Engage your customers with creative coupons and keep them engaged by switching the deals around. When your customers start to expect the same coupon offerings from your business every time, the marketing power begins to lose some of its magic. Try new deals, test and track, then repeat. Here a few deals to get you started. (Please add your own ideas in the comments.)

The Classics

1. Buy One Get One Free

2. Buy Two, Get the Third Free

3. Buy One Get the Second Half Price

4. 50% Off – Half Price – Two for One

The Gift Certificate

5. Create a “Gift Certificate” instead of a coupon. This has tremendous pull for new customers even though they could leave without spending any money. Treat it as a marketing expense.

The Games

6. Have an expiration date but let the coupon be reusable until it expires.

ex. $1 off any order above $5 for the entire month of April. Show your coupon for each redemption.

7. Coupon Exchange, let your customers redeem the coupon and receive another more valuable coupon in its place.

ex. For the entire month of April bring in this coupon $1 off any order above $5 and get another coupon back for $2 off any purchase above $5. Use that coupon and get another for $3 off and so on until you get up to the $5 off coupon with a $5 purchase (100%) off!

Recurring Items

8. Get first month free – encourages new business

9. Get second month free – encourages repeat business

10. Pay for six months and get 20% off – encourages long term business

Loss Leader

Free Free Free – Offer a free or heavily discounted item that has mass appeal but low cost to get people in the door.

11. Free Hot Dog and Soda this Saturday with Coupon

The Prize

Create a game or gift that is a coupon

12. Coupon inside a fortune cookie

13. Scratch off to reveal coupon (like a lottery ticket).

Related Items

Offer discounts on things that are not in the forefront of your customer’s mind but would be of interest to them.

14. 50% first month in our “Wine of the Month” program (for a winery/liquor store).

15. Buy a massage and get a free manicure

16. (the classic) Buy a burger and get free fries

The Blowout

Similar to the loss leader, offer a heavy discount on items that will be discarded or out of season soon.

17. Free Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes all day long this Sunday

18. Free calendar, Free holiday decorations, Half price patio furniture

Spend some, Get some

19. Spend $20 get $5 off

20. Spend $50 get $10 off

21. Spend some amount and get a gift certificate valid for a short time frame

Couples and Friends

Encourage 2 or more people to visit.

22. 1/2 off dinner for two.

23. $38 dinner special for two

24. Bring a friend and you both get a free drink with this coupon.

Families

25. Kids eat free with coupon

26. Seniors half off with coupon

27. Free dessert with the family feast

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