capable.

No matter which storyline you pick and which kind of story you tell, you need to tell stories that allow your clients to identify themselves with the hero so that they understand that they can take action and see how their story will turn out.

They need to see the possibilities that are open to them to be motivated to take action. And by writing stories that are meaningful to your clients, you make the results that are possible for them tangible.


Providing options creates buy-in

Now it’s up to you, how you want to take your prospects across the line – pushed by fear or pulled by desire.

Which one do you choose?

And if you want to learn more about how you can integrate these concepts into your marketing, then send me a message and we can have a chat.

Categories: Brand Messaging, Brand Promise, Brand Storytelling, content marketing, conversion copy, Customer dreams

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