7 FOMO Marketing Strategies to Boost Conversions

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is a powerful psychological trigger that you can leverage to drive conversions. It prompts customers to perform an action (like purchasing your product or signing up for an event) before it’s too late. Therefore, you might be looking for FOMO marketing strategies that can have an immediate effect on your audience.

Fortunately, FOMO marketing gives you a lot of flexibility. There are many things you can do to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity. For instance, you might promote limited-time offers or set up VIP memberships for your blog.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at FOMO marketing and how it works. We’ll then share seven effective strategies to help you boost your conversions. Let’s get started!

What is FOMO Marketing?

FOMO marketing taps into the anxiety that people feel when they believe they are missing out on something exciting or valuable. This could be anything from events with limited seats to discounts and freebies. 

Typically, FOMO marketing encourages people to leap at an opportunity before time runs out. In fact, time plays a key role here. 

Most FOMO marketing strategies are designed around limited-time or early-bird offers. For example, IKEA has a Limited Time Offers page where it lists items that are currently on sale. Below each item, you’ll see the period during which the discounted price is valid:

Another common factor is capacity. Some FOMO marketing strategies are based on a limited number of seats or products.

The fear of missing out on a limited-time discount or an exclusive event urges individuals to make a quick decision and convert. Therefore, FOMO marketing can reduce the hesitation that often leads to abandoned carts or lost sales.

The key is to create a sense of urgency, limiting the time people have to ponder your offer. 

7 Effective FOMO Marketing Strategies

Now, let’s look at some effective FOMO marketing strategies. The following tactics can be used in almost any type of business, whether you sell physical products or online courses, or run a profitable blog. 

1. Limited-Time Offers

This is possibly the most popular FOMO strategy, and you’ve likely seen it multiple times.

A limited-time offer is about restricting the availability of a product or discount to a short time frame. Alternatively, you might encourage customers to book by a particular date to enjoy additional perks or freebies:

Of course, since this offer will only be available for a limited time, you’ll want to promote it heavily so that your customers immediately become aware of it and have time to act. You can do this by creating countdown timers on your website, or publishing stories on your social media pages. 

Once people learn about your offer, they’ll only have a few hours to take advantage of it. Some might even purchase your product and use the offer straightaway, in case they forget about it when they get home! 

2. Exclusive Access to Resources

If you’re a blogger or provide coaching or professional services, you could offer exclusive access to resources. These may include things like eBooks, webinars, live calls, and more. 

For this FOMO strategy to work, you’ll need to position these resources as highly valuable and only available for a limited time or number of people. This makes them more desirable, and users will be more likely to take immediate action to avoid missing out. 

3. Special Events

Hosting special events, such as product launches, live Q&A sessions, or VIP sales, can create a buzz and draw in customers eager to participate in a unique experience. 

To appeal to people’s FOMO, you’ll want to promote these events as one-time opportunities. It’s important that you emphasize their exclusivity and the limited number of spots available. 

This strategy does not only drive attendance, but it can also foster a sense of community and loyalty among your audience.

4. VIP Memberships

VIP memberships or loyalty programs offer an excellent opportunity to cultivate long-term relationships with your customers while leveraging FOMO. 

If you decide to opt for this strategy, you’ll need to give members exclusive perks. These may include special discounts, additional resources, early access to new products, members-only events, and more:

To get started, you’ll need to create a membership site. You can use WordPress and install a plugin like Paid Member Subscriptions to set up your VIP memberships.

With Paid Member Subscriptions, you can restrict content so that it’s only available to VIP members. This includes text and video content, WooCommerce products, and more. 

The plugin can be used for different types of membership sites. For instance, you might offer online courses, coaching, consultancy services, and more. It also enables you to create an online hub for your members to meet, discuss, and make connections. 

Once you create your VIP memberships, you’ll want to highlight their benefits and limited availability. For instance, you might only accept 50 people per membership. This way, you can encourage more customers to subscribe and engage with your brand.

5. Social Proof

You may already be familiar with social proof. This refers to customer testimonials, reviews, and user-generated content. However, you may be wondering how it can create FOMO. 

Well, social proof shows how other people are benefiting from your products or services. Highlighting the positive experiences of happy clients can persuade potential customers that they are missing out on something valuable. 

There are simple ways to implement FOMO marketing via social proof. For example, you can display real-time statistics, like the number of items sold or people currently viewing a product. 

Plus, when people see these figures, they might worry that a product might go out of stock due to its popularity. Therefore, they’ll be tempted to purchase it right away!

6. Limited-Edition Products

Offering limited-edition products taps into the desire for exclusivity and rarity:

This product needs to have something special. For example, if you sell artisan coffee, you might launch a unique Christmas blend that’s available for three weeks only. You could also highlight the fact that the item is available in limited quantities. 

By promoting these products as special and limited, you can create a sense of urgency and drive quick purchases.

Plus, you can reach new audiences by collaborating with other brands on your limited-edition products. For instance, you might partner with a local chocolatier to create a chocolate-flavored coffee blend.

The partner brand will promote (and likely sell) this product as well, making their customers aware of your brand and thus helping you spread brand awareness. 

7. Early Bird Discounts

An early bird discount is another common FOMO marketing strategy. The main idea is to incentivize people to purchase something sooner to benefit from a discount.

This can be a good way to ramp up sales in a short time. It can be used for event registrations, product launches, or seasonal sales. 

By offering a significant discount to those who commit early, you can boost initial sales and build momentum for your campaign. This can be particularly effective for events. 

Plus, even if some people are unable to purchase tickets early, the promotion around the early bird discounts will help build awareness about the event. 

Conclusion

When used strategically, FOMO marketing can significantly boost conversions and drive customer engagement. The key is to create a sense of urgency, scarcity, and exclusivity. This way, you can tap into the natural human desire to avoid missing out on valuable opportunities. 

For example, you might launch limited-edition products or give exclusive access to valuable resources. You could even give early bird discounts or limited-time offers. If you provide a professional service or run a blog, you might consider offering VIP memberships using a membership plugin like Paid Members Subscriptions. 

Do you have any questions about FOMO marketing strategies? Let us know in the comments section below!