CoupSmart Blog

Meet Doug. His dry cleaning service is really cleaning up, but he wants to expand his reach, get more customers, and turn his Facebook fans into in-store customers. So, he created an exclusive Facebook deal using CoupSmart. Here's what he came up with:

OK, let's see if we can spot (no pun intended) the mistakes Doug made with his coupon.

Is it really worthwhile? Saving $2 for bringing in three skirts doesn't seem like a great deal. Drycleaning can get expensive really quickly.
 
Create the right message. Skirt Special isn't the best headline for the coupon. Is he giving away skirts? What's the actual special?

It's targeted, but may be too targeted. Doug halved his potential reach right off the bat by limiting the deal to skirts. Maybe Doug is trying to only attract females (or perhaps a date), but it hurts his chances to get the most reach.

Make it easy to get and redeem. The deal is confusing. "Up to five, but no less than three skirts"? Your customers shouldn't have to do any more math than subtraction from the normal cost. Also, notice the deal expires in a week, so Doug's not giving his customers much time to redeem the coupon. This may be a good strategy for seasonal deals, but for more generic deals, it isn't.

Here's a better coupon for Doug and why it's better:

It's a worthwhile deal. I'd print this off in a heartbeat. My average dry cleaning bill can easily exceed $25, so saving ten bucks is a big deal.

The message is short and succinct. I save $10 when I purchase over $25 in services. No small print, no confusing jargon.

It's not too targeted. It's broad enough to appeal to any of Doug's Dry customers and doesn't leave anyone out. Suits, skirts, shirts - the coupon is good for all of them.

Very few conditions. Just one, in fact - limit one per customer. It expires at the end of the year, not the end of the month, so it'll be useful for every event from now until then, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.

Of course, if Doug wanted to really wanted to start a viral campaign, he'd opt for an even better deal with a Share Bonus coupon:

With this deal, Doug can get even more reach. Sharing a coupon with friends for an extra $5 off is a great deal.

Sharing with seven friends is a cinch, too. with just one click, I can select who would be a great fit for the deal and then get my bonus.

The bottom line: making coupons is easy, but it's also easy to go from mediocre to great in just a few clicks. 

So, when crafting your coupons and offers, make sure you're:

• • Creating a clear, actionable message
  
  
• • Making it easy for your customer to redeem
  
  
• • Creating a broad enough offer.
  
  
• • Making an offer that is worth printing and sharing.