It can be hard for small businesses and entrepreneurs to compete with larger companies’ extensive marketing budgets. Advertisements and other promotions for giant corporations, like Apple and Nike, seem to populate everywhere — from social media to billboards to the sides of buildings.
Building your brand awareness doesn’t have to be a lost cause. Going head-to-head with big businesses likely won’t work, however, you can still develop a marketing strategy that will promote your company and drive sales.
One of the best ways to break through the advertising clutter is to harness your uniqueness as a small business. While you might not have a trending product or millions of dollars to work with, you have the ability to personally reach out to customers and develop relationships — and that alone can motivate customers to frequent your business.
So, how do you create and maintain meaningful relationships with consumers? Offering deals and discounts throughout the year will give customers a sense of value and excite them about your brand and product. Add a touch of flair by personally messaging customers to notify them of deals.
To help you get started, Wikibuy came up with 15 proven ways that offers and deals generate sales. Promotions don’t have to be limited by season. Keep reading to learn how you can attract and purposefully engage with consumers year-round.
- Pre-Launch Offers – Get your customer base amped up for your brand or product kickoff by providing significant discounts and/or rewards for early engagement. Maybe you decide to give 10% off to everyone who signs up in advance. You could also spark sales with a BOGO (buy one get one) deal or hefty discount for preorders.
- Seasonal and Holiday Deals – It’s extremely common to see promotions and discounts that align with major holidays and/or seasons. However, you can stand out with deals that exceed the market average. For example, Overstock offers up to 70% off of floral items every spring.
- Car Abandonment Offers – Get your ecommerce site off the ground with special online deals. Some businesses offer exclusive products and content that’s online only. Most notably, some companies incorporate re-targeting campaigns that offer discounts to customers with outstanding shopping carts.
- Customer Loyalty Membership Offers – Create a loyalty program for your business to further inflate sales. Consumers see a lot of value in programs such as these because they can shop for their usual products and get rewarded at the same time. This also creates an avenue with which you can frequently communicate with your customers, keeping your brand top-of-mind.
- In-Person Coupons – Just like special deals can motivate consumers to make purchases online, so can they persuade customers to visit your brick-and-mortar store. Send your customer base digital coupons or give them a coupon at checkout to be redeemed in-person at a later time. This way you can maintain and even increase your foot traffic and transactions.
These are just a few examples of how special offers can develop your brand awareness and bottom line. What’s more, a recent study found that almost two-thirds of consumers say that digital coupons raise brand awareness and loyalty.
Check out this infographic for all 15 ways you can generate sales with offers and deals.
