Marketing: Promotions, Discounts and Special Offers – Self-Employed Part 14

Marketing: Promotions – Discounts! Discounts! Discounts! From the classic market crier at the Hamburg fish market to the fashion industry and monthly discount campaigns, from summer sales to promotional offers in the context of special campaigns, e.g. with influencers or TV stations as well as celebrities. Basically, discounts always work. Here you come back to: Start a company.

Promotions, discounts, special offers

Some companies have made it their business model to permanently state the RRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) and then cross it out again. Underneath is the own price, of course an absolute bargain compared to the RRP. In the assortment, there is then a small basic stock of high-quality brands for general upgrading, with a maximum share of 10 to 15%. They make sure that customers know that sometimes you can get great bargains. But of course, most of the merchandise consists of returns from big companies, in other words, remnants. Advertising with remnants would be counterproductive, however, because the customer is immediately no longer willing to pay high prices. Advertising with low-priced brand products is much better. Because the customer assumes in principle already from a higher price. Before it gets too complicated, we prefer to quickly write -20% in the shop window.

Regular campaigns anchor brands in the memory

The buyer knows only one thing, here I can save!

Discounts and special promotions are not only possible at the price, of course, you can also offer more product for the money or a special addition, for example, the collection of loyalty points to get a special bonus as a customer. Here you can also tie in again in the area of “cooperations”. If you have a product and find a product for such a promotion that complements yours perfectly, both sides could easily profit from this promotion. For example, if you open a hairdresser’s shop in Llokal, you could join forces with the fashion boutique around the corner. In the fashion boutique are then a few flyers for your hairdressing salon, with you in the store, however, for the fashion boutique. Customers are thus lured from one shop to the other. There are no additional costs for any of the cooperation partners and no one takes customers away from the other. A pure win-win business.

Advantages in online trading

Of course, the same goes for online trade. If your online shop specializes in car tuning, you could connect with an online shop for sports, e.g. football. Both topics are close together in terms of interest. The sport Onlineshop puts discount flyer to each order. With a simple code you get e.g. 5 € discount on your order. In return you put in your order every time a flyer with 15% discount on every order in the Sport Onlineshop. This way you can both profit from each other.

Immediately the customer thinks, saved! Where you can save, you go. On almost every shop window in the city centre you can see large advertising signs, “SALE! Bargain offers up to -75%!” – an important basis, just like the saying:

“Light attracts people”

Definitely remember!

Exclusive offers: For new and regular customers

Exclusive offers are something special, therefore of course also particularly difficult to explain, because each offer is individual! In general, however, it can be said that exclusive offers can e.g. ensure that you can collect contