In the online world, beating out competitors and getting visitors to your site instead of others is a tricky business. There are millions of websites, and many offer the same content or service, making competition sometimes seem like an all-out war.
To grab the attention of web surfers and direct them away from competitors, businesses can build up an arsenal of online promos. Many of those below work quite well, but a few are almost guaranteed to bring in more web traffic.
In the ever-expanding world of social media, most businesses have a strong presence with millions of followers. Attracting new followers to a brand could be as simple as running a competition on a particular platform.
A competition does not need a major prize that will bankrupt your business, but offering something exciting is a sure way to engage people with your brand. As people share the competition with their friends and family, more people will discover you, leading to more followers and (hopefully) sales.
Flash Sales
Nothing inspires consumers more to impulse buy than telling them they only have a set amount of time to do so. For this reason, flash sales are highly effective in boosting sales and attracting clients who would otherwise pass a business by.
Flash sales usually involve selling specific items at a higher-than-normal discount that is generally limited to a particular timeframe or a certain number of sales. Either option leads customers to believe it is best to get in before the sale ends.
Vouchers/Coupons
As with flash sales above, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t like paying less money than they should. Therefore, offering vouchers and coupons is one of the most proven methods to keep customers coming back for more.
These can be issued after the initial sale to a customer or even as an incentive for a new customer to register an account. And while more people will respond to higher amounts, the discounts offered don’t need to be extensive to bring in new business.
Noble Causes
Donating a portion of a specific sale or their profit as a whole to a local charity is an excellent way for businesses to invest back into other people’s lives. It is also a great way to make people feel better about purchasing from a company.
Giving to noble causes can significantly boost a business’s sales by inviting people to partner with them in raising money through sales. Doing this could even encourage customers to spend slightly more than they initially would have been willing to do.
Loyalty Programs
Working hand-in-hand with vouchers and coupons, loyalty programs reward returning customers for their continued business. They can improve a company’s chances of retaining a steady sales base, especially for established brands that could lose consumers to newer, hipper markets.
These loyalty programs don’t need to be over the top; they can be as simple as giving a certain amount of cash or valuable benefits, such as discounts, after a set number of sales. Not only does this reward the customer, but it also incentivizes them to keep shopping and place repeated orders.
Free Items
Nothing gets people hyped more than getting something free of charge, whether it be gamblers wanting to play thousands of free slots on Casinos.com or shoppers looking for free shipping and returns.
This is one of the main reasons many websites offer free deliveries or samples when purchasing products or registering an account. Many people’s deciding factor when spending money is the value they receive for their cash, and throwing in something free is a sure-fire way to increase this value.
Referrals
While perhaps not quite as effective as the other methods mentioned above, referral rewards have stood the test of time and remain one of the most effective ways to attract people. After all, word of mouth has been one of the top marketing strategies for years.
Offering small rewards, such as a coupon, discount, or cash back to anyone who refers another person who then places an order or registers an account, is a great way to inspire people to share the news about a brand.
Member Only Promotions
For sites that rely on memberships that operate alongside free tiers, member-only promotions, and sales are a tried and tested method to get people to upgrade their accounts. As such, it is a common promotion many companies employ.
These promotions offer particular incentives, rewards, or discounts to members. In some cases, these memberships don’t even carry a subscription fee but only require registering an account — which is as simple as it gets.
Lifestyle Discounts
There are specific demographics that some companies prefer as customers over others. To attract as many of their target customers as possible, these businesses can offer lifestyle discounts to anyone who meets specific criteria.
The most popular lifestyle discounts are for teachers, students, veterans, and pensioners. These groups can benefit from exclusive deals that aren’t available to regular customers.
Cashback
While free items can excite consumers, getting actual cash back is something very few rewards can beat. After all, receiving your money back gives you more to spend on items you may have wanted.
Cashback rewards usually form part of a reward program, and these two promotions are often found together on many websites. Usually, a specific percentage of your spending will be returned to you as a reward for shopping with a particular brand.
Conclusion
While the promos listed above are among the most effective and common that you’ll find online, there are plenty more that websites leverage to drive traffic and sales. Whichever you choose to go with, remember that the investment is almost always worthwhile. Doing so can boost your business significantly and help secure long-time clients with whom you can build meaningful relationships.
