We work hard and do a lot of research creating “feel good” ads with positive messages. However, a little negativity may occasionally be beneficial for getting business, so we offer 5 ideas on how to channel negative thoughts into positive opportunities for your business.
1. Identify the customers you DON’T want
Although you may concentrate on signing the right type of customers, it is just as important to identify which type of customers you do not want. Sometimes, it’s a simple matter of having a mismatch between needs and solutions. In other cases, certain user personas may be too expensive to acquire or be prone to high churn rates. Some potential customers can be unprofitable. Regardless, it’s important to be aware of the types of customers you don’t want to attempt selling to so that you can avoid it.
2. Be controversial
Nothing generates excitement like a little controversy. At the same time, you need to be sure what protocol you will take to handle the conversations and the emotions that will likely venture. Controversy doesn’t need to be a serious topic such as politics or religion; it can be something much lighter like Coke versus Pepsi. It’s fine to not take a concrete position on something and to serve as the moderator of a debate. If you work for Coca-Cola, your position is that Coca-Cola is better than Pepsi. Similarly, if you work for Pepsi, then your position is that Pepsi is better than Cokes? You may practice taking a neutral position, letting your customers share their likes and dislike of the two products. Take a topic рandering to your brand that people are passionate about. When handled correctly, this sort of negative marketing practice can drive traffic and generate buzz.
3. Create a shared negative experience
People regard many of the same things: sitting in traffic, attending yet another useless team meeting, listening to someone shouting on a phone in a crowded setting, being treated rudely, and so on. You can build engagement by sharing an experience your audience can relate to. Be mindful to return to a positive solution and avoid an all-out rant.
4. Explain why something sucks
This provides you the opportunity to establish yourself as an authority on a topic, especially if you can persuasively argue why something has failed. While detailing why something sucks also provides you with the opportunity to position your product or service as an alternative. For example, if you sell beauty products some of which have all-natural ingredients, you could write about beauty products. You could use information about which products fail because of the chemicals they contain, are tested on animals, are produced by environmentally damaging manufacturing techniques, and so forth. From there, you could highlight your own products as alternatives that do not suck.
5. Use negative titles occasionally
Lists are popular with readers and blog readers. It is possible to devise a title such as ‘Top 10 Gadgets for Busy Moms’ that is popular with both. This may come across as an overly titled snooty marketing technique in between other tactics such as #4, where you flat out tell that the gadget is trash.
Negative marketing is a skillful way to attract your audience’s attention. You can use negative marketing to spark emotions that drive people to act, build a bond with your audience for a lasting relationship, communicate a message, and drive traffic to your website. Negative publicity can be extremely effective if used with care and in small doses.