the fundamental truth about how to sell health products ... · the fundamental truth about how to...

The Fundamental Truth About How to Sell Health Products, Health Supplements and Information Products

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How to advertise supplements and health products Are you looking for information about how to advertise health supplements and

health products?

If so, I want you to peek at the

magazine ad to the right. It’s

selling a health supplement.

Now, imagine your potential

customers. They're leafing

through a magazine and come

across this.

Do you think this reaches out

to that potential customer? Or

do you think they’ll roll their

eyes and move onto an

informative article?

After all, they’ve bought the

magazine to read health

information. Not to see ads.

Wouldn't you agree?

You see, it's what you would

call ‘clever’ advertising. Or

‘pretty’ advertising, right?

The headline in full states “I Feel I Can’t Do This”. (The “I Feel” and the “t” in “can’t”

are in very faint letters).

Let's face it. This headline is appalling, isn't it?

"This is quite typical of brand advertising for health

supplements. It does little selling & instead relies on a

clever slogan and pretty graphics."


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Who is this targeted towards? I don’t know, do you?

What health issue does it relate to? Stress? Depression? Fatigue? A

particular illness? General well-being?

Where’s the 'irresistible intrigue'? Without using a ‘hook’ in your ads, it’s

difficult to grab attention.

To be fair. there’s some slight social proof. It does state “97% of people would buy

again”. (Although it's in faint, small writing). There's also a weak call to action in

tiny letters at the bottom. However, you must squint to read it!

Listen: This is brand advertising or image advertising. Or as I like to call it, “fake

advertising”. This isn’t how to advertise supplements or health products.

How do some adverts reel in sales for years? In fact, let's compare this 'brand' ad to the one on the next page.

The advert doesn’t look like an advert. It looks like a newspaper or

magazine story. This increases the chances it'll grab eyeballs, doesn't it?

It features an eye-catching headline for people concerned about their

memory. If you're concerned about your memory, you'll want to read the

ad, right?

It tells a story. There's a reason fiction books and films are so popular,

aren't they? Savvy advertisers know this. This advert explains how the

product came to life.

It includes very specific details. Facts, Proof. Testimonials and numbers. All

these increase trust.

It details the benefits. After all, people buy benefits - not simply features.

It has a strong call to action and makes it simple to purchase. If your

audience doesn't know how to get your product, they won't buy it!


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It has a bold guarantee and a bold offer. Offers are arguably the most

important part of your entire sales message.

Its response rate is tracked through a unique telephone number. If you don't

track, you don't if your ad is working!

It has urgency built in. There’s a limited supply of bonuses. Without

urgency and scarcity your potential customers will hesitate.

Direct response ads usually blend in with their surroundings. Headlines are chosen carefully. Strong offers are made. They prove their case & ask for the sale. Zoom in to see the ad fully”


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It doesn’t have logo’s, branding, silly slogan’s or bright flashy colours. These

distract from your sales message.

It gets read and makes sales.

That’s how to advertise supplements and health products

And that's the power of direct response advertising.

You see, when you use direct response advertising, you can run profitable ads

for years - online or offline!

It doesn’t matter if you’re wanting people to rush to your website or a health food

store. The principles remain the same. (If you want people to rush to a health

food store, include a photo of your product. This will help your potential

customers find your supplement or health product.)

Now, if you’re using direct response marketing, I’m preaching to the converted.

However, if you’re using brand advertising, please read the rest of this article

now. Why? Well, because it’s almost certain that you’re flushing vast amounts of

cash down the toilet.

Brand advertising is separate to having a brand

The truth is, with image or brand advertising, the ‘goal’ is vague. ‘Presence’,

‘image’, or ‘awareness’. It builds up a "feeling" about you and your supplements

and health products. This is in the hope that somewhere down the line, people

will buy your products. What a waste!

Now, I’m not saying branding isn’t important. It is.


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"If you use offer driven advertising rather than "fake" brand advertising, your response rate

increases reducing your cost per sale." - Source: Target Marketing, April 2008, Kern

Organization.

And when done correctly, it can lead to increased sales. (Think of Nike's recent

link up with Colin Kaepernick which increased sales by 31%.)

However, your advertising can’t be a brand, values, a logo and slogans. After all

(and this is the one big, fundamental truth about how to advertise supplements

and health products …

Advertising is selling in print

This means your adverts are your sales people in print, audio or video.

