Hoping Coupons Will Boost Your Business?  4 Ways to Design the Best Ones

Clipping coupons might sound like something housewives do on a Sunday afternoon, but coupons are actually a great promotional tool for your business.  In fact, coupons do 2 things at once:

• They get the word out about your business
• They give customers an immediate incentive to do business with you, which leads to immediate profits

If you are trying to boost business during a time of year that’s traditionally slow, or you need to get rid of some inventory that’s been piling up, coupons are a great way to do it.

And, in the grand scheme of things, printing coupons is a cheap way to advertise.  Plus, if you take it one step further and print an entire coupon book, it can create some serious customer loyalty!

Aside from being inexpensive, coupons offer another great benefit – they don’t require you to come up with a sales pitch.  The deal you’re offering on the coupon IS the sales pitch, so nothing more needs to be said!
So, how do you design the best coupons?

Have an image of your discounted product printed right on the coupon

Pictures increase sales conversions.  For example, if you own a sandwich shop, a coupon with a picture of a mouth-watering sandwich on it will bring you far more results than just a plain text coupon.  The key, though, is making sure that the picture is of the highest-quality.  Otherwise, it’s just a waste of ink!

Use colors that match your business

Using the same color scheme provides a sense of continuity, and it establishes your brand right from the start.  You want your coupon to connect a great deal to your business, and matching colors do just that!

Have a bold headline that gets right to the point

A coupon isn’t an essay.  All you need is a descriptive title that tells customers exactly what they’re getting – like “Free Dinner on Tuesdays”.  If it takes readers more than a second to figure out what kind of deal you’re offering, you’ve already lost them.
And, of course, you need a font that’s easy to read.  Save the calligraphy for wedding invitations!

Use the right text for the body

Aside from your headline, your coupon will need to include a few details – like an expiration date, your address, phone number, and web address.  That means you need to pick a font that allows you to fit all of the information clearly, without making the coupon look crowded.