The Fundamentals of Coupon Design

You can create your own coupons for use in the newspaper, direct mail, flyers, email, and digital media like your website and Facebook. This chart identifies the fundamentals of basic coupon design. If you're a member of the Service Roundtable and want a specific coupon, contact Bob Viering with your request.

The chart is found on the Free Stuff section of the Service Roundtable. Click HERE to download the chart.

Top 10 Cities For Coupons

The top ten cities for coupons according to Coupons Inc are:

1. Atlanta, GA 918 Index (100 = National Average)
2. Tampa, FL 522
3. Cincinnati, OH 511
4. Saint Louis, MO 468
5. Minneapolis, MN 351
6. Nashville, TN 308
7. Charlotte, NC 306
8. Cleveland, OH 272
9. Pittsburgh, PA 254
10. Kansas City, MO 254

Atlanta residents are 9.18 times more likely than the average citizen to redeem coupons. 

Coupon Marketing is Up 27%... Are You Offering Coupons?

Are you looking for a marketing strategy that works in the current economy, try the tried and true coupon. In fact, coupon use is up 27% according to the nation's leading coupon processor, Inmar.

2009 was first year in the last 17 where coupon redemption increased. Part of the increase may result from marketers' increased use of coupons as a promotional vehicle to drive sales during the downturn. Manufacturers increased the number of coupons by 30%.

According to Inmar's Matthew Tilley, “Brands saw coupons as a key to maintaining brand strength. If they reduced their promotional presence, they stood to lose sales to lower priced competitors and store brands – so they doubled down hoping to create brand loyalty once the economic dust settles.”

Jesse Aversano from News America Marketing, a coupon book publisher, notes, “manufacturers understand that in a tough economy, coupons are an effective and efficient way to spend their advertising dollar.”

In short, market more during a downturn, not less, When customers are harder to find, increase efforts to market to new and existing customers.

Coupons represent an effective tactic because people are looking for value and savings and marketers are looking or results.

Not surprisingly, given their lower costs, digital coupons usage is up dramatically. Coupons Inc reports an increase of 170% in the printed value of coupons.

Citing Simmons Market Research studies, Coupons Inc notes that "more than 45 million American consumers are now using online coupons, up from 38 million in 2008. Of the 45 million online coupon users, almost one third (13.1 million) does not clip coupons from their Sunday newspaper, a 140 percent increase over 9.4 million in 2008."

What does the digital coupon redeemer look like? Here are a couple of characteristics...

• Higher income ($97,000 household income, which is 23% higher than average)
  
• Better educated (34% have a college degree, compared to 27% of the general population)

When was the last time you advertised, mailed, or emailed a coupon?