What Keeps Prospects from Buying -- Fighting the FUD Factor
Posted by Jim Monteleone
To get comfortable with a buying decision, people search for "good content" on the web such as how-to articles, white papers, and informative videos.
But in a down economy, the FUD Factor (fear, uncertainty, doubt) can stop sales cold. Here are some content offers that can be used to give prospects sound reasons to buy now:
Overcoming Fear -- Buyers are more likely to make a purchase when they have the option to return it free, and also feel that they have gotten extra value. So to overcome buyer resistance, feature a 30-day free trial, no-interest financing, an extended warranty, or no payments for X months.
Defusing Uncertainty -- The more confidence a prospect has that they are making the right decision, the more likely they are to act. "Try before you buy" helps close the deal with a free or heavily-discounted sample, buy one get one free, introductory rate, or a money-back guaranty.
Erasing Doubt -- Because doubt feeds on disbelief, it is important to show prospects why your product will do the job better than the competition. Content that shows a feature-by-feature comparison helps, but nothing beats an impartial third party endorsement. So if you have testimonials -- or your product is highly rated by a trade or consumer organization -- create content that showcases its superior performance and value.
Find out how your website's content compares to your competition -- PLUS get ideas for re-purposing your content to attract more prospects and make your site work harder.