How can you create a sense of urgency in your brand messaging?

When writing your message don’t get caught in the brand ego trap of just highlighting all your brand values, beliefs and USPs - make sure you keep the thinking ‘what’s in it for the customer’ and bring this to the forefront of your message. By knowing your target audience segments deeply you can then tailor the message to each of your different audiences and appealing to their greatest need or desire.

Topics that are highly relevant and that your audience feels an emotional connection with through their purpose and values, are perfect for creating urgency. We feel urgency when something valuable is at stake or when we are about to lose something by a certain deadline. When we understand what that is for our audience, then it is much easier to inject urgency into our messaging.

There are certain "power words" that are hard-wired into our brains. We react to them but we are also only too aware of them. Power words used to work a lot better in the past. People are sensitised and spot them from a mile away. Overusing power words can have the opposite effect and deter your audience. It's better to lead with benefits and skillful copy that makes the audience realise the urgency and necessity behind your offer because they understand the transformation that your offer can bring to them. Once they can imagine a better future, you don't need to cram as many power words into your copy as possible.

I am a big fan of ethical marketing. For me, that means that I like to help my audience to understand the value of my solutions. If the benefits and long-term outcomes are significant and unique, then there's no strong need to push prospects over the line with scarcity and exclusivity. And - if you are using scarcity and exclusivity, then these should be real. Should clients find out that you tricked them, then trust is lost completely. If you are using these tactics, you have to use them with transparency and integrity.

Social proof is a very strong driver. This is a great tool to use because you have earned it. There are different levels of social proof. The less you can fake it, the better. Linkedin testimonials and screenshots of feedback or video testimonials rank a lot higher than a testimonial that cannot be verified. Testimonials that contain just a name and a few lines of high praise can easily be created by the author.

Take some time to write good calls to action (CTAs). CTAs like "subscribe" or "buy now" are quite weak. It is better to write CTAs that are outcome-oriented like "give me direct access", "secure my space", "show me the solution".