In an age where as many as 75% of consumers expect discounts, you don’t need us to tell you that getting on top of voucher campaigns in 2020 matters. You know this, or else you wouldn’t be here!
The trouble is that, despite your best efforts, your coupon marketing doesn’t seem to be achieving the results you’d expect. Engagement is falling flat and, no matter which voucher codes you pull out the bag, your competitors always seem to be one step ahead. Rather than enjoying the increase in sales you expect, you’re struggling to even engage customers.
It’s a sad state of affairs, and it’s a sure sign that, somehow, you’re doing coupon marketing wrong. This is an issue you need to address if you’re to stand any chance at staying on top next year, especially considering that poorly-worded or managed voucher campaigns can do more reputational damage than no discounts at all. Seriously! With that in mind, keep reading to find out the top five ways to finally get a grip on your unwieldy voucher efforts.
#1 - ALWAYS personalise
79% of consumers state that they’ll only interact with a discount that’s been tailored to them. If you’re failing to stand apart from the crowd right now, then there's every chance that your lacking personalisation is the issue. After all, why would customers choose you when you’re inherently failing to make them feel special?
The worst part is, there’s no need for this failure in the modern age. When they shop with you online, consumers leave a larger data footprint than ever before. You have the analytics on hand to create tailored discounts that are guaranteed to increase sales. With the right software behind you, you don’t even need to add to your workload to incorporate unique codes like these!
Some fantastic options for personalisation that will surely set you apart include:
- Shopping cart abandonment codes
- Discounts based on previous shopping behaviour
- Birthday discounts
- Location-based offerings
- And more
As well as giving you an edge, these efforts should prevent widespread coupon misuse that could see you missing out no matter how many consumers show an interest. It’s a win, win situation, and it’s a priority you need to get on top of.
#2 - Aim for the target
Darts players don’t throw haplessly and hope to score big points. Instead, they tailor their shots to hit precisely the right mark. In the same way, you should think about targets with every discount code. Otherwise, you’re never going to beat your competitors!
Perhaps the best example of this would be to tailor promotions towards shopping cart abandonment. A shocking 75.6% of consumers abandon online shopping carts, with even higher figures of 77%+ from mobile shoppers. While reasons for abandonment vary, things like unexpected shipping costs or a desire to shop around are often to blame. By providing a targeted ad offering free shipping within 24 hours, you can, therefore, turn potential failures into a sale, with a much higher conversion rate than any blind discount will ever buy you.
Other targets could include word of mouth incentives incorporating gamification techniques. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where you target your coupons as long as you’re aiming towards a tangible goal. This can provide incentives like you wouldn’t believe, as well as providing tangible results that you can use for further improvement down the line.
#3 - Provide added incentives
Speaking of incentives, these are another fantastic way to increase voucher campaign interaction. A bland ‘money off’ discount with no time frame, call to action, or thought behind it simply isn’t exciting in this varied coupon landscape. Money off in itself simply isn’t enough to guarantee interactions anymore.
Instead, you need to consider added discount incentives to get consumers moving. Scarcity discounts are most effective here, with techniques such as:
- Diminishing discounts
- Time-sensitive offers
- Limited stock promotions
Each of these can work to make items seem more valuable and give consumers more reason to act quickly. That could see voucher campaigns paying off in a significant way.
Other incentives also work, including options like loyalty offerings, increased money off depending on the amount consumers are spending, and even mystery gamification rewards if customers use discounts within a set period. We’re all kids at heart, remember, and no one will be able to resist the toy in the cereal box of your efforts here!
#4 - Consider where coupons are coming from
Placing coupons on generic sites alongside millions of others is no way to stand out. Generic ads, too, are unlikely to provide your campaign with the coverage or customer trust it deserves. Remember that 32% of internet users now install ad blockers, meaning that they might not even see your offerings. That’s no way to boost brand identity or profits.
Instead, consider providing coupons from angles that consumers are more liable to appreciate. Direct to inbox offerings have long been a sound choice here, with 70% of consumers finding deals this way, especially when sent personalised offerings.
However, even this age-old method is paling in comparison to the power of influencer marketing coming into 2020. Remember that 3.484 billion people now use social media platforms, and many of us seek influencer recommendations here. Unsurprisingly, then, influencer discounts now earn companies $6.50 for every dollar spent. What’s more, the ability to track unique codes when using this method means you’ll always be able to stay one step ahead of consumer behaviours that actually convert!
#5 - Always add value
Ultimately, every one of these pointers works towards adding value to your voucher campaigns, but this point deserves mention too. After all, discounts may be vital in the modern market, but they stand to do some damage to perceived brand value if you aren’t careful. Crass ‘money off’ offers that never end often mean that consumers will be reluctant to buy full price, and may even assume your products aren’t worth their reduced price tags.
Personalisation, targeted offers, incentivised promotions, and influencer efforts can all help to avoid this, but other, more simplistic methods are also worth attention.
For one, you need to ensure you’re providing unique, single-use codes every time. This can be more easily done using the right promo code platform to help you automate processes and advance the way you do promo code marketing.
On top of this, changing wording to paint a more positive picture of your company alone can make a huge difference, with ‘Save 10%’ rather than ‘get £XX off’ sounding far more appealing to many. Equally, offering free shipping can be the ideal way to get consumers onside without once making them questioning the value of your products.
Voucher campaigns with wow factor
Getting voucher campaigns right isn’t difficult. In fact, success here primarily comes down to how well you understand customers. By tailoring each offering to their needs, you never again need to worry about your efforts landing in the right places. That alone will help you stand against the crowd and benefit from increased sales, ongoing loyalty, and word of mouth marketing in the coming future.
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