Read that part again if you want to know how to advertise supplements or health

products. It's critical.


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"Direct response ads capture your customers attention. They're fun to read, informative and

prove their case. Brand advertising is hope and pray advertising that doesn't generate

accountable sales."

Make no mistake: The goal of advertising is to sell your products and

services. And using this kind of advertising is how to advertise health supplements

and health products. Brand advertising isn’t selling in print. It’s gobbledegook.

Imagine trying to sell supplements using brand advertising language. You would

get laughed at, right? Or you would get some funny looks. Imagine the scene.

You’re selling a supplement door-to-door. The supplement helps people deal

with stress.

You knock on the door. A stressed out, frazzled man or woman greets you. What

do you think will encourage them to let you pitch your product?

1. "I Feel I Can't Do This"

2. "Are you stressed out?"


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I hope you said "2". The fact is, "I feel I can't do this" is meaningless. Asking them,

"are you stressed" is going to get their heads bobbing in agreement, right?

Remember, advertising is selling in print.

Are you being lied to about how to advertise supplements and health products?

Let's face it. It’s likely that you run a small to medium sized company.

You can’t afford to blow silly sums on 'awareness campaigns', right?

So, why do people use a type of advertising that isn’t accountable? Or in most

cases, even profitable? There’re a few reasons, but here’s the main few:

It might win awards (but not sales). It gets pats on the back for being

‘clever’.

Having your company name brandished around can boost your ego, can't

it?

It builds up an ‘image’ of your company.

It makes directors and shareholders happy.

It’s what everybody else seems to do, so it feels “safe” to follow the crowd.

Brand advertising can seem ‘safer’ to people who’re scared of selling

However, your goal is this:

Make sales. Today if possible

Of course, this may seem obvious. Yet, I guess that most advertisers are more

interested in ‘looking good’. Instead, you should be trying to make a sale.


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"Direct response advertising builds your brand when used correctly"


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After all, with brand advertising, you've no clue where your sales came from (if

any) ... how well your ads are performing ... or what needs improving.

However, with direct response, your advertising is geared towards making sales

now.

Further, with direct response advertising, you know where your sales came from

... you know how well your ads are performing (or not performing) ... and you

know what needs fixing.

Now, you might be thinking: "I'm not sure this is how to advertise supplements

and health products. Isn't direct response advertising hyped up and sleazy? ...

"Won’t this affect my branding?"

Maybe. In certain markets, it can become sleazy and hyped up. (Think of some of

the more outrageous biz-op ads & infomercials.)

Yet, when it's done correctly, it's not hyped up or sleazy and won't harm your

brand.

You know the brilliant smoothie maker, NUTRiBULLET? Well, that's sold through

direct response advertising.

Listen: Precision Nutrition uses direct response advertising. Guthy-Renker uses it.

Big publishing and supplement companies like Boardroom, Rodale and Agora

use direct response. It doesn't harm their brand. It won't harm your brand unless

you slide down the 'sleazy' chute.

Furthermore, even Google and Amazon use direct response advertising. In fact,

the legendary Dan Kennedy correctly states: "I am not opposed to brand-building.

I am opposed to paying for brand-building."


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And if you're still unsure about how to advertise supplements and health

products ...

Listen to the "godfather of modern advertising"

David Ogilvy even used direct response to sell the Rolls Royce. Variations of the

"60 miles an hour" ad on the next page ran for around 4 years from 1958-1962.

Bottom line here: If direct response is good enough for giant health publishers,

Google, Amazon and Rolls Royce, it's good enough for you.

(Oh, and back in 1987, only Coca Cola was a more widely known brand than Rolls

Royce.)

Click on the image to watch the video on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAdKTx14Wy8


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"If direct response advertising works for the world's biggest brands, it can work for you"


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Now, what I’ve just shown you is an example of how to sell supplements and

health products in newspapers.

As you’ll note, the brain detox advert blends in with other newspaper stories. This

increases the chances it will reel in readers.

Newspapers are meticulous about their layouts, the words they use, and the

style of their stories.

This ensures eyeballs are grabbed and news stories are read. Follow them.

They’ve perfected this art. Remember, people don’t buy newspapers to read

adverts! So, make your newspaper adverts look like newspaper articles.

