There is a lot of misinformation amongst small business owners when it comes to coupon marketing. Businesses believe that they need to spend a lot of money to engage in voucher marketing but nothing could be further from the truth. Used creatively, coupon marketing can be done cost effectively, and can help your business increase sales even if you are in tight budget.
Here is how you can leverage on paper vouchers and digital coupons as a small business with no more than £50 as a start-up cost.
Creative advertising
Almost every local newspaper in the United Kingdom as well as the Royal Mail offer leaflet distribution. Door to door voucher distribution in your local area in the UK may cost your business anything from £50 to £5,000 depending on how many vouchers you want to distribute.However, you do not need to invest in physical distribution of vouchers in the age ofelectronic mail. Nowadays, it’s quite easy to buy a list of emails with the demographics you want and make use of free emailmarketing softwareto put the word across. However, if you still want to use printed coupons then why not print your own vouchers andinclude them in your invoices, shopping bags or printed newsletters instead of having them distributed them from door to door.
Engage with neighbour businesses
Sure, it’s a “business-eat-business” world out there, but it always paysto work together as a team. You can gang up with other local businesses to come up with mutual voucher bundles that add value to mutual potential customers. A good example would be a pubteaming upwith theirnext-door restaurant such that every time a customer has to wait for a table to qualify for 20% offdrinks while they wait in the pub. This kind of mutual relationship could over time bloom to an extent where different businesses, which are not in direct competition with each other,are able to share mailing lists and client information.
Use your current customers
Dish out vouchers to your loyal customers. A happy customer is always a great promoter. The customer with the voucher will spread the word about your services. No advertising works as effectively as word of mouth.
Take face-to-face meetings as an opportunity to issue coupons
Any time you are in a meeting with a group of customers, would-be customers and pretty much at any social gathering, grab the chance to push your offer. If you are offering an expert conversation, or just having small talk, whip out a coupon and share the offer with those around.
Share coupons on internet chatrooms
Reach out to people who use chat rooms inyour area of expertise and provide answers to questions posed by members. Share knowledge and information. Avoid direct selling but you cansell indirectly pretending you want to help people save money by sharing a link and a voucher code. Alternatively, you can point people to your page in a voucher site such as Wikigains.com.
Turn your business card into a voucher
Your business card is a lot more than just a placeholder for your brand. Apart from company information and contact details, leave some space in the card for atime-limited special offer. You can print your business cards with the offer already printed on them. Alternatively, you can handwrite an offer at the back or front of your business card that can be customised to each prospect.
Coupon marketing is a great way to add a few dollars to your bottom line. To start marketing with coupons, you do not need to invest in sophisticated software, expensive shopping carts or pay marketing companies expensive fees. As a small business, all you need is your own printer and a budget of no more than £50 pounds.
