Everyone loves coupons because they can help to save some money. In a world where it seems people have less money to go around, saving is always a good thing, and many businesses understand this. Smart companies understand this, and they are starting to offer coupons as a means to get more business while providing their customers with good moneysaving deals. Coupons have always been around, and they’ve migrated their way to the web as well. In fact, online coupons are nearly essential for businesses today, and they can provide a bit of a boost to the overall business.
What Is an Online Coupon?
Online coupons can actually encompass a few different styles of coupon. They can be a clickable link that takes a customer to a discount product page, they could be a code that a customer can enter into an online retail site for a discount, or they could be a printable coupon that the customer prints and clips. The type of coupon you create will depend on your needs and the type of store you have.
Creating Your Coupon
The first part of creating the coupon is to determine what type of discount, and how much of a discount, you want to offer. It is important that the promotion you offer is very clear as well. State the discount and the amount of time for which the coupon is good, such as “25% off this Friday only”. Be clear and put in the specifics for your ad so there is no confusion on the part of the customer.
Getting the Coupon Out to the Public
Once you have the coupon, you also need to distribute it to people who are likely to use it. The following are some of the best ways to get the coupon out to as many people as possible.
First, chances are good that you have an email list of your clients and customers, perhaps people who already get your newsletter. You could put your coupon in the newsletter, or you could send out emails that contain the coupon code.
Second, make sure that you blog about your coupon. Even if you have only a handful of regular readers right now, putting your coupons up on your blog is a great way to get the word out there. More people may find the post, and many will want to share it, which can increase your reach. Along the same lines, you should make sure you are mentioning it on your social networks sites, including Facebook and Twitter. You could even put up an image of your coupon onto Pinterest.
Third, you can add the coupon or a banner for it, to your site and blog, where it can stay up for the duration of the promotion. You can also buy ads that promote your coupon, but make sure you consider the total cost for using this method, since you are both offering a discount and paying for ad placement of the coupon.
Consider thinking outside the box when it comes to promoting your coupons as well. A good option might be to create a video coupon. Simply film a short video clip that might talk about your products or services, essentially a commercial. Put a code in the video and perhaps even link from the video directly to the discount page.
Of course, you may also want to try social shopping sites, such as Groupon, which will let you offer your coupons to customers as long as a certain number of people sign up for it. This can be good for companies that offer local services, but is not generally a good option for online retailers.