July 2002

Copywriting Technique
 Creating Urgency
by Tom Antion

Last issue we talked about creating scarcity. Scarcity is one way to indirectly create "urgency" which is what we are talking about in this issue.

Did you ever hear the term "be back?" That is a term car salespeople use when joking about a person who says they'll "be back." The salesperson knows absolutely if that person leaves they, in fact, WILL NOT be back.

Why do you think they joke about it? It's because anyone who has ever sold anything has heard that phrase hundreds or thousands of times and the number of people who actually did come back is virtually zero.

This is the reason you must create urgency. You must create the excitement or desire needed to make people buy now or you can put a little animated character on your website to wave goodbye to the visitor.

Here are some terms you can add to your copy to create urgency:

• Don't miss out! (This implies the person must act now or they will lose something.)

• Don't miss this opportunity!

• Don't delay, you could lose out on the chance of a lifetime!

• Order now while there's still time!

• Time's running out!

According to Robert Cialdini, PhD, in his book "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion"

". . . people frequently find themselves doing what they wouldn't particularly care to do simply because the time to do so is shrinking."

(This is a great book that you will hear me referring to frequently. Dr. Cialdini goes on to talk about how we HATE to lose things, hence, the power of the third bullet above and many others like it.)

Purists might think that it's not a good idea to talk somebody into buying something that they didn't really want. Well, purists are usually broke. Another theory is you might get too many returns by writing copy that stimulates buyers to buy when they really didn't want to.

My Response:
1. The must have had some interest or they wouldn't have read your ad copy and if you have a good product they will probably be happy the decided to buy.

2. Most legitimate marketers will tell you that if you DON"T get returns your ad copy is not strong enough.

3. If you have a return policy, honor it and no one should have a legitimate complaint as long as you did not lie in your copy about what the product or service will do.

4. The additional sales generated by using urgency normally far outweigh the returns.

DEADLINES
Most marketers use a deadline of some sort as a way to create urgency. It might be something like

• "Purchase by July 3rd to get this special price" or

• "Respond by July 3rd and get two free bonuses."

The reverse of this would be a penalty for not responding by a certain date. Here's an example:

• "Price will go up to $29.95 after July 3rd."

From the seminar industry that I'm in you see this all the time:

• Earlybird $295.00

• After July 3rd $350

• At the door $395.00

Put urgency in your sales copy and watch your sales soar . . . and do it by July 3rd or this article will disappear hahaha