We’ve all seen urgency in sales materials. The headline may contain an element of urgency, the offer most certainly does, and the call-to-action is often all about urgency.
Have you ever noticed that in some cases the urgency feels more natural than in others?
A classic way of creating urgency is by having a deadline after which a promotional offer is no longer available… Order by a certain date or miss the discount.
That kind of urgency is fine and effective. But it’s also arbitrary. When you’re weaving urgency into your own copy, it’s more effective if you can find a way to make the urgency natural and real. The next time you’re bringing urgency into a piece, try one of these techniques…
1. Tap into the season
If the product you’re selling has a seasonal element to it, tie the urgency into that.
Summer camp supplies, for example. If you’re helping a client sell backpacks for kids heading off to camp, you can talk about how they tend to disappear by the week before camp starts — all the favorite styles and patterns will be gone if they wait to come in and buy.
Or landscaping services. Lawns do better when they are fed within a certain window in the spring. Gardens do better when planted on a schedule. Trees do better when trimmed while the weather is cool.
Or HVAC companies. The best time to have a furnace serviced is before it gets cold.
The list goes on. Sometimes, the seasonal tie-in isn’t jump-out-at-you obvious, but if you can come up with one, the urgency you create won’t feel arbitrary.
2. Focus on the transformation
You can create urgency without being blatant about it. One source of subtle but powerful urgency comes from the transformation your product can offer.
If you’re writing about an educational product, for example — one that will increase your reader’s earning power — talking about how much more they’ll earn — and how much they’ll lose each month they wait — can create a powerful sense of urgency.
3. Use social proof
Fear of missing out is a real thing. If you highlight other people enjoying your product and seeing success with it, that also creates a sense of urgency.
Deadlines on promotions are just one way to add urgency to your copy. Try integrating these other methods as well to give your readers a real sense of the benefits of saying yes to your offer… and doing it fast.
In case you missed it…
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If your clients are looking to create a good Return on Investment with their social media marketing efforts, one of the first steps is to focus in on two or three platforms where their audience spends time. In this column from Maggie Peterson, you’ll learn more about the audiences and best practices of the five most popular social media platforms. After reading this, you’ll be ready to help your clients choose their social media focus and better execute their marketing plans.
One of the great things about being a digital copywriter is that there are so many resources out there to help you increase your knowledge, deliver more value, and charge higher fees. There are free resources, paid resources, coaching programs, training programs, subscriptions, webinars, and more. But if you try to do it all, you won’t have any time left over for actually doing client work… so you have to make choices. In her most recent Reality Blog, Suzanna Fitzgerald shares her guidelines for selecting the best resources to help her grow her skills and her business… guidelines you can easily apply to your own resource decisions.
Coming up on Digital Copywriter
Have you wondered about artificial intelligence and what it means to your career as a digital copywriter? There’s really no threat of AI replacing you, but there is a very real opportunity for you to use AI to be more productive and competitive as a copywriter. On Monday, May 30, in her latest Technology & Trends column, Jen Phillips April takes a closer look at AI tools that can help you in your writing business.
Then on Tuesday, May 31, I’ll be joined live by our Reality Blogger Suzanna Fitzgerald. She and I will be talking about mindset and how a shift in mindset can turn into big wins for you as a writer. We’ll be digging into limiting beliefs, especially: what they are, how to recognize them, and how to let them go. This is sure to be a lively and valuable discussion. I hope you’ll join us!
Later next week, on June 2, I’ll be hosting our first Member Update webinar since we relaunched as Digital Copywriter. I’m super-excited to introduce you to some of the new, valuable resources on the site. And we’ll dive into using warm email marketing as a way to land clients… including how to find prospects, how to “warm” up your emails, and what to expect from your efforts. I hope to “see” you there!
Three of my favorite things this week…
This short read on the value of slowing down beautifully underscores how much we, as writers, work when we’re away from our desk.
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That’s all for now. But what about you? Share what’s on your mind in the comments below!
