Everyone loves a good deal, and coupons make your products and services more attractive by offering customers a price break. Although they're especially popular in the consumer packaged goods and fast food franchise industries, coupons can be employed by almost any type of business, from a carpet cleaning service to a tanning salon.

Coupons are a valuable communication tool as well. They allow you to:

1. Invite customers to try your products or services at a low risk.
2. Encourage shoppers to buy in greater quantity.
3. Motivate people to make a purchase now.
4. Attract buyers during slow seasons or during extremely competitive periods.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Try coupon mailers

Coupon mailers stuffed with offers from various local businesses reach millions of households and businesses yearly. With these shared coupon mailers, you can either focus on a single local market or on a national audience. Some national mailers allow you to vary your message based on zip code, city, state, or region.

I recommend: Find out how to get your coupons included in well-known coupon mailers at Money Mailer or Valpak.

Go high-tech with mobile text message campaigns

Text message or short message service (SMS) coupons let you deploy instant discounts, turning around a slow day of sales. They also help you reach that elusive younger generation that doesn't clip coupons.

I recommend: Air2Web helps companies create and track mobile marketing campaigns, including mobile coupon execution. Find out if a university in your area has a system like MoBull Plus, a system at the University of South Florida powered by Rave Wireless, that allows students to opt in to receive text-message coupons from local advertisers.

Target Web-savvy shoppers

Reach bargain hunters online by placing printable coupons or electronic/paperless coupons on Web sites that specialize in online savings offers.

I recommend: Contact Q Interactive for information on how to target consumers on its coupon site, Coolsavings.com. Or place your offers on coupon mailer Valpak.com's online coupon site.

You've got deals: email coupons

Email coupons help you reach consumers who'd rather surf the Web than snip discounts out of a newspaper. They also give you additional exposure as consumers forward great deals to friends.

I recommend: Start by giving your customers the opportunity to share their email addresses with you. To find a list broker who can help you find email marketing lists, search the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Yellow Pages.

Slip into the Sunday paper

For millions of consumers, scouring the newspaper for coupons is an integral part of their Sunday ritual. Getting your coupons in the mix can help place your product on their shopping list. But beware, it'll be pricy.

I recommend: Find rates, specs and schedules for placing a coupon in News America Marketing's free-standing inserts (FSIs) for newspapers nationwide.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Protect yourself from fraud. If you suspect that someone is mis-redeeming your coupons, contact law enforcement or the Coupon Information Corporation, a non-profit consortium of merchandisers dedicated to preventing coupon fraud.
• •  Look for partners in your coupon efforts. Retailers are banding together to offer deals as a group, forming email and direct-mail partnerships so consumers can get restaurant deals from one source, apparel deals from another.