If you identify the classic 4-U's, you can increase sales. They will help set you and your products apart from the crowd and build customer confidence you are their best choice. The 4-U’s will increase prospects taking action...with you.
You can use these U’s in your subject lines for emails, headlines and in your content. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling a product, services or information. They have been proven to work and have been used by master-marketers for years generating billions in revenue.
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The first thing you need is something unique about what you are offering. It’s Unique Selling Position (USP). Something that differentiates it or you from your competition.
When the Hemp Authority awarded its first batch of Certifications earlier this year, recipients immediately gained a unique status and the rights to use it in marketing. In an unregulated industry, proof of self-regulation stands out.
Your company may set itself apart with cultivation procedures, certified organic status, unique processing methods. It might use a different delivery system or formulation.
If you’re offering a CBD product for pain, what makes your formula special? It might be the type of CBD you use, something about the dosage or the synergistic way you blend it with other ingredients.
Know what makes you unique and use it.
At first glance, your prospect needs to feel this could be useful or help them in some way. It’s never about how great you are...it’s about the benefits to the potential buyer. Maybe you’re ramping up your product offer with a useful, informational free guide.
In an industry where there is a shortage of honest, accurate information at the consumer level, offering information is super valuable. It’s even more valuable when it can be documented in some way.
Explain your certification process, sourcing, formulation and in general transparency so they get a feeling for your “trustability”.More and more people out there are aware there are scammers in this industry just like any other. This makes them more skeptical. Useful information goes a long way to resolve this. So will your money-back guarantee.
Being ultra-specific is widely advocated both in subject lines and headlines. But in the alternative health field, including CBD and all things hemp or cannabis, it can get you in legal hot water...FAST.
You need to know the laws both locally and nationally and follow them. If you’re not sure where to start with the law, read the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. You can also find important information on the FDA’s website.
If you aren’t the one responsible for actually doing the writing, make sure those who write for you are familiar with these laws and how your company assures they are followed. If they are unaware, it could waste days or weeks of work creating something that can’t be used.
So to increase sales in alternative health, know the law. Be as specific as you can without crossing the FDA’s guidelines.
You want to make that sale today and keep them from going somewhere else. This requires a sense of urgency. Typically urgency can be increased if there is a limited-time sale or another special offer. Maybe the supply is very limited.
While the phrases “works in just xyz,” or “see results in xyz,” would be the type of claims that grab the attention of regulatory agencies. They may be commonly used but are very risky when you're talking about an evolving niche like hemp and CBD.
If you have a great testimonial from a happy customer who saw urgency-related results, that is a better way to go. Use their quote to get the message across. Make sure it is a verified purchaser talking about your specific product.
Product reviews enhance urgency. Be sure to invite buyers to post their reviews and monitor them. People trust reviews more than they trust what you say. If they are having the results your prospect is looking for...the urgency ramps up and they are more apt to buy.
Don’t remove negative posts! Use them to be alerted to problems and announce when they are fixed. If every product review is 5-star, it can make the visitor more rather than less skeptical. But if they see the occasional lower rating, they actually trust what you’re saying more. Result - more sales now.
So review all marketing pieces to assure you are using the 4-U's to increase sales. Look for unique, useful, not so ultra-specific it gets you in trouble and a sense of urgency. Need help crafting your message without getting into trouble? Contact me. judith@jcpwellnesscopy.com.
For information on writing blogs for the hemp/CBD market, visit here: https://jcpwellnesscopy.com/2019/08/13/blogs-for-cbd-and-hemp-products/
Judith Culp Pearson receives three top honors
at the annual Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals in
Ft. Worth, Texas - October 7-9, 2023
