Online coupons help promote a business by offering customers different types of sales incentives such as discounts, giveaways, and free shipping. Just like traditional print coupons found in newspapers, magazines, and ads, online coupons cater to the needs of price-conscious consumers and offer them a way to purchase what they want at a price they are comfortable with.  Online coupons can make a service or product seem more desirable to consumers who would be less likely to purchase at a high cost.  They are frequently in the forms of printable coupons, discounts offered through e-mail, and savings for Twitter and Facebook followers.

Online Coupons:  Effective Options

The first and most essential part of the online coupons process is deciding what level of discount you want to offer to consumers and how long you want the discount to last.  Are you going to offer a 10% discount, redeemable at any time? Or a buy-one-get-one-free for this week only?  Be specific with your details.  Your online coupons should tell the consumer exactly what sort of sale they are receiving and the exact time frame the coupon is available.

Once this is done, it is time to create your online coupons.  For local and small businesses, it is a great idea to offer your coupon through e-mail, Craigslist.com, and by encouraging “clicks” on your business’s social media sites.  While these options are great for every business, larger companies should use national coupon sites such as Coupon.com to create their online coupons.

Distributing Your Online Coupons

There are many options when it comes to distributing your online coupons.  How you get your coupon out there is really up to your preferences and what will work best for your company. Whichever way you choose, make sure your coupon is compelling enough to make consumers stop and have a second look at your discount.  Evoke curiosity and offer a deal they cannot pass up.

• Add a coupon icon or banner to your website.
• Partner with a social shopping site such as Groupon.com
• Post on your Twitter, Facebook, and blog pages
• Send an e-mail to your client list
• Make a short video or animation for Youtube

It is always a great idea to make all of these options shareable.  You can use promotions such as “Save 15% when you share with two friends” or “Get one free when you share with three friends” to encourage that your consumers pass the coupon along to others, ensuring that your online coupons are distributed to the maximum number of consumers who share similar likes and interests.

How to Measure Coupon Redemption

Once your coupon has expired, it is time to determine how effective your online coupons were by measuring coupon redemption. This can be done by using an analytical site such as Google Analytics to see how many people clicked on your coupon and what number of those clicks resulted in a purchase.  You can also use less technological methods by simply asking customers where they saw their coupon and writing down their responses. Measuring online coupon redemption will help you see what sort of promotions brought in the most consumers and how you can adjust coupons in the future to better cater to the needs of your consumers.