What Makes a Good Coupon? (And What Makes A Bad One)

Some people spend their whole marketing careers creating the definitive "Good Coupon" (ie: a coupon that brings the customer to you and yet doesn't cost too much in profit) and avoiding a bad coupon (usually a coupon that gets no response). Outfitters, guides and lodges can see a dramatic improvement in their profits by offering coupon or special discount. To make a good coupon, you need to think like your customers. What would make you save an offer and go use it? What kind of coupon calls you to check out that business if you've never used them before? What coupons do you pass on?

Pick A Service to Discount that your Customer is Actually Interested In
A coupon advertises a discount for a limited period of time on a service. You may have an low cost/high profit hunt or trip that you WANT people to purchase however if that's not the adventure that is currently bringing clients in the door, your coupon (unless a deep discount) is not going to be as effective.


Don't Limit Who Can Use the Coupon
People dislike fine print. There's nothing I despise more than when I take a coupon and try to use it only to learn that my coupon does not apply to me because I am an existing customer. Why would you not want to reward your current customers for shopping with you? If you are discounting a hunt or trip that only a very limited number of people can use, make sure you are offering a variety of coupons at the same time that together will include everyone.

Create Urgency with An Expiration Date
Expiration dates create an sense of urgency that your customer will need to act quickly to use and benefit from the coupon. Experiment with expiration dates. A date that is too close can be disastrous if your marketing strategy doesn't get the coupon out in time. Plus it doesn't give people enough time to redeem it. A date too far away will be forgotten. Depending on your advertising, what your discount is and the season, 2 weeks to 1 month can be a good time frame for a coupon expiration date.

Offer a Discount not just a Coupon
Statistics show that people don't respond if a coupon's face value is too small. I recently saw a discount for a lodge that offered $2.00 off a one night stay. Their rooms normally cost, on average, $79.00 so their coupon gave me less than 3% off. That doesn't make me want to respond at all. In fact I was almost turned off to the business itself for offering such a sad coupon. This is where you need to put your customer hat back on. If you see 10% off, 15% off or 25% off coupons - which do you respond to? You may cringe at the idea of offering a 25% off coupon but think about successful chains like Bass Pro Shops which focus millions of dollars on this marketing strategy that people come shop with them more if they believe they'll save with their coupon.

Create a Coupon Strategy and Go For It!
If you want to do a past client, referral or annual deep discount coupon then plan it out and market accordingly. If you want people to consistently check your website or social media for coupons then offer a variety and consistently market them. Whatever you decide to do - plan it out and execute it. That doesn't mean you can't modify your plan as you find coupons that work or fail. It means you are taking an active role in this side of your marketing strategy.