Whether you are a business giant or someone who has just launched a small company, a strong digital marketing strategy can boost your sales and bring more customers on board. With the internet being on everyone’s fingertips, customers now search for what they want online even if they plan to shop in-store.
As per stats, 82% of searchers make up their mind about a purchase in-store by looking at products on their phone first. This change in the landscape of marketing has been rather sudden and rapid with 76% of people thinking that marketing has altered its ways in the last two years more than it has in the past fifty.
In fact, your brand is likely to get the attention of at least 50% of the people who see its name pop up more than once. One thing is clear; e-commerce is on the rise and with it is digital marketing. Consumer habits have changed, and people are now looking forward to utilizing the internet for shopping. If your business doesn’t have an online identity, does it even exist to the wider pool?
Talking about marketing, one tactic that never fails when rightly used are timed sale offerings. Customers love discounts for more reasons that one. Discounts make them feel smarter, happier, and more successful. So how can you make use of digital content coupons to market your products further and how should you go about that? Let’s dive into the details.
How can brands benefit from digital coupons?
Digital coupons can be exactly what you need to breathe life into your business, provided you use them correctly. Juniper Research says that the rate of digital coupon redemption is set to rise by 94% by 2022. And of these, 80% redemption will come from mobile phones. In fact, Inmar says that 53% of customers want all coupons to be digital ones.
It is the convenience of use of digital coupons which explains why consumers lean toward them. With coupons easily findable through search engines, newsletters, and on social media, people are moving away from the clip-and-collect approach that they had to take with newspaper coupons. Looking at how customers prefer digital coupons, brands can benefit from them greatly.
Coupons change buying behavior as per 83% of customers, 25% have also said that they have made them spend more. Coupons also allow you to entice new customers, as revealed by Inmar that has found that 39% of customers are willing to try a brand new to them in the presence of a discount code. Moreover, coupons for new brands are amazing for creating buzz around your biz.
If you are an online-only business, coupons are worth more to you as 68% of customers aren’t even willing to shop online without a coupon code. Coupons can increase both short term as well as long term ROI for businesses. They can build brand awareness as 68% of customers themselves believe so and the same percentage also thinks that coupons build brand loyalty.
How to offer a coupon in the digital space
There are several ways a company can offer digital coupons. The purpose for which it is offering a coupon also plays a part in deciding the platform and plan for digital coupon marketing. If the goal is to reach more audience, your brand can create a coupon code or discount for posting on social media. Noting that 97% of US adults who are below 65 years of age use social media at least once in a month, social networks are great for widening your brands’ audience.
However, if your goal is customer retention, you can put in place a loyalty program. Looking at how 58% of people who are part of a company’s loyalty program are likely to shop through it once a month, implementing such a program is super beneficial for keeping customers interested. Emailing coupons to customers is yet another strategy that can be put in place as 70% of shoppers prefer receiving coupons via email.
AdWords, affiliate marketing, and coupon offers via couponing sites are some other ways coupons can be spread. However, don’t forget to jump on the bandwagon of the latest coupon marketing trends such as the distribution of coupons through SMS seeing that that mobile coupon industry is only expanding. Since 75% of the population has a cellphone, it’s only logical to tap this route too.
How to make coupons for your business
Coupon creation is not a particularly tricky part of the digital coupon campaign. In fact, with social media channels, emails, and many other internet-related services available free of cost, if anything, digital coupons are also convenient for marketers in comparison to paper coupons. If you have a creative mind, you can create digital coupons by tweaking designs of graphics already available on design web-apps.
Or, you can hire a graphic designer to do the job which will give you a more unique, eye-catchy, and professional result. The goal is to keep the design trendy, with more focus on what discount you are offering and till when. All information regarding the deal must be briefly mentioned on the coupon. Mention details such as how the coupon can be used, till when, and where. You may need a copywriter who can help you with the wording.
Dos and don’ts of digital coupon marketing
You may think that digital coupon marketing is a piece of cake but is anything but. In fact, your team needs to properly strategize when, how, and for what reason your company should offer a coupon to customers. Offering coupons one too many times can lower the value of your brand as half the people would become habitual of waiting for your discounts and not shopping otherwise.
While the other half would be led to think that your products aren’t of enough worth to be sold at full price. Therefore, your brand will come off as cheap. Moreover, the design of your coupon is where your focus should lie as well. Coupons that are unclear or unattractive hardly catch eyeballs. Make sure the call-to-action is prominent and creates a sense of urgency. Coupons should also be easy to use.
Employ current trends and technologies in this regard. While you should spread your coupons through as many channels as you can, don’t overdo in this area. This is because the same message everywhere is likely to annoy a customer who is connected to you through various routes. You can go ahead by doing A/B testing to know which direction you should go in.
Key Takeaway
Coupons can have an incredibly positive impact on your brand’s digital marketing strategy. However, the art of coupon e-marketing is not as simple as offering a discount and posting it on Facebook or Instagram. For succeeding, your e-coupon’s availability has to be interesting and well-timed.
There are several online routes through which you can share your coupons including loyalty programs, emails, mobile SMS, and more. With the right coupon marketing campaign, you can expect an increase in customer acquisition, retention, sales, popularity, and more.
Article written by EmmaThomas.