That’s how to advertise supplements and health products in newspapers.

Anyway, that’s newspapers. What about ...

How to advertise supplements and health products in other channels?

Truth is, I'd love to cover everything in this article. Except the page would run a

mile long. There's so much to cover such as:

Direct mail

Email marketing and autoresponder campaigns

Facebook advertising

Free lead generation reports

Landing pages and squeeze pages

Magazine advertising

Press releases


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Video sales letters

Webinars

Amazon, eBay and ecommerce sites

I would be doing you a disservice trying to shove all that onto one page. So

subscribe to the push notifications. This will keep you up to speed with relevant

articles about how to advertise supplements - online and offline.

For the moment however, note that the principals of direct response remain the

same. No matter where you're selling your products.

That being said, let's move on to ...

The fundamentals of advertising for supplements and health products Now, you’ve got an idea of how to advertise supplements and health products.

Let’s breakdown direct response adverts for supplements. (I'd recommend that

you look at the brain formula advert above again to see these elements.)

1. They grab attention through headlines. Your headline should be ultra-

targeted towards your audience. It should have benefits. It should use

specifics instead of wishy-washy slogans. A poor headline is “I Feel I Can’t

Do This” from the brand advert above. A good headline is: “Pharmacist of

the Year Makes Memory Discovery of a Lifetime: Is It the Fountain of Youth

for Ageing Minds?”

2. They blend into their surroundings. The layout is designed to fit in. I know

that sounds counter-intuitive. Yet remember, people don’t read “ads”.

They read and watch news, articles and stories which are important to

them.

3. They feature stories. We’re gripped by stories. That's why we watch and

read so many TV shows, movies and books.


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4. They’re full of facts and proof. After all, you need to prove your

supplement or health product will help your customer, right? Use charts,

studies, testimonials and expert opinion to help prove your case.

5. They subtly make your competition inferior. Truth is, many approaches will

work to differing degrees. Your ad needs to explain why your approach is

better than the competition.

6. They make irresistible offers. Your offer is the most crucial part of the

whole advert. Read the “brain detox” advert again to see how a real offer is

made!

7. They have a sense of urgency. Are supplies limited? Do consumers have

limited time to grab your offer? Again, read the “brain detox” ad to see how

to infuse your ad with urgency.

8. They make it easy to order. If it’s unclear how to order, you’ll lose sales.

9. They’re tracked. How do you know if an advert is working? Through

tracking. Online, you can use tracking scripts. Offline, you can use “code

words” in your response device. Or, you can use a dedicated telephone

number for each advert. Otherwise, you’re flying blind.

This is how you advertise supplements and health products – online and offline

Now, why else am I so insistent on using direct response? Well, every dollar or

pound you spend must justify itself in sales.

If you spend $10 on advertising, you’ll want to know how much money that $10

made you, yes? If you're spending $100,000 on ads, you’ll certainly want to know

how much money that brought in, right? Let me explain further ...

Your success in advertising can be tightrope thin

The truth is, a 0.5% response to your ads could be a failure. Yet, a 1% response

could be a huge winner!


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And if you’ve got a good "back-end' you could buy “junk” ads and make a profit.

In which case, that 0.5% response might be a success!

Further, you need a quality product. I know that may seem like obvious advice.

And it is.

Yet, without quality products, you can’t write a convincing sales message. Unless

you start lying. Which I don't recommend!

How to advertise supplements by doing this unusual practice

Now, learning how to advertise supplements and health products doesn’t end

here. In fact, we’ve barely skimmed the surface wouldn't you agree?

There’re a small number of books and copywriting courses that will help you.

However, be wary about who you learn from. Remember, not all copywriting

courses and books are created equal.

Anyway, here's my strong suggestions if you want to know how to advertise

supplements and health products:

Breakthrough Advertising (Eugene Schwartz)

The Robert Collier Letter Book

How to Write a Good Advertisement by Victor Schwab

Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins

The Gary Halbert letter

Influence by Cialdini

Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples

Scott Haines Quick Copywriting Mastery


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Also, keep reading my website. You're going to grab even more in-depth articles

and tips.

You should also study ads and sales letters created by Bud Weckesser ... Gary

Halbert ... Gary Bencivenga ... Eugene Schwartz ... Ben Suarez and Claude Hopkins

if you want to know how to advertise supplements.

