For most businesses, coupon books can be highly valuable. They drive business visibility and consumer interest, thereby increasing revenue, improving brand loyalty, and sustaining your business for years to come. But what are the best ways to get more value out of this strategy?
Why Coupon Books?
Why would you create coupon books for your business?
There are a few distinctive advantages to this strategy. For starters, it’s relatively cheap and easy to print coupon books online. After you nail down a solid design, you can build out your blueprint and have it delivered to your doorstep in a matter of a few weeks.
Coupons also have a built-in incentive for your customers and prospects. Because these coupons will give them free items or steep discounts, they have a good reason to take action. The same can’t be said of traditional advertisements that only highlight the existence of your brand.
Coupon books are also extremely effective at promoting word of mouth advertisement. If your coupon deals are good enough, your customers will want to tell their friends and family about them.
Tips for Creating Coupon Booklets for Your Business
Follow these tips to get even more value out of the coupon booklets you print for your business:
- Choose the right printer. Coupon booklet printers are easy to find online, but not all of them provide the quality services you need. Ideally, you’ll choose a printer who offers high quality paper and printing options. One that’s reliable enough to have good reviews, one with inexpensive pricing that allows you to achieve a high ROI, and one with delivery options that can get you the coupon booklet in a reasonable amount of time.
- Upgrade what you can. You might have a strict budget for your coupon booklet, but it’s still a good idea to upgrade any features of that booklet that you can. For example, upgrading the stock to something thicker and more durable can make your brand seem more professional or more luxurious.
- Show off your brand voice. Coupon booklets aren’t just about the coupons; they also serve as a formal introduction to your brand. Accordingly, it’s important to show off your brand voice. What makes your brand’s personality unique? Why is your brand different then the brands of your competitors?
- Hire a professional designer. Your coupon book will look much more attractive and form a better first impression if you hire a professional designer to help create it. This can be a significant additional expense, but it’s usually worth the upfront cost.
- Differentiate yourself. Brand differentiation is always important, but it’s especially important when creating a coupon booklet, since many of your competitors may have already beaten you to this strategy. Consider offering unique coupons for products that your competitors can’t offer, or tweak the design in a way that makes the booklet stand apart.
- Get creative with your offers. Try to think outside the box when it comes to your specific offers. A flat 20 percent discount on an order or a free appetizer with a meal our offers we’ve all seen thousands of times. Exercise your creativity and try to come up with something original.
- Have at least one power coupon. Somewhere in your coupon book should be at least one “power coupon,” which offers an incredibly good deal or something very rewarding for the person cashing it in. This way, you almost guarantee that every person who receives a coupon book will use at least one coupon.
- Have a system to discourage exploitation. Coupon booklets are valuable, but they can sometimes be exploited. Make sure you put policies and safeguards in place to prevent people from being able to use the same coupon multiple times.
- Strategize your distribution. Distributing your coupon booklets is strategically intensive, and possibly more strategically intensive than figuring out which coupons to offer in the first place. Consider using multiple channels to reach as many people as possible.
- Measure your results. Marketing campaigns practically require you to objectively measure your results. Make sure you have a system in place to track how many coupon books you sell or give away, how many coupons are actively being used, and how much value your coupon books are generating compared to how much you spent on them. The more data you have to analyze, the better.
The more experience you have making coupon booklets and distributing them for your business, the better results you’re going to see. Make it a point to learn from your past mistakes and assess the highlights of your latest campaigns, so you can use those insights to make an even better coupon book the next time around.