|
Author: Karon Thackston Article source: http://freezinesite.com/. Used with author's permission.
Under normal circumstances, you'd shout it from the rooftops. After all, when you have something urgent to say, you want others to know about it, right? But when it comes to "limited time only" offers, lately I've noticed a disturbing trend. Copywriters seem to actually be hiding the phrase! Let me give you some examples.
I received a fabulous email from a ladies clothing site at which I like to shop. It was for 50% off my entire purchase of anything on their site (clearance items or regular price). Wahoo! What woman wouldn't love that? Trouble is, I almost missed the deal due to procrastination.
Like most busy women, I was going to go to the site and shop… later. However, I happened to notice, way down at the bottom of the email in tiny, little type, that the sale ended in two days. Why would they think the phrase "Limited time only - sale ends Friday, July 15, 2005 at midnight" was insignificant?
When I saw that phrase, I immediately zipped over to the site and began bargain hunting. (Found some fantastic deals, too!)
Here's another example.
As I was sitting at a fast food restaurant eating lunch, I was fiddling with the paper "tent" ads on the table. One was for a new salad (nope, not in a healthy mood) and one was for strawberry cheesecake. That sounded good, but I was almost finished with my sandwich and fries so I really didn't have room. I wasn't going home so I couldn't take it to go. I thought I'd just pick up a slice the next time I ate at this place until I saw - at the very bottom of the ad in teeny, tiny type - the "limited time only" phrase.
I know this restaurant. They bring new, test items in and out all the time. If they said, "Limited time only," I knew they meant it. Chances are (since I didn't get to eat at this restaurant often) I wouldn't get to try their cheesecake. If I had known it was a limited time offer, I would have ordered a slice before I got full.
Don't Play Games With Limited Time Offers
Make a point to let customers know they have to act fast, or they'll miss out. The fear of being left out or left behind is a basic human motivator that can be triggered pretty easily. The trick is to actually let your customers know an offer is limited in some way. Here's how to create a powerful limited time offer.
Things go on sale all the time, so if you're selling clothing or food or office supplies, you might have limited time offers that end simply because the sale date has past. However, if there is a reason your offer is limited (limited supply of items, testing a new item, etc.), tell the customer. This can actually increase the sense of urgency.
Make your offer credible. How do you do that? By sticking to your word. If you say an offer will end on a certain date, end it or give a darn good reason for extending the offer. If customers see that you continually tout "limited time offer," but keep the discount running past the deadline, you'll lose credibility and sales.
Give a reasonable deadline. Customers need time to act. Car manufacturers run incentive offers for a month or longer in part because of the high cost of vehicles and the need for arranging financing. The online clothing site I mentioned earlier set its deadline at two days (customers could easily click over to their site and shop immediately). Depending on the item, the purchasing medium and whether there is a need for financing or such, you can adjust your deadline to whatever works best for you.
When your customers understand you're making an offer that will expire shortly, they are motivated to act now, rather than later. If you give them a good enough reason not to procrastinate, you can see a major surge in sales. Urgency is never something you want to hide in your copy.
© 2005 - http://www.copywritingcourse.com Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to also check out Karon's latest e-report on search engine copywriting: "How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)" at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword
More Hits are Good for My Website - A Myth You Should Avoid
The more "hits" you get the better. However, more call this acronym "how idiots track success". It does fit since hits are merely a calculation of how many item...
Discounting Your Way Into Sales Oblivion
Any salesperson can offer a discount to get the business. It takes prepration and practice to present the value of your products. I don't even like saying the ...
Link Building Services
Link Building, One Way Linking, Reciprocal Linking and Three Way Linking Aspects, Methods and Limitations
Coffee Shop Business Plan
Ingredients of a winning and comprehensive coffee shop business plan.
Grab Those Emails! – 11 Key Ways to Get Your Visitors to Hand Over Their Email Address
Find out how to turn your website traffic into customers by getting their email address.
Japanese Gardens: The Practical Use of Stones and Boulders
There are many elements and features that are found in Japanese gardens. The 3 most important Japanese garden elements used are plants, water, and rocks. This a...
The Hidden Truth About Diets
Want to know why most diets don't work? Want to know the hidden truth about diets? This article will turn your understanding of conventional diets on it's hea...
Too Many Lawyers in Franchising Today
Attorneys and Lawyers are ruining the franchise industry. It is too bad too, because franchising represents over 400,000 businesses in our country and accounts ...
How to Get More Traffic Than You Can Use
Traffic-generation is a hot topic for marketers. In particular, "free traffic" seems to be the desire of most. But many sources of "free" traffic are not real...
Slaying The Green Eyed Monster
He hasn't called in hours. You call and get the roommate:"Oh, sorry ....he got in really late last night and is still asleep!" Your mind starts racing: "What di...
On-line Weight Watchers Diet Helper for Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and Mobile Phones
Weight Watchers has released a useful application for its followers. A point counter, point tracker application for Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and mobil...
Should You Have An Objective? Yes, But Maybe Not On Your Resume
Resume objectives used to be required. Not anymore. There's a much better tool to use to sell yourself.
Five Ways To Maximize Profit In Resale Rights Marketing
Product creation is usually one of the first concerns of an internet marketer. Conceptualizing a profitable idea and formulating a marketing plan to sell it is...
Home Mortgage Loans For People With Bad Credit
Do you have bad credit and are trying to get approved for a home loan? Getting a mortgage loan with poor credit history can be difficult, but it's definitely p...
Bankers Long Term Care Insurance
Bankers long term care insurance - Care on taking care
A good logo vs. a FABULOUS logo
If you had a choice, which one would you choose, a good logo or a fabulous logo? Think about it for a second here, although I know the answer is crystal clear. ...
Keeping Track of Your Link Exchanges
All of us want to increase traffic to our web sites. It helps our search engine rankings, and provides us with potential new customers. One of the best, and cer...
Tips for Making Your Swimsuits Last Longer
The following guidelines will help you keep your swimsuits in a great shape but accept the fact that swimsuits have a short lifespan.
3 Key Skills Required to Running a Successful Internet MLM Business
Learn the 3 Key skills required to running a successful internet MLM business...
Which Niche To Conquer?
When you first start, you need to decide which niche are you going to conquer. When I first started my online business, I made the same mistake that 99.9% of pe...
Rapid Weight Loss Tips, Techniques and Strategies
It seems everyone is looking for that magic bullet - rapid weight loss secret that will instantly shed excess weight and turn you into a supermodel....
Pair Your Powerful Resume with a Great Cover Letter
It's important to have a powerful resume that sells your value. However, almost as important is the cover letter you send with your resume. Find out how to craf...
Clearing the Air on What to Look for in an Air Purifier
If you are dedicated to improving the indoor air quality of your home, you're aware that there are certain steps you need to take to reduce the amount of allerg...
Little Known Dating Tips, Secrets, and Dating Mistakes
I hear it over and over—"It was going so great, and then she disappeared on me… why? What happened—we were having such a great time together. I'm tired of thi...
|
Print this page