And then, copy them out in your own handwriting.

I know this might seem like strange advice

Yet copying ads is one of the quickest ways of learning how to advertise

supplements and health products.

To be honest, it’s hard to explain. However, writing out these ads ‘burns’ this skill

into your brain.

Do this for 30 minutes every day for next few months. You’ll be amazed at how

persuasive you become in print. And how crisp your writing is.

Now you know what good advertising looks like if you want to sell health

products. You also know how to learn copywriting for health products. Let's

breakdown ...

How to advertise supplements and health products, step-by-step Now, this isn't the full A-Z. It's the nuts and bolts. Anyway, here goes:

1. Research, research, research. Research your prospects. Research your

product. Research the competition and your market. The more data you

have, the easier it is to create targeted sales messages, right?

https://kaizenhealthmarketing.com/


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2. Create a slam dunk offer. If your offer is poor, then

you’re not going to make the sales you want. Even if

you're advertising to a "hungry crowd" of buyers.

3. Decide where to place your adverts. This is an

obvious yet sometimes overlooked factor in your

success. If your ad isn’t working, it could be that it’s

simply in the wrong place.

4. Dig up your "differentiation". This can position your

supplement or health product as your customers

only choice. If consumers think they can get your

solution elsewhere, they're going price shopping.

5. Craft "irresistible intrigue" so that readers feel they

must read your ad. I'm not just talking about

headlines here. I'm talking about the idea behind the

headline. (This is a huge subject which I'll cover in

another article.)

6. Create a direct response advert that's sales driven.

Not "fake advertising" that thinks it's being clever (but

doesn't bring in sales.) As you now know, brand

advertising isn’t how to advertise supplements and health products

profitably.

7. Track and test so that you know if an advert is working for you or not. If it's

not working, it's likely that your ad is bad ... you're advertising in the wrong

place ... or nobody wants your product.

Next, I’ll delve deep into the most critical skill you can have … if you want to know

how to advertise supplements and health products.

And no, it isn't copywriting, headlines or the latest conversion fad.

Stay tuned.

“What you need to do next is to start

thinking about your offer. Your

offer (think of it as a business

proposition) is by far the most

important element in the entire sales message we are

constructing here.” - Gary

Halbert on the importance of your

offer


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Summary of how to advertise health supplements 1. Advertising is selling in print. Imagine you're stood in front of somebody

trying to sell a product. What would you say?

2. Your goal is to make sales. Not to get likes, shares, awareness and awards.

3. Brand advertising is not sales driven. It's "fake advertising". It isn't

accountable. It increases your cost per sale. It decreases response.

4. Direct response advertising is sales driven. It blends in with its surroundings

to increase the chance it will be read. It proves its case. It makes an offer

now.

5. Advertising should be tracked and measured. If you're not assessing, you're

guessing.

6. If you want to know how to advertise supplements and health products,

read the classic books on advertising. Write out direct response ads in your

own hand.

7. Keep reading the tips on this website! There's going to be lots of tips on

how to advertise supplements and health products. So, bookmark this

page and subscribe to the push notifications.

https://kaizenhealthmarketing.com/tips


About the author My name is Craig Harrison. I help people sell more health

supplements and information products. I discovered

persuasion in print almost by accident. A few years ago, I was

thrust into the world of negotiating claims for the largest

volume law firm in the UK. And to be honest, I was hopeless.

The department was shipping money overboard and losing

claims left, right and centre.

However, I helped to turn the department around. Not by learning all the “ins and

outs” of law. But by learning persuasion. Specifically, I discovered the direct

response advertising book “The Robert Collier Letter Book”. (It has a great section

on “collection letters” – very helpful at the time!)

This book (along with some trial and error) helped me rake in over £1.4 million in a

little over 4 years. I now use those persuasion skills to help people sell more

health supplements and information products.

Whether you sell supplements, organic food, powdered fruit or health

information products, I can provide you with the sales copy to sell more of them.

To get more information, go here to see if I can help you today.

To your success

www.kaizenhealthmarketing.com

Kaizen Health Marketing Limited 8 Park Bottom Low Moor Bradford BD12 0UA www.kaizenhealthmarketing.com Company Number: 11309853



https://kaizenhealthmarketing.com






https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaizencraig/


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