Everyone loves free stuff, and so should you!

Most people belong to loyalty programs, use coupons, and have a “buy 5, get the 6th free” cards floating around their wallet. For the normal consumer, these are great little freebies you get just for coming back to a business. For small businesses, these are marketing gold! 

You might be thinking to yourself, “I own a small business where every penny counts. How can I afford to just give things away for free?”. The answer lies with you and your business. I’m not saying you should gift fantastical prizes through contests or give half of your stock away. Your focus should be on driving brand loyalty to your business. 

Here’s an example. Say you own a company that mostly does services in home maintenance. You can create a coupon like “first time customers get a free consultation and a 10% discount when they sign up for 10 services”. In this promotion, you’re encouraging potential clients to sign up with you and to stay with you for 10 services. Many service based businesses offer consultations for free because it’s a way to market yourself on a personal basis with new or returning clients. 

Say you own a business that sells art supplies. You can offer coupons that have deals like “buy three fancy pens and get an eraser free” or “buy an art set and get 10% off your next purchase - valid for 90 days”. These kinds of coupons and promotions encourage customers to choose you over your competitors because they get something extra. For coupons that include something like “get 10% off your next purchase”, these encourage customers to come back again and again. Remember to put an expiry date to promote urgency.

Giveaways and competitions are also a great way to inspire customer loyalty and to generate excellent marketing for your business. For giveaways, you can ask customers t provide their email for your mailing list to be added to your giveaway. By doing this, you make signing up for a mailing list far more appealing because the customer could get something in return. For competitions, you can encourage people to post pictures of your product or something topical related to your business on social media to be entered into your competition. The more people who participate, the more free advertising you have showing people interacting with your business and (hopefully) enjoying your products or services.

The sky's the limit when it comes to coupons, giveaways, and competitions. Just be sure to check the laws in your area about giveaways, competitions and coupons. 

Need help with your marketing strategy and how to integrate this? let us help!