Five tips for offering online promotions for Super Bowl

By Jeff Quipp January 20, 2015

Features Business and Operations Marketing

Jan. 20, 2015 – With Super Bowl XLIX coming up on Feb. 1, and pizza
ranking among the top 10 food choices of Super Bowl viewers, retailers can
expect a surge in demand as friends and family gather to watch the game all
across Canada. Jeff Quipp offers tips on how pizzerias can use online coupons
or promotions to make the most of the big day.

Online coupons or promotions can offer a beneficial
opportunity for any pizza retailer throughout the year. These incentives can
help promote the store, encourage repeat business, attract new customers and
even drive sales.

For any business considering online offers as a way to
maximize their piece of the pizza sales pie during Super Bowl, it’s important
to be aware of the options available and the potential risks associated with
each.

Many businesses launch online coupon campaigns with
disastrous results. As GetElastic points out, while online coupons incentivize
customers to buy from your business, they can be also one of the biggest profit
eaters in digital marketing.

Typically, online coupons are viewed as loss leaders,
positioned to entice customers to buy in the hope that they will buy other
items in addition to the discounted one that is offered, generate regular
customers and create more brand awareness. It’s a good idea in theory, but not
if you lose too much money carrying it out.

There are ways to mitigate losses from online coupons
while still reaping the benefits they offer. With the Super Bowl on the horizon
and fans hungry for pizza, consider the pros and cons of various types of
coupons and promotions so you can effectively reap the benefits of increased
sales and brand awareness that come with online offers.

1. Minimize
the use of third-party deal sites

Companies choose to go with third-party deal sites because
they are typically well known and provide access to a larger audience. These
are primarily used for creating brand awareness and generating new business.
While using sites such as Groupon or WagJag can make sense if you’re new to the
market or trying to grow awareness of a new location or menu items, it is
advisable not to depend on these sites too heavily as you likely won’t be
making much money. This is because businesses first have to offer discounted
prices, and then shell out a large percentage of the money paid to the
third-party. Groupon, specifically, requires at least a 50 per cent discount,
though they can range up to a 90 per cent discount on the original price. From
this, Groupon takes approximately 25 per cent. Thus, businesses don’t really
make any money – at least not directly – from these avenues. That said, you can
typically set limits on the number of discounts you want to offer, which can
help ensure you generate new business and get your brand name out there without
breaking the budget.

2. Leverage
your email list

A good alternative to third-party sites is to offer
coupons via your email list. If you’ve done any digital marketing, you likely
already have one. You can also build a bigger list via your website, using such
calls to action as “subscribe to get the latest deals.” Coupons you offer up to
subscribers are advantageous because they aren’t as costly to the business as
they would be through third-party sites, and furthermore, they are a great way
to reactivate old customers. They also provide you with customer (and potential
customer) information so you can continue to market to those customers – just
make sure you are complying with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).

3. Create
a coupon-landing page

Another great way to offer coupons without the expense of
a third-party deal site, is by creating a coupon page right on your website.
Compile all the latest deals and promotions into a single page that can be
easily updated. This way, you can keep coupons internal to your company – meaning
you don’t have to pay any third-party fees and you can control the discount
percentage – while still motivating both new and repeat customers to buy.

4. Share,
share, share

Social media is a valuable avenue for raising brand
awareness and also a great way to promote your deals and coupons. Be sure to
share your coupons over all your networks, for example, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Place sharing buttons on your coupons so other customers who have redeemed them
can get the word out over their networks. You may even want to consider further
motivating people to share the coupons by offering additional discounts or
another promotion.

5. Leverage
event excitement

With the Super Bowl fast approaching, you have the perfect
opportunity to tie your promotions into the big day by focusing on what’s
already on everyone’s mind. The promotions could be geared towards offers that
address different party sizes or even signature toppings and combos bearing
team names.

Tying your online coupons and promotions directly to the
Super Bowl, the Grey Cup or other events is a great way to take advantage of
the event’s popularity. If this is new territory for you, try starting with a
smaller promotion. Send your coupon to your email list, put it up on your
website and share it over social media using hashtags that are trending. Keep
in mind – as is true of any promotion – you want to limit the number of coupons
you are offering for each particular event so you’re not overwhelmed with
customers buying discounted items.

Approach
online couponing strategically

If you’re going to offer online coupons, remember to
approach it as you would any other marketing effort – with a clear, strategic
approach. Establish goals, set limits and measure results. There is nothing
wrong with using a third-party deal site to encourage new business. Just be
cognizant of the fact that these are brand awareness tools rather than revenue
generators. Furthermore, don’t put all your eggs in one basket: there are a
number of other ways to generate new and repeat business with online coupons
including email marketing, social media promotion and tying deals to current
events. With the right approach, offering online coupons can help you create
brand awareness, encourage repeat business, drive new sales and even acquire
regular customers.

Jeff Quipp is an expert on digital marketing. He
is the founder and CEO of Search Engine People Inc. (SEP), which has been on the PROFIT 100 ranking of Canada's
Fastest Growing Companies for the past five consecutive years and named one of
PROFIT Magazine’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies in the Greater Toronto Area. You
can follow Jeff on Twitter and connect with him on Google+ .