photo credit: paulswansen via photopin cc
As consumers, we have all used coupons at one point or another. Some people spend a couple hours a week cutting them out of papers and magazines while others use an occasional coupon when it crosses their path and is convenient, like free Dutch Bros day when you were already on your way to get a coffee. As a business owner, it can be tempting to offer coupons and discounts to your clients because like it or not, they work. With that said, should you use them for your business or should you steer clear? Let’s look at both sides.
Why You Might Want to Use Coupons
As a business owner, it may make sense to use coupons as an occasional promotional strategy. You can use them as a “get your foot in the door” offer so that your potential client has a reason to call. You can treat them well, provide excellent customer service and they will hopefully come back for more and tell their friends. I wouldn’t discount your services simply for the sake of getting customers in the door, but they can work as part of an integrated strategy. Make sure you understand why you are giving out discounts and how they will ultimately impact your business.
Why You Might Not Want to Use Coupons
If you are familiar with my post 5 Common Marketing Tactics That May Hurt Your Business, coupons can be one thing that can also damage your business because once someone gets something at a discount, often they may not want to pay full price. Also, they may be discount hoppers so often they are not loyal to a business, they are just loyal to discounts.
In Conclusion
Discounts and coupons are not bad, but don’t rush to use them because you don’t have any other ideas. Take a step back, look at the big picture, decide what you want to accomplish, and then think about the best way to reach your goals and if it involves coupons, great! If not, there are often multiple ways to reach the same goal. If you need some ideas, feel free to reach out to us and we can talk about your strategy.
