15 Time-Tested Trigger Words that Boost Online Sales
For savvy online marketers, it’s important to know how to craft a convincing language to boost online sales. Words are powerful tools. They can evoke strong emotions and spur people towards taking specific actions. As much as 90% of web visitors who read your headline also read your call-to-action. So, crafting the right sales pitch can truly make or break your campaign performance.
In order to write a persuasive copy that influences people to make a purchase and boost online sales, cleverly use any of these tried-and-true trigger words in your next marketing campaign.
1. Free – Even with so many advertisements that use the word ‘free’ for things that actually come with a price, people are still attracted to this word because it taps into our overwhelming hunger for more. We envision all the new experiences we can have with the free product, and it starts to feel a need rather than a desire. The word ‘free’ immediately ignites our imagination.
2. Easy – This one is self-explanatory. ‘Easy’ implies convenience, comfort, and quickness—although it doesn’t actually mean that the service will be any of those things. Most of the time, marketers use this word to describe an uncomplicated process, but the unspoken implications of this word helps to sell the product/service even more.
3. Now – The word ‘now’ is often used in a phrase to indicate time, which increases customer interest as people naturally like instant gratification. Think of all the ‘now’ phrases that you’ve seen in calls-to-action and promotions alike: Save Now, 30% off Now, Get Samples Now, etc. Simply indicating that the reward can be immediate makes the offer that more enticing.
4. Save – Who doesn’t like saving? The word ‘save’ rings a bell and reminds us of our truest desire: to save our resources. We’ve become so trusting of this word that promotions actually convince us to spend before we could ‘save.’ It seems counterintuitive, but it works year after year because we still think, to this day, that we can save money by spending it first.
5. Package Deal – Letting your consumers know that you offer deals in packages helps to sell the product or service because it implies that they can save more money buying your offers. It’s the ‘bang for your buck’ mentality that drives this marketing phrase forward.
6. Premium – Labeling a product or service as premium might intimidate those who aren’t looking to spend more than they need to, but ‘premium’ works especially well with words that indicate low prices, such as Premium Package or Premium Deal. When paired with the right words, ‘premium’ creates a sense of scarcity that encourages action.
7. You – Addressing the consumers directly singles them out from the crowd and creates a sense of conviction. One of the most popular advertisements that exemplify this word was James Montegomery Flagg’s “I want YOU” poster for the WWI recruitment (pictured below).
The Uncle Sam poster is now deemed “The Most Famous Poster” of all because of its iconic illustration and convicting punchline: “I want YOU for the U.S. Army.” Using the word ‘you’ is much more persuasive than addressing the general public.
Imagine if the poster simply illustrated a cross-armed Uncle Sam with the words, “I want everyone for the U.S. Army.” Since no one is being singled out, there would be much less conviction and that hypothetical poster wouldn’t hold the same profound impact.
8. No Obligations – Have you ever wondered why service providers always leverage the term, “No contracts”? The thought of being forced into a commitment understandably repels consumers. No one wants to be trapped by a contract.
Therefore, whenever possible, it’s important to state that a service or product does not come with strings attached. Give consumers the reassurance that they aren’t bound to any hidden obligations. This freedom will definitely attract more people than otherwise. It also helps in building your audiences’ trust in your product/service/brand apart from boosting online sales.
9. New – New Arrivals and New Markdowns sound tempting to the itchy buyer because it evokes the fear of missing out. The idea is that if something is new, it must be great! Once more, this is not necessarily true, but that’s what ‘new’ implies—that it must be better than the current.
10. Limited – Similar to the word ‘premium,’ the word ‘limited’ creates a sense of scarcity that motivates consumers to make a purchase because the items won’t be there for long. The word ‘limited’ might be even better to use in some instances than ‘premium,’ because it doesn’t come with the understanding that the limited item will be higher in price.
11. Ultimate – ‘Ultimate’ is the less-politically-correct synonym of ‘best.’ When marketers have a great product to sell, the word ‘ultimate’ generally works quite well. When an article or a promotion contains the word ‘ultimate,’ there is an unspoken understanding that the promoted content must be of great quality. It might not be the first or the best, but it’s the ultimate.
12. Professional – There’s something about the word ‘professional’ that just gives an item or service more credibility, and we think it’s because this word covertly taps into our imagination. Without being fully aware of it, when we see this word, it brings into our mind what professionalism would look like, and we apply it to the promoted product to a certain extent.
13. Competitive – Labeling a product or service as competitive helps the consumer to envision a situation where multiple products are being compared, and the one that’s essentially winning is the product that is ‘competitive.’ As we learned with the other marketing adjectives in this list, words like these immediately send off positive vibes because that’s just how our minds are conditioned to operate.
14. Sale – The word ‘sale’ ties into the word ‘save’ because it implies that there’s a chance the consumer can save money by purchasing the sale item. Sales have worked since they were invented, and now even the word of it triggers a conversion-friendly response.
15. Results – ‘Results’ also play on our desire for instant gratification. Seeing that the product or service promises fast results or even guaranteed results, we sometimes can’t help but jump at the unbelievable opportunity.
The most successful marketers are the ones who can actually deliver the irresistible deals that they offer. These trigger words might work in drawing naïve customers, but they won’t contribute to your business longevity if they are only empty promises. To make the most of these words and boost online sales, perform A/B tests to see which are the most fitting for your advertisements.
Be sure to keep track of your performance using an advanced ROI attribution tool. Our suggestion is to keep testing these words until you find the highest-performing combinations for your creative campaigns. Your advertisement optimizations will never be the same again. Best of luck.
Anh Luu
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- 15 Time-Tested Trigger Words that Boost Online Sales - November 8, 2017
