When it comes to making more sales adding a sense of urgency can make all the difference. In this world of rapid attention spans and fleeting visitors, you need to grab your visitors eyeballs – fast.
Creating that sense of urgency keeps visitors where you need them for a bit longer and that gives you more time to get your message across.
Obviously there are many more elements to making sales than simply adding a sense of urgency, but it’s a tool every marketer can employ and if done right has the potential to increase sales.
It’s like impulse buying
Most things that we buy, we buy on impulse. We buy for emotional reasons even if we justify the purpose with logic e.g. the price was good. Stop and think about any purchase you’ve made and ask yourself how much you needed it. Most times we buy from a position of want rather than need.
When you’re in the heat of the moment of desire and you’re feeling that sense of urgency you will often make snap decisions.
As a marketer you can leverage that reality and create a sense of urgency in your buyers so that they click to buy now and not later.
Here are some ways you can do that.
Use Color Psychology
For example, the color red has a profound effect on us psychologically. Studies show that people put more money into red collection boxes for charity than any other color. The lesson? Make your ‘Buy’ button red!
Leverage the Right Language
The right language can be used to deftly paint a picture and to inspire a sense of urgency. Words like ‘must’ and ‘now’ can incrementally build a sense of tension and get people to want to act quickly. Using exclamation marks and even shorter, sentences that read more quickly can also help.
Consider Neurochemistry
The other thing to think about with language is neurochemistry. The ideal position is that buyers experience a blend of serotonin (desire) and adrenaline/cortisol (anxiety). You want them to feel anxious and to want what you’re selling.
Creating desire is a matter of telling your customers about your value proposition and getting them to think how what you’re selling will change their life. The anxiety comes from showing them what could happen if they fail to listen to advice.
Provide offers and discounts
A special offer such as a 50% off deal is one way to motivate people to act fast and minimise the risk of them deliberating and changing their mind. Next time you go to the mall notice how many offers and discounts are being made.
Impose limits
When you limit access to something you can potentially increase sales. Scarcity has the double impact of both telling customers that the option to buy won’t always be there and making your item seem exclusive and rare so more desirable.
Try to include a countdown timer or even a number showing how many items are left in stock and see the impact that has on sales. Always be testing to find the sweet spot in effective marketing.
Urgency is a valid and much implemented marketing device. Consider how you can apply it in a manner that suits your product and market.