FOMO Marketing Ideas: Create Urgency and Drive Conversions

Do you think Apple users like standing in long queues when a new iPhone drops? No. But they do that because FOMO marketing has a huge impact on them!

Most of them simply do it because others are doing it and they think all the “good” stuff will be out of stock if they’re not there on time.

You would be surprised at how much time and effort people will give just to feel like they are part of a community. By standing in long queues, people get a story to tell their friends. It’s social proof that they’re willing to wait in a long line to get the best product.

And not so surprisingly, this works like magic on other people who are not generally Apple lovers. Next time you’ll see them in the queue so they don’t miss out.

Why do you think it happens? That’s what we have for you here.

What is FOMO Marketing?

“FOMO” is the short form of “Fear Of Missing Out” and it’s a purely psychological concept that creates urgency.

Take pop culture as a reference. Someone who hasn’t seen any of the Harry Potter movies tends to feel left out in a conversation where terms like “muggle” or “Quidditch” is mentioned. So they watch the entire franchise on a lazy Sunday to be a part of the conversation next time.

This action was triggered by FOMO.

FOMO is a huge part of marketing directly or indirectly.

The Harry Potter franchise just got a new fan and they didn’t even have to invest in it.

FOMO creates a sense of urgency among consumers, that makes them take immediate action to avoid missing out on something.

9 FOMO Marketing Ideas

If you don’t have a brand-new gadget, don’t understand a meme reference, or can’t participate in pop culture talks, you’re just not cool!

Halloween, BFCM, and Christmas sale times are right around the corner. So if you have an online business and want to increase your sales and revenue, you better intrigue your potential customers to sell more.

How do you create a FOMO in marketing?

We have some simple yet effective FOMO marketing ideas for you, just in time for the crazy sales seasons.

Limited-time offers

Time-sensitive promotions can prompt immediate action from your customers.

You can use some phrases to make them believe there’s no time to waste. For example,

• Last Chance!
• Only For Today
• Limited Stock
• Exclusive Deal
• Now or Never!
• Don’t Miss out!

Place these words strategically on your website. Preferably as a CTA or a badge.

You can see the “Limited” badge on top of this product table. Something as simple as this one might interest your customers to click the links.

These trigger words also work in emails, social media captions, SMS, or banners.

P.S.- Be careful! You might turn them away if you push too much.

Countdowns

You probably will be late to work every day if clocks didn’t exist.

Watching minutes pass by makes you get up from bed and go to work on time.

That’s exactly what a countdown timer does for a website.

If people see the clock hands moving fast or second/minute changing on a digital timer, they’ll think they’re missing out on something.

You can do the same by counting down to days. But watching a clock tick down is actually more triggering.

Intensify the feeling of urgency with countdowns on your website header, email campaigns, or wherever you think it fits.

Exclusive access

We all love special treatment.

If your customer thinks he’s very important to your business, you’re likely to create a loyal customer for a lifetime.

Offer exclusive content, VIP access, special discounts, or free tester products to a group of selected customer or subscribers to make them feel special.

Announce it by saying they have been a regular buyer and you’ll see many others start to compete to be part of the exclusive club.

Social proof

Highlight testimonials and UGC by real customers that showcase the demand for your products or website.

FOMO and social media go hand-in-hand. If your customers post a review on your page or tag the page/website, a wider audience gets to know you.

Or, you can post 5-star reviews by your customers.

A smart table view for dynamic data is what your #WordPress website deserves!

Here's what user David has to say about Ninja Tables. pic.twitter.com/9X6cgt0MoK

— Ninja Tables (@Ninja_Tables) March 27, 2023

A potential customer who stumbles upon a good review will want to try what you offer and jump on the bandwagon.

After all, nobody wants to miss out on something new or something everyone’s saying is good!

Flash sales

Arrange a flash sale once and see the crowd you get.

Flash sales don’t last more than 36 hours. The shorter it lasts, the better the sales! These short-lived sales induce panic and trigger buyers to take action fast. 

You can promote flash sales through social media or banners outside your store. Ensure as much exposure as you can, and increase the traffic.

Potential buyers will definitely fall victim to the FOMO when they see the sudden crowd or the limited lifespan of the sale.

Free shipping

Customers will pay $100 for a product, but they step back when the shipping cost is more than what they’re willing to pay.

Many stores found a way around that and now offer free shipping. When the shipping is free, customers tend to buy what they want without worrying about the cost.

“Inmar Intelligence Survey Reveals that Consumers Will Spend More and Wait Longer For Online Purchases that Offer Free Shipping.”

Offering free shipping sometimes works better than offering discounts.

Because people may think you’re offering a discount after inflating the actual price. But free shipping? That’s solid!

Personalized nudge

Emails or push notifications crafted specifically to target that one customer is a personalized FOMO nudge.

For example, you found a customer who has abandoned a cart or two. Or they have a wishlist saved they haven’t acted on.

You can segment them and send personalized emails with subject lines like:

• “Psst…only a few left in your size!”
• “You left something in your cart!”
• “[Product Name] is almost out of stock!”

Limited stock

Nothing triggers panic-buying more than a notification or banner that says “Limited Stock!”

If you display the stocks are running out on the website, customers will instantly act due to FOMO. This notification can also be an email, a social media post, a text message, or a billboard ad.

Online stores like Amazon use this trick to get customers’ attention. Likewise, showing how many people bought the product can create a FOMO.

Amazon’s “Only 5 left in stock- order now” or “10K+ bought in past month” are really effective.

This tells customers that the products are in demand and won’t last in stock for too long. A great conversion trick.

Popups

Creating FOMO is all about making the customers buy.

If you see a fall in your retention rate or revenue, use popups to offer a discount on a purchase.

Here’s how Bombas does it.

Of course, this offer can also land in an email or whatever platform fits your business.

Popups are only effective if you can do it right and not interrupt your target customers when they’re on your page.

Conclusion

Do you know what percentage of people make purchases due to FOMO? – 60%!

You may think using FOMO in marketing or FOMO advertising is against the rules of honest marketing. But there’s no denying that triggering FOMO drives conversions, boosts engagement, and solidifies your brand’s position.

We can give you all the FOMO marketing ideas you want, but you’ll see no results until you start implementing them.

So, try the tips we brought you in this blog, all or one, and let us know your experience or insights.

And if you, as a customer, wanna talk about how to get rid of FOMO, we’re all ears!

Get In touch with Ninja Tables