Can people run their businesses without your product? Probably. It’s theoretically possible to operate a business without your software or service offering. But to keep your business actually flourishing, your customers must conclude that they “need” your products and services.

That’s what marketing tactics are all about, isn’t it? Convincing your prospects that whatever it is you have to offer is something they need to make their goals achievable. But how you go about creating this need is what matters.

You can help give your prospects a push in the right direction through a number of digital marketing tactics. And while it’s easy to tweak a landing page, a call to action, or restructure your shipping policy, none of these actions will move the needle if your target audience doesn’t know about you.

So, before we dive into how to create that need and sense of urgency, let’s first touch on tapping into your customer base, so you know who you’re creating urgency for.

How to Identify Your Ideal Customer

Pay Attention to Advertising Analytics

Advertising analytics are widely available, and you can learn quite a bit about what marketing tactics work and what do not by using free basic services. You may choose to delve deeper and purchase more advanced analytics capabilities, but regardless, you must commit to understanding the story your analytics tell.

Learning where your website traffic comes from gives you valuable insight into the traffic resources you should prioritize during an upcoming marketing push. And it’s not just “traffic” you’re interested in, but relevant traffic, or the kind that leads to a higher conversion rate. One route may bring in high numbers of people who don’t buy your product, while another may bring in fewer visitors, many of whom buy your product. Identifying the sources of your valuable traffic can give you an idea of what understanding that audience has of your brand and product, how you’ll want to guide them on your site, and the kind of email marketing campaign you should be sending them.

The Value of Plain Old Consumer Research

And while advertising analytics are powerful and should be regularly re-examined, there is much to be said about old-school consumer research. Email surveys are a great way to determine your customers’ main pain points so you can craft better marketing materials and content to address those pain points. And when it comes to creating a sense of urgency, it’s extremely helpful to understand what kinds of things matter most to them.

For instance, let’s say your audience’s biggest concern is finding a tool that measures the success of their social media campaigns. And even though your company offers a variety of services, it would make sense for you to create urgency around your social media scheduling and analytics tool.

Ideas for Creating Urgency

Pop-ups and Countdown Timers

This is where a certain amount of A/B testing will be necessary. Various page elements can have different effects. For some businesses, countdown timers showing how much time is left to enjoy a deal can prompt a sense of need and lead to more conversions. For others, a scroll or series of pop-ups in a corner indicating that a customer has just purchased something can prompt anxiousness to engage and drive a conversion. A simple message reminding customers of free shipping may increase conversions without the need to do anything else. But it’s essential that you test these elements to see which ones make a difference rather than just throwing them all on the page and hoping some of them will work.

Price Anchoring

Price anchoring doesn’t necessarily stimulate need, but it makes customers feel good about their choice. One of the primary reasons for shopping cart abandonment is getting to the checkout page only to see a litany of fees customers hadn’t known about before. People want to know as soon as possible how much their card will be charged. They’re less interested in the cost of the item, the hook-up fee, taxes, and other nickel-and-dime inconveniences. When customers arrive at the final checkout page, believing they know how much they’re spending, don’t spring a bunch of new costs on them.

Instill the FOMO Element

On some level, we know we can get by without every product or service that promises to solve our problems in an easier, faster, more efficient way. But,  we don’t want to miss out, especially if we think our peers and competitors are enjoying an advantage we aren’t.

Sending promo emails that use language like “Don’t miss out!” or “You don’t want to miss out on this amazing limited offer!” can be all it takes to instill enough FOMO to encourage a purchase. However, the key lies in making sure that the excitement your inciting matches the offer. Make sure that whatever you’re promoting by using the FOMO tactic will actually provide value to the consumer, otherwise there won’t be any FOMO at all.

Ultimately, creating urgency starts with understanding your customer thoroughly and understanding how your best customers arrive at your site, looking to buy. Use that knowledge to guide you on what to promote, and essentially what to create urgency around. Then, try different tactics to see what yields the most success.