How to create REAL urgency with your brand

Winning in the digital advertising space is about constantly adapting your marketing efforts to meet people where they are.

We are already seeing behavioral shifts as we transition from the COVID-era of stimulus cheques and high app usage at home. People are excited to have ‘real’ life experiences again and are spending accordingly.

When you mix that with recession fears and expensive commodities, you get quite a different landscape. Not to mention, the tracking challenges post-iOS 14. 🤦‍♀️

The environment has shifted, and you need to adapt. The current environment requires you to give people a reason to act NOW.

At Pilothouse, we are seeing this play out across the brands we work with, regardless of vertical. Winners nearly always have an urgency element to them.

Urgency levers are easy to come by: % off, buy one get one, new limited edition styles, limited stock... The list goes on.

Creating an urgent statement is easy. Integrating this strategy long-term is the challenge. Don’t be the brand who cried wolf. Consideration periods are higher now. To close that gap without losing brand integrity takes serious effort.

Here’s what you can do:


1️⃣ Be honest

  • If you’re not sold out when you said you were going to – if the sale was “about to end” and it's still happening six months later in an ad... Your threat is no longer credible and you have lost the battle.
  • “Extended sale” bonus days are okay if done sparingly. Make sure the risk is worth the reward. Over time, you’ll likely see your final day sale revenue equal the cumulative final and bonus day periods.

2️⃣ Get specific

  • Product stock transparency: Show the consumer the inventory amount they saw on the ad to reinforce brand and consumer transparency. If you have high inventory numbers, use the number of discount codes available as your scarcity lever.

3️⃣ Alternate your urgency levers to maintain the feeling of exclusivity

  • If you have multiple SKUs, space out sections of your store to be on sale to increase the duration between sales. That way, you can pivot winning messaging while maintaining the feeling of a sale happening.

4️⃣ Weaponize FOMO

  • Turning off a sale to stay credible or running out of stock early can be used to your advantage. Show what the consumer missed out on, and transition their eyes to what is still available if they act now – further building your threat credibility and cementing future messaging.

5️⃣ Playing hard to get

  • Keeping the consumer on the hook without playing your hand and deteriorating your brand is vital. Remind the consumer that they missed out on product A, but offer them product B first. If you provide product A right away, it won’t feel as special. Then, you can use holidays to collect the attention of these people with an offer on product A with the option of running much longer.

Even the most sale-sensitive brands can get urgent and drive intent in a way that doesn’t harm their image. Do it tactically, and do it fast. You won’t want to be late in adapting to this cycle.

If you’re looking to stay on top of trends and best utilize your Facebook ad space, reach out to the Pilothouse Facebook team! 🔥

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