Anticipation doesn't have to stop at product launches and grand openings

The joy of tracking a package, accumulating points for a loyalty program prize or saving major dollars thanks to an upcoming sale — we’ve all experienced anticipation while shopping.

Anticipation is a common human emotion, and it’s a main contributor of consumer motivation. Brands typically leverage anticipation before events like product drops or store openings, but non-traditional tactics can also be used to enhance the customer journey and keep customers excited about your brand's future.

Here are four non-traditional ways to leverage anticipation in your marketing:

1. Use uncertainty

Anticipation is the excitement for what’s to come and the curiosity of the unknown. 

Uncertainty doesn’t get paired with consumer promotions often but when it does, uncertainty can create positive feelings of exhilaration and urgency.  When consumers engage in a low-stakes campaign, the possibility of winning a prize or benefiting from a sale can be incredibly motivating. 

That motivation drives anticipation, encouraging consumers to actively participate in campaigns and stay up-to-date with any new marketing messages you may send their way. 

2. Social proof

Long lines in front of shopping malls and restaurants are typically signs that something amazing is waiting inside. It also makes consumers curious and eager to join in on the fun.

Human psychology refers to this phenomenon as social proof, the idea that people are prone to follow the lead of the majority, or others they know and trust. It’s one of the many factors that make staple anticipation marketing tactics like grand openings so effective.

Social proof can be paired with anticipation to help you create more modern, trendy strategies as well. Highlight customer reviews of an upcoming product or document awards your new item has received. The positive press not only emphasizes the potential benefits customers will gain, it also increases their excitement for the chance to see it for themselves. 

3. Loyalty

Loyalty deserves to be rewarded and what better way to reward loyal customers than with early access to upcoming promotions?

Showcase your loyal customers (those who always respond to surveys, are the first to interact with new campaigns, refer family and friends to your brand, etc.) unboxing new products or trying new menu items that haven’t been introduced to the general public yet. The same can be done with micro-influencers who are closely tied to your customer base.

4. Video marketing

Humans are visual creatures, and there’s no greater evidence of that than the rise of video marketing.

You can use video of satisfied customers, detailed product descriptions, and teasers of new features before a release to increase consumer anticipation. The videos can be shared on social media, with your email list and through any other forms of communication with your customers. 

Leveraging anticipation in your marketing can take on a range of different looks, from traditional to new age. Offering customers ]various options for excitement opens your brand up to fresh tactics and an engaged audience.