No matter what your brand or where your location, couponing is still big business.
Just because newspapers are dying doesn’t mean coupons are going with them. In fact, the shift from print coupons to digital offers has already taken place. As of 2014, 55% of U.S. internet users had redeemed an online coupon.
Those aren’t just moms headed to Bed Bath & Beyond, either. Shockingly, 96% of millennials use coupons. And, of all adults, 62% of smartphone owners (both male and female) are extremely or very likely to use digital coupons in the future.
Furthermore, the coupons they seek out, they use! According to RetailMeNot, a staggering 90% of smartphone and tablet users redeem their digital coupons “within several days.”
So, how can you capitalize on the coupon craze? Well, it’s not as difficult as it might seem. Don’t worry about unique coupon codes, scannable bar codes, or offers that can’t be reproduced. Just get people in the door (and get ‘em buying) with an easy “buck off” promo. All your customers need to do is “mention” a pre-set hashtag or keyword in order to get a dollar off their order.
Of course, you may want to have different hashtags/keywords for different sites. Simply have employees keep track of the corresponding keyword when a “buck off” discount is applied. This way, you can look back to see which channels produced the highest redemption rates.
Put up a banner, post, Tweet, or notification on any of the following:
- Your own website
- Your own email blasts
- Foursquare
Make sure to make them sharable and “pinnable,” too. While it certainly helps to have a “pin this” along with a catchy image, it may be enough just to put: “Share #BuckOffThursday because we like giving moolah to your friends, too!” by the coupon image on Facebook or your own website. According to Share This, online sharing now drives 33% of traffic as search, so “it’s crucial to make your coupon shareable.”
You can also sign up for an account and create offers (that are free for you) on these sites:
Finally, if you decide to do more formal, long-lasting offers, you can sign up with a couponing service or online advertising vehicle such as:
- Valpak
- Google My Business
- YP.com
- Super Pages
- Local Ease
- Insider Pages
- Angie’s List
- Open Table
It’s totally okay to start off easy and ramp up from there. Just keep in mind that the offer should be not so enticing that fraudulent redemption would put you out of business. This is not meant for loss leaders, but merely another tool to help people find you online and choose you first!
