Medicare recently published an interesting study linking public reaction to television broadcasts—after TV news outlets included a report on the flu season in their programming, there was an 8% hike in immunizations immediately following the story.
They also discovered that there was a much higher increase in immunization when two certain words were used in the story.
What where those two words?
“Delay” and “Shortage”
Savvy copywriters, internet marketers and sales people have known this secret forever: Nothing makes a buyer more motivated than the belief that there’s a limited supply. That if they don’t grab it now, they may lose out.
People are motivated more by what they may lose compared to what they can get.
If you put two offers in front of someone, the one that is most likely to motivate them is the one that triggers the feeling of missing an opportunity or losing.
It’s amazing to me that every year, like clockwork, we hear about flu shot shortages or delays. Do you think it’s a coincidence? Not many people are motivated to get their flu shot until they suddenly hear that there may not be one for them!
Another example of this strategy is the classic “popular toy” that is suddenly in short supply right before Christmas. They advertise and pump it up months before – knowing that once they are limited, the frenzy will start.
It’s a little known secret that toy marketers know —if parents can’t get their hands on “that toy” before Christmas, the parent feels guilty and will plan to buy it right after Christmas – as soon as it is on the shelves. The toy company still gets the sale – yet they get double the action.
There are many ways to present an offer that will trigger this “I may lose out” feeling.
When presenting your products or services, keep this strategy in mind. People are more motivated by something that they may not be able to have than what they can have. Limited time, limited slots and limited inventory can all work effectively to your advantage.
Copyright 2010 by Christine Alexander, WriteStrategy.
