Did You Know That Google Will Invest in YOUR business? 

One of the best ways to get free advertising was to offer a discount coupon in a coupon book, which the coupon book publisher would then sell.  The coupon publisher would make money off of the sales, and the people buying the coupon book would save money – if they redeemed the coupon.  There was typically little to no cost to the business owner, and it would generally would position their business well.  Whether or not the coupon was redeemed, the business owner still got the market distribution and potential increase in their market's awareness.  The upside?  Typically a very high response rate (better than 68% in many cases) – especially if the coupon book was heavily promoted and the coupon offer was compelling and well-written.

Local Businesses can still get some traction with coupon books – provided their advertisements are tied into their online presence.  But there are many more options for business owners today – and one of the most overlooked is the coupon offer that comes with your Google Business Listing (Pssst – did you know there was one???) – and Google Coupon Feeds.  Whether you market your products and services locally, many businesses are missing out on a FREE opportunity to market their business AND have Google promote you to the world.  And with the Internet becoming increasingly mobile and interconnected, you can make sure your offer is presented directly to your customer when they are near your store and looking for a solution.  In most cases, business owners should include a coupon of some sort in there. 

So, what makes a good offer?  Just about anything your customers would want.  Offering a discount?  Then give them a specific dollar figure versus a percentage.  In most cases, numerical dollar figures have more of an impact, and carry more meaning, than a percentage figure does.

Many business owners we speak with aren't even aware of this feature.  When you use yours, however, just make sure you don't make the mistakes that our hapless owner made in the picture above!  In your business, grammar and math both count!