Tees In A Pod: Coupons, Coupons, Coupons

Friday, July 23, 2010

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons - Get Some!

Hello all..in this short post we're going to delve into the world of coupon codes and I'm going to give you a few reasons as to why you should be using them (if you're not already that is)...

More Publicity

From my own experience coupon codes have been pretty useful in helping to raise awareness and get the word out about my venture. What I have found to be key is to try do something a little bit different. An example of this is coupon code we had for LadyUmbrella a few months back when we hit 3,333 Facebook fans..The deal was 33.33% off for 3.3 days with coupon code of 3333(I think)..I then contacted a few bloggers to let them know about it and a few of them thought that it was interesting enough to blog about on their site leading to more publicity..Thing about what unusual ways you can run coupons and also try factor in topical events to catch the updraft of trending topics on twitter etc..An example of this is the world cup (which has sadly just finished with los Rojos victorious) - we created a coupon code for the World Cup with a bit of a LadyUmbrella twist, created a grahpic and contacted a few bloggers and badda bing - some more publicity.

Key points to note: make the coupon interesting, odd, unusual, different AND make it easy for people to share..

People Like Coupons
Needless to say this point does not fall under any of my "Einstein moments" but it is important to make it none the less. People who may like your product but are on the fence as to whether or not to purchase can be motivated to do so with a coupon code..What I have noticed is that if you give coupon codes a short life span you'll generally get more sales..I think this is because people don't have the comfort of saying to themselves "well, I'll mull over it for a week and then see what my best friend Sal thinks and then, as long as I don't have a gas bill to pay and my boo will pay for the cinema tickets I'll get it" - by putting a time frame on sales people have to act..and if they don't well no harm either - they may not be ready to buy and if that is case having a coupon won't make them...

Key points to note: Coupons can be great to "seal the deal" but don't leave them running for too long as the deal sealing is in the brevity of the coupon.

Fresh News
I believe success in this online world is all about being able to continually beat on your drum, making some noise and getting some attention (with some luck it's the right attention but that's a tale for another day). When you find that you are out of "news" to talk about creating a coupon code can be a quick and easy way to give yourself something to talk about, something fresh and new..I'm of the viewpoint that if you wheel out the same blog posts or "news" items about your online business that people may perceive it to be stagnant. On a daily basis I try come up with new ideas or things to talk about on our fanpage/twitter etc but when I've reached the bottom of the barrel a coupon code or fire sale type thing can help tide you over until something else comes along. These coupons differ from the ones mentioned in my first point as they aren't as thought out and are just there to fill a hole - if they get you sales then well and good (sure, that's what it is all about). I wouldn't utilise coupons as a news tactic more than once a month though as there comes a point when you will devalue the coupon code.

Key points to note: Coupons can make for great "filler" in your online marketing campaign but don't go over board with them.

Different Places to Go Trawling
Consider the online world as a vast ocean, customers are fish and with your limited resources you have to trawl around and try catch as many as possible. Coupon codes can be an insanely useful net in the acquisition of "fish"...One interesting thing about coupon codes is that people seek them and they seek them out in their thousands upon thousands..As a result a lot of websites have popped up which house coupons for all sorts of products..These websites are new places for you to go trawling for customers, get backlinks, interact with peeps and all sorts of online good stuff. Not only that the people who frequent these sites are pretty much in a "must buy now" mode with their credit card in their hand - get your coupon codes on these sites and have another net in the ocean. There are tons of these sites out there like www.retailmenot.com, www.couponcabin.com, www.currentcodes.com and www.ultimatecoupons.com to name but a few - google them and prepare to be amazed..Not only that brace yourself for a whole lot more work as you're going to have to submit coupons to all this sites..

Key points to note: By finding people who are looking for coupon codes on these free sites you are increasing your online "net" and may get sales from it - win win win..

And so, that conclues the chapter on coupons, coupons, coupons and why you should get some set up for your own online business...Have you used any coupons or sales in the past that have just been dynamite? or, do you have some coupon site or forum that has been very helpful for you? Share the knowledge and coup-on..

This post was written by Rob from LadyUmbrella ladies t-shirts.

1 comment:

GaleSeptember 25, 2010 at 1:31 AM
I'm wondering how much is too much to promote coupons on your facebook, newsletters, twitter and blogs? I have both a Zazzle and CafePress shop, and there's a constant stream of coupons...some great, some simply ok. I've limited coupon promotion on facebook and my newsletter to only the best, and post all the smaller 10% or discount on order over $50 and such on a coupon collection post on my blog. I also only share the big ones on forums and such, to avoid getting annoying.

I'd love to here what others do: do you promote every coupon on every venue, or only the big ones?
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