The focus of this article is how anti-aging supplement companies are moving forward and how any company can do the same.
As you will see, marketing anti-aging supplements requires remarkable creativity and skill in strategizing to persuade older audiences to buy them.
Start with a case study.
MEET THE PATIENT
I’ll call him ‘Mr. X’-just to keep his story private.
Mr. X was aging fast, too fast for the number of years he had already been on this planet.
He was a former smoker and drinker.
His blood pressure was rising.
He had the growth hormone levels of an 80-year-old man, when he was only 42!
Unsurprisingly, he was taking a number of prescription medications.
He was an old man ahead of his time.
On top of all that, her family’s health history was not encouraging. Her family tree was dotted with diabetes, allergies, heart disease, neurological disorders, and senility.
That was three decades ago, when the ‘anti-aging’ movement was beginning to gain momentum.
Mr. X was a smart guy (he still is). He paid attention to new developments in what could now be called ‘functional medicine’.
His attention turned to the science of nutrition, that is, supplements to rejuvenate his ‘elderly’ metabolism.
He did extensive research of published studies. He thought of a series of supplements based on what he found.
His efforts paid off.
Fast forward to the present.
Mr. X is currently 72 years old.
By all health measures, he now lives in the body of a younger man.
Enjoy lower than average blood pressure, resting heart rate, fasting blood sugar, and levels of insulin, cholesterol, triglycerides, and body fat percentage.
His functional strength, lung capacity, and heart capacity are now better than the average 40-year-old.
At an age when many in his age group are slowing down, Mr. X is busier than ever. He can snow ski down the steepest slopes, climb to the top of the mast of his sailboat and keep up with the 30-year-olds in his cycling club.
Mr. X is the poster boy for anti-aging supplements.
MUSIC FOR MY EARS
Mr. X’s story seemed to be aimed squarely at me. We are both more or less the same age. We both had so-called “age-related” health problems. We are both looking for natural ways to slow down and even reverse our symptoms of rapid aging.
Now, because of his history, we both share better health thanks to anti-aging supplements.
Although my health was not as bad as his, I benefited from the products he promoted.
My blood pressure dropped. My fasting blood sugar level dropped. My body fat percentage decreased. My muscle tone improved. The skin on my cheeks reddened again.
My personal youth movement keeps getting better.
Most importantly, my prospects for a longer, healthier life are right where I want them to be.
It’s a great feeling.
OH WHAT A FEELING!
Mr. X’s story prompted me to take action, the right action, to slow down my own aging.
That’s what makes a good story.
First of all, it’s an irresistible read. As soon as I started reading about her experience, I had to read all the way to the end.
When I was done, I had already made a list of the supplements that he recommended.
And then I started buying them.
Ultimately, becoming a client relied on the persuasive psychology of good storytelling.
This is a powerful principle behind persuasive marketing. It may be the most powerful of all anti-aging supplements.
THE 1-2-3 OF THE PERSUASION NARRATIVE
On second thought, the supplement company behind Mr. X’s transformation did three main things that led me to become a customer.
They are what any company selling anti-aging supplements can do.
1) First, they struck me with a bait that I couldn’t live without.
It was offered directly on the home page of your website. The language of the offer convinced me to click on a link that leads to a ‘persuasion’ page, that is, a page designed to persuade me to give my name and email address in order to get the report.
This is a common list building strategy. What was unusual was his success in breaking down my resistance to giving out my contact information.
2) The report itself was essentially a long-form sales letter about the company’s anti-aging supplements. The heart of this was the story of Mr. X.
3) This step was perhaps the most important of all: the company contacted me, one by one, to establish a human connection with me personally.
They tracked my purchases with messages from a real person with a real email address.
Not from someone in [[email protected]].
Not from someone in [[email protected]].
No, a real person with a real return address.
The reason I say this is perhaps the most important step of all is because of how I felt about it.
I felt significant. I felt valued.
Psychologists explain how everyone looks for these feelings every day.
The experts are spot on.
Good storytelling got my attention and turned me into a customer.
Good psychology keeps me coming back.
CLIMBING THE GROWTH CURVE
The rapid growth in the anti-aging supplement market is tempting. However, on its own, the projected CAGR of 7% over the next five years is a debatable figure.
How a company capitalizes on that growth is what makes the difference in moving up the curve.
That’s where good storytelling plays a crucial role for sales conversions and customer retention.
WHAT OTHER THING?
Various types of written materials drive the market for anti-aging supplements.
For starters, the marketing copy behind what I’ve outlined here involves a ‘sign up’ page, a bait piece, and follow-up emails.
It’s also based on finding and curating ideal stories like Mr. X’s. In other words, stories that speak directly to the target audience.
One more element, without which even the best marketing copy fails, is an effective call to action (CTA). I’m not just referring to a ‘Buy Now’ button. I’m talking about the copy that drives people to click that button in the first place.
(Believe it or not, I’ve seen plenty of marketing copy with no CTA at all!)
These are some of the most persuasive elements behind marketing strategies for anti-aging products.
Furthermore, persuasive copy for supplement marketing must be based on good science.
This means citing and explaining the data from the best available studies in terms of understanding by the general public.
That’s where I come in.
I am the rare combination of a persuasive writer and a research scientist.
I leverage my scientific background and writing skills for nutraceutical marketing.
Would you like to explore what I can do for you? Then let’s talk.
