How To Increase Conversions By Justifying Scarcity
Let’s talk about scarcity and making it stick.
Over on Twitter yesterday, Nate Schmidt gave a screenshot of a guy who was “not falling for Cialdini’s scarcity bullshit.”
Now, this is a common complaint by basically everyone on the internet. We’re copywriters, the world hates our sneaky sales tactics! And we just have to live with that.
That doesn’t bother me. The average internet denizen also hates social media, politics and reality TV and yet they still fall for the whole thing and spend hours talking about it.
What bothers me is dumb folks who are supposed to be copywriters who say, “I’d never use scarcity and long form sales letters! Nobody falls for that anymore!”
Copywriting isn’t all that competitive because 90% of copywriters don’t know anything about copywriting. They’re basically content writers who write vague stuff and have no idea whether what they’re doing makes any difference. (It doesn’t.)
Anyway, any copywriter who says that scarcity doesn’t work is a 100% never-listen-to-them-again kind-of copywriter.
Scarcity works. Tested, proven, 100%.
How do I know this? Data.
Both my own and clients who’ve spent millions on testing. Scarcity works.
Anyway… let’s talk about scarcity.
Scarcity Is Repulsion Marketing? Nope.
Some people talk about scarcity like it is repulsion marketing.
Repulsion marketing is where you try and repel anyone who isn’t a dedicated buyer.
Scarcity is where you say, “You need to get this offer now because it won’t be there in the future.”
The two are related and crossover heavily. But they’re not the same.
Yet people will often say stuff like:
- “I’m not being forced into buying something”
- “This fake scarcity isn’t good business!”
- “I’ll just come back tomorrow and buy because the timer resets”
Fake scarcity is something that bugs everyone and it makes your offer look a lot less credible.
If you go on a web page with a timer and you refresh the page and the timer has reset, you set off the alarm bells in your reader’s mind, and you lose the sale.
So do all the too-cool-for-copywriting guys have a point about scarcity?
Not really.
Justify Scarcity, Increase Conversions
Back in the old internet days, the sales pages used to be huge. People in the Wild West era of internet marketing would write tons of words. The old Pick Up stuff and the “Secrets Of Soviet Martial Arts” sales letters went on forever.
That was mostly because they answered objections. Whereas better targeting options have made today’s internet advertising all about picking the right audience, those early ads were focused on getting as many eyeballs as they can, and then convince everyone.
And really, at points some of those letters were just bullet point lists answering every single objection.
We don’t have to do that now, but it’s a shame the skill has gone, because it ties nicely into how to create real, objective scarcity.
You can massively increase your conversion rates by justifying your scarcity marketing. Plenty of copywriters and affiliate marketers don’t bother, and that’s what sets people on edge.
WE only have five copies remaining.
If you’re selling an ebook, no you don’t.
This is only on sale for a limited time!
Is it? Or are you lying to me?
Most people’s objection isn’t with the scarcity, because ultimately we’re on a planet with limited resources and you only have to go to the local shop to see that stuff runs out.
People’s problem is with the idea that the scarcity is false and they’re being duped.
Most objections in copywriting are simple. You’re not compiling an Aristotelean debate about the merits of virtue over vice. It’s more like:
You might think losing weight is hard work. But our program makes it easy.
You’re just ticking off the subconscious box.
Justifying Scarcity Is Easy
Here’s how to justify scarcity and increase your conversions whilst giving the “I don’t fall for copy” dudes no room for argument.
Here’s a line I use and modify:
“If you think this is a fake ticker-timer and the countdown is a lie, you’re wrong. This is real. 100%. We’re taking this off sale at midnight tomorrow. No ifs, buts, or “Sorry man… can I get in late I forgot!
Here’s Why:”
And then you list some objections depending on what the offer is, the time limit or the price limit.
“We’ve realised that customer support is more intensive than we thought, but we want to maintain the 1-1 coaching we’ve promised everyone who buys.”
“We want to get started on fixing our customers’ lives right away, which is why we’re shutting it down on Saturday. That way, everyone is starting at the same time and we’re all in it together.”
“We literally only have five copies of the book left and our printer is away on holiday until New Year. Prices will go up next time.”
“We’ve added sixteen new bonuses since the last time. We spent $15,000 running tests for these bonuses. That’s why the cost is going up on Friday.”
You get the picture.
Answer the objection and move on.
These things segue nicely into a call to action or more benefits of the product.
Final Thoughts
In general, if you can answer an objection, then you should.
Of course, in the modern world, your targeting should get rid of most of the objections, but seeing as most page builder software allows you to have those cascading FAQ’s, there’s no reason not to plan.
Scarcity is powerful. It’s most powerful if it’s real and genuine. In many cases, it is. You just have to get that across to your reader.
Also: Don’t pay any attention to people who disagree with years of testing results unless they’ve got very compelling evidence to suggest we’ve been wrong all along.
For every dope out there saying, “Copywriting is dead! Advertising has moved on!” there are thousands of businesses that run on the same principles that business has always run on.