Whether we like to admit it or not, we can all be suckers for a good impulse marketing push. How many times have we heard something along the lines of “Grab this limited edition offer before it’s gone!” and immediately clicked the add to cart button without thinking twice?

It works because it’s preying on your impulsive tendencies and capitalizing on your fear of missing out on something that sounds too good to be true.

FO·MO

/ˈfōmō/ anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening, elsewhere, often perpetuated thanks to social media.

Unlike traditional marketing strategies where you spend copious amounts of time and effort to build trust with your customers before they decide to invest in your business, this marketing strategy hopes to influence someone to make a quick decision. But effectively leveraging this type of marketing requires a deeper dive into the psychological factors that trigger the right response in your customers.

• Exclusivity: Inviting someone to be a part of something unique and special is enticing — especially if it sounds like others are being excluded from the same offering.
• Anchoring: There’s a tendency to rely heavily on the first piece of info you get about something and run with it without needing anything else to go on.
• Scarcity: What is it about a limited supply or availability that forces our bodies into immediate action?
• Urgency: Must. Do. It. Now. Or. Else.
• Regret: That fear of regret is one of the strongest motivating factors within each and every one of us.

So, how do you connect your marketing strategies to inspire urgency in potential customers?

Remember: Timing is Everything

Like all things, you have to get your timing right to effectively leverage FOMO marketing. Otherwise, you’ll miss the mark and potentially lose credibility with new and existing customers.

You want to employ these tactics when your audience has a high buying potential. For example, you’re not going to make your customers feel like they need to buy something ASAP if it’s happening after the hectic holiday season. People are burnt out and broke from all their Christmas shopping! Instead, hone in on your target audience and figure out what parts of the year tend to be their prime time to buy.

By pairing this perfect *chef’s kiss* timing with a savvy marketing campaign, you can capture new sales in record timing. Here are a few unconventional ways to instill a little fear of missing out on your marketing strategies.

Formulate the Illusion of Expiration

So what if you don’t have to end the season for a product at a certain point in time? You get to make the rules — and the more concrete that deadline is, the more you’ll manufacture some intense supply and demand for that product or service.

Think about those delicious Girl Scout cookies. If they were readily available at your local grocery store, you wouldn’t buy so many boxes all at once, would you? But because you can only get them typically from January to April, you order a bunch of boxes when given the opportunity because there’s no way you’re missing out this year.

Not willing to pull an item off the shelf seasonally? Try the same concept with discounts and flash sales that only extend for a short period of time. It will have your customers rushing to fill their carts before it’s too late!

Amazon has offers a “Deal of the Day”, which showcases a handful of products that only you have the opportunity to buy at a discounted price — but hurry! The deal only lasts 24 hours — and the accompanying ticking countdown will remind you of it every second you sit there debating whether to add it to your cart or not.

Create a Deal Too Good to Pass Up

Here’s the thing — you can’t inspire FOMO in someone if the deal isn’t sweet enough. No one feels like they’re missing out on something if it’s a common occurrence.

Think about how you want to position your proposition — what will make a potential customer decide to make that leap?

• Free shipping incentives to avoid cart abandonment
• Extra add-ons, gifts, or rewards for the purchase
• Alert for low inventory or limited supply when someone adds the item to their cart
• Bundles and upselling offers that are highly valuable
• Options to be among the first to be alerted when products are back in stock

Uncover Cart Recovery Tactics

Unfortunately, the odds are against you when it comes to the chances of someone abandoning their cart before they get to checkout when shopping online. Research shows there’s an average of 69% of shoppers who abandon their carts, regardless of the industry.

Fortunately, there are some things you can implement in your marketing strategy to push back against this phenomenon. Get creative with your email marketing & try some of these engaging approaches.

• Reminder about their cart still waiting for them — and incentivize them to reach the check-out with a little something extra like free shipping, a discount code, or extra goodies
• If there’s a particular holiday coming up, remind the customer they are quickly approaching the last day to ship
• Prompt your abandoned cart owners when a product they originally had in their cart is almost out of stock

Use the Social Proof

Influencer marketing has taken the world by storm in recent years — and for good reason. Who better to tell us what to buy and where to buy it than people we trust? 88% of consumers admitted that they trusted recommendations from people they knew above other marketing messages.

Highlight positive reviews, testimonials, and endorsements you’ve previously received from other customers. Offer incentives for your customers to share their thoughts and experiences with others through affiliate programs, referral codes, and special discounts. Everyone wants what others have — so why not let your customers do the work for you?

Use AddEvent to Drive Your FOMO Marketing Strategy Home

When it comes to creating the strongest FOMO marketing strategy you can, AddEvent is always here to help. From leveraging events to remind your customers of fast-approaching expiration dates on deals to sending exclusive content that’s only available to your calendar subscribers, the possibilities are endless.

Plus, you can try AddEvent for free. All you have to do is sign up today to take it for a little test drive.