In B2B Marketing, Fear Appeals Can Get Scary Good Results
In marketing your B2B product or service, you may find yourself in a position in which a fear appeal is a viable strategy. For example, you may offer a product that is federally mandated or a service that’s required for someone’s safety. Whatever the reason, using fear appeals may be an option, and scientific research can be useful in determining if and how to use them. 
Are they effective?
Yes, research has found that using fear appeals or scare tactics may be more effective than statistics or data because they may cause people to think more about the issue.
How should they be used?
For fear appeals to be most effective, you must follow these two rules:
- Effectively argue that the threat is real.
- Give clear instructions on how to avoid the threat.
If your target audience believes they can avoid the threat through your product or service, they will be more likely to elaborate on your messaging, thus giving you a better chance of motivating them to buy.
Anything else? It may also be useful to articulate the threat as succinctly as possible and move on to your product or service. You don’t want them to get so caught up on the threat that they forget you’re the solution.
So to recap, fear appeals can be effective, but simply scaring someone isn’t enough. You have to both clearly show there is something to worry about AND that your product or service can help alleviate you audience’s concerns by helping them avoiding that threat.
Vann Morris is the Director of Buying Behavior Studies with the Atlanta B2B advertising agency, MLT Creative. She is a Social and Behavioral Scientist who is currently working on her PhD in Communications, and uses her strong theoretical background in order to show how scientific theory should be used to develop strategy and effective B2B marketing campaigns.
Download advanced content from our B2B Marketing Idea Series: