‘Limited time offer!’
‘Doors closing!’
‘Buy now or you’ll miss out!’
How often do you read those or similar phrases each day? Fear-based or scarcity marketing is everywhere right now and particularly on social media, it’s becoming increasingly hard to escape. When I typed ‘scarcity’ and ‘FOMO’ into answerthepublic.com the other two words that cropped up a lot were ‘anxiety’ and ‘depression’ and frankly, it’s not surprising. With the world’s population on the brink of a mental health crisis, I reckon it’s high time to flip the script, reject FOMO and usher in something brand new and wholly more human.
First of all I’d just like to say that yes, I do know scarcity marketing works! There’s a science behind it which taps into our psychology as human beings. When we feel like there might be a shortage of something, or we feel like we’re missing out, we panic. Just look at the great toilet roll crisis of April 2020. But just because something works, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right way to do something. If you’re a service-based business selling some kind of one-to-one offering, the likelihood is that fear-based marketing tactics can make you feel decidedly sleazy. It makes total sense: we don’t use FOMO to manipulate our friends and family, so why would we treat our potential clients that way?
So here’s a thought, what if we redefine FOMO? Enter: Freedom Of Multiple Opportunities. What if, instead of pressuring our audience to buy our services by telling them they might not be able to have them at certain times, we set clear, honest boundaries instead? Imagine saying ‘you can buy my service whenever is right for you, but full disclosure I don’t take on more than 5 clients at a time so I can provide the best service’. Doesn’t that sound better than ‘limited slots available - don’t miss out!’ And here’s the real kicker: if we start our client relationships from a place of respect and openness, rather than fear, aren’t they likely to be more fulfilling and enjoyable for both parties?
If this kind of Freedom over Fear approach has you nodding your head in agreement, let’s talk about how it could work in practice. Try looking at your business from an outside perspective and consider ways to set clear, healthy boundaries. This could look like an Out of Office message to let your clients know when you’re available vs when you’re not. This could look like having standard turnaround times on client work that you communicate as part of your client on-boarding. If you do follow a launch model, this could be as simple as being crystal clear ahead of time whether your service will be ongoing or one-off for a period of time, and offering your audience alternative ways of working with you. The key is to ensure you are EMPOWERING your audience, not OVERPOWERING them. You feel me?
Need some tips?
I got you. Hit the button below to grab six ways to sell without sleaze (and still convert!). And if I’ve inspired you to adopt a Freedom Of Multiple Opportunities approach, then please do shoot me an email. I’d love to hear what you think!