How to Use Urgency in Your Content to Increase Conversion Rate

One of the most effective ways to drive conversions and sales is to create a sense of urgency in your content. If a potential customer is allowed time to overthink their purchase, it’s more likely that they’ll talk themselves out of it. In general, there are two main factors that compel consumers to act: Supply: how much of a product or service is available. Demand: how many other consumers want to buy something. As a content marketer, you need to find ways to highlight these two factors of supply and demand to potential customers. Use the following tried-and-true techniques to add a sense of urgency to your content. Use Fear of Missing Out In psychology, â€Å"fear aversion† is when the fear of loss is greater than the desire to acquire the things we want. This is why most successful brands use the â€Å"fear of missing out† technique or FOMO. According to Strategy Online, around 69 percent of millennials experience this phenomenon, but it’s not just the young who succumb to it. You can influence most consumers if you give the impression that they stand to lose something if they don’t act. Highlight the scarcity of a product. You could show stock levels or announce that you only have a certain number of items left in stock. If you sell a service, you could point out that you only take on a certain number of clients every month. Use Limited Time Offers Amazon uses time to encourage action, pointing out how soon you have to order something to get it by a specific date. But there are various ways you can use time pressure to your advantage: Use a countdown timer on your site, showing when a sale ends. Offer a flash sale for one day. Promote a holiday weekend sale. Offer free shipping for a limited period. Give the first ten customers a free gift. Use the Right Words The right words used at the right time can make all the difference to whether your visitors make a purchase or not. Try incorporating some of these powerful words into your copy to create a sense of urgency: Now Quick Hurry While stocks last Limited time Today only Limited stock Last chance Before it’s gone Clearance Don’t miss out Use these words in your email subject lines, headlines, call-to-action buttons, social media posts, and paid ads. Use Numbers Numbers are a great way to highlight scarcity or show social proof. For example: Only 10 more left in stock. 1,200 people have already bought this product. 140 of our clients currently use this service. Choose Colors Carefully Warm colors such as red, orange, and yellow have been shown to help consumers make a purchase decision. According to color psychology, red creates a sense of excitement, yellow inspires confidence, and orange increases feelings of security. In one study, HubSpot looked at conversions from a red and a green call-to-action button, where everything else on the page was the same. The red button outperformed the green button by 21 percent. Use Promo Codes and VIP Offers Are you looking for a quick and effective way to promote a product, service, or event? Use time-bound promo codes to create a sense of urgency, or VIP offers to create a sense of exclusivity. Consider offering exclusive deals to only those who subscribe to your email newsletter. This way, you can build a list of prospects and then target them in future promotional offers. Don’t Be Too Pushy Using urgency in your content is fine as long as you’re not using underhand tactics to somehow deceive the customer. Most consumers know when they’re being tricked or manipulated, so it’s crucial to give them the respect they deserve. Otherwise, you’ll lose their trust and this could seriously damage your brand’s reputation. Sometimes, if you offer a quality product or service, you simply need to emphasize the benefits of your offer to potential customers. Explaining why your product is so good is sometimes enough to secure a sale. You can still give little reminders of time constraints and limited availability to add some urgency, but you don’t have to be so pushy all the time. In Summary Adding urgency to your content is one of the most effective techniques you can use to drive sales without spending a ton of money on other promotional strategies. As we’ve already explained, using urgency is probably best used in moderation so that customers take you more seriously in the long run. Focus on periodically offering great deals that truly are limited. When you get it right, it can have a profound impact on conversion rates and also the reputation of your brand.