Another Great Article From the Web!
One of the most important concepts with online conversion is getting your audience to take the action you want them to take.
Usually this is an action that moves them closer to making a purchase or towards improving your position as an authority or expert.
Bourne Creative's , Jennifer Bourn points out 5 core ways website owners can easily provoke action and increase conversions:
- Call To Action Position
- Offer A Sample
- Provide Incentives
- Be Customer Centric
- Add Scarcity
I like the fact that Jennifer included scarcity on her list. This may be one of the more overlooked tools in the conversion toolbox. Along with the reasons Jennifer lists below, one of my favorite reasons to use scarcity is how it can be used to set yourself apart from the crowd.
With scarcity, you are essentially switching rolls with your audience.
In a normal buying scenario, the customer is in the driver's seat. They decide whether to do business with you or one of your competitors.
When you use scarcity effectively, you're sending a very strong message that your best offers aren't available to everyone. Just a selective group of proactive customers.
This is a great way to move away from being treated like a commodity. Your audience is going to need to compete a little if they want access to your best offers.
Don't under estimate the power of this tool to boost sales. Carefully think through which product or service you want to promote. Then pair that with a limited offer that your audience will be hard pressed to ignore.
Below Jennifer offers her thoughtful ideas on scarcity and a couple of Take Action points. To view the Take Action points and her thoughts on the other four methods of provoking action, follow the source-link at the bottom to view the original article.
No one wants to miss out on an opportunity and if people believe that they’re going to lose out, they will be prompted to act more quickly. Scarcity happens when a product or service has or is perceived to have limited availability and as a result, is seen as having a higher value or being more desirable. In general, people place a higher value on something that is scarce, and a lower value on those that are in abundance, especially when they believe that others also want the same product or service.
When demand is high and availability is low, there is scarcity, which in turn creates urgency to purchase. You can create scarcity to boost sales with:
Limited time offers: Save 50% today only!
Low quantities available: Only three left!
Time-sensitive offers: Order in the next hour…Just make sure to use scarcity ethically. Don’t try to create fake urgency by stating that there are “only three left” when you’re selling a digital product that anyone can buy at any time. If your customers are smart and they realize that even after a purchase there are still “only three left,” the tactic will hurt your brand more than help your sales.
TAKE ACTION: Is there an opportunity to ethically and honestly use scarcity in marketing to increase sales? Can you offer a limited time deal or sale?
