The Nettle Blog: Marketing Techniques in Food Allergies

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There are many stories about (chances are you've heard one yourself) of people who have struggled with illness for years with no relief in sight only to discover, after a food allergy test, that their diet was a key factor.

You can read a few examples HERE.

The trouble with food allergy tests is that they're expensive and it's rare for a doctor to recommend it. Consequently, there are some health companies making a tidy income from private food allergy tests.

I'm telling you about this for two reasons. 1) I just got my results back and 2) The conpany I used operates a very sound marketing technique that you should copy. Read on...

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you'll know I have been having sleep problems for about 10 years.

http://www.thenettle.com/blog/2005/06/two-nights-in-sleep-laboratory.html

I'm currently being treated for suspected Periodic Limb Movement Disorder by trying various pills, so far with no effect (except for the first set of pills that made me hurl).

My parents convinced me to try a food allergy test and, right now, I'm prepared to try pretty much anything, if there's a chance it will help with my condition.

So I get my testing kit through and it contains an antiseptic wipe, a lance, a swab and a test tube to store the blood sample. I wipe my finger with the antiseptic wipe, stab my finger with the lance, bleed onto the swab and store it safely in the test tube.

The test tube was sent to the laboratory and tested against 113 different foods and yesterday I got the results:

The foods are split into three categories:

GREEN: Means I can eat with no reaction

AMBER: A mild reaction and should only be eaten once every 4-5 days.

RED: A strong reaction and should be removed from your diet completely.

It turns out, I'm allergic to three foods.

In the AMBER section is Molluscs (mussels & oysters). I very rarely eat these anyway, so not a problem.

In the RED section however... I'm allergic to "peanuts" and - here's the kicker - "cow's milk".

Now peanuts is one thing - ok, I can't eat peanut butter, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Chicken Satay - I'll miss them, but I can cope.

But milk...?!?!?

Just stop for a minute and think about the foods that contain milk or are usually consumed with milk:

- Breakfast Cereals
- Tea, Coffee & Hot Chocolate (I hate black coffee).
- Butter & margarine (most pastries)
- Cheese (Pizza, Lasagne, Macaroni Cheese, etc - foods I enjoy that contain cheese goes on for a while)
- Batter (KFC, onion bhajis, pancakes, yorkshire puddings, salt & pepper chicken wings)
- Chocolate
- Custard
- Ice-cream (no more Ben & Jerries)

Yesterday I could eat pretty much anything I wanted. Today, I've no idea what to eat.

Clearly, this is going to take some getting used to.

I really need to look on the positive side - namely that within a few weeks of removing peanuts and milk from my diet, I may start to feel a whole lot better. But right now... I'm just mourning the fact that I may never be able to eat another onion bhaji.

OK - I also mentioned marketing. Have a look at the link below and then come back to this page:

http://www.homeinonhealth.com/categories.php?cPath=3_21

The full food allergy test costs £250 which isn't a high tag when it comes to health matters, but is still a sizeable investment for most people.

However, further down the page, is a £19.99 option. For this, much smaller investment, you can simply get a "yes" or "no" to the question of whether you're allergic to one or more foods. If the answer is "yes" you can upgrade to get the full report.

Can you see how effective that is?

If someone is looking into food allergies, the only thing that is likely to hold them back from getting a test is the price. However, £19.99 is very affordable and requires far less commitment.

I don't know how much it costs the company to produce the testing kit and have it tested, but I would guess that at the very least, they are breaking even on £19.99.

Now, what percentage of people that purchase the £19.99 test, do you think go on to upgrade to the full test?

Think about it:

- You have a health issue.
- You're wondering if you have a food allergy.
- You pay £19.99 for a simple test and find out that you have an allergy for something.

Are you going to be able to stand not knowing what it is? Could you imagine knowing that the answer to your health problems could be within your grasp and not upgrading.

What this company have done is found a way to hook their leads. Instead of asking their customers to fork out the full amount straight away, they just ask for a small investment to get what is, to all intents and purposes, a teaser...

Can you use this technique? Absolutely. Here are a few examples:

You sell a high ticket item: Offer a much cheaper version with some limitations. Then upsell the full version at your leisure.

You sell an e-book: Offer the first chapter in exchange for an email address. Upsell the full e-book at your leisure.

You sell a membership site: Offer a months subscription for $1. Upsell a full subscription at your leisure.

Whatever you are selling, offer something related for a low price or in exchange for an email address. The challenge is to then find a way to convince the lead that they absolutely must upgrade to the full product or they'll really, really, regret it.

Find that, and you've found your hook.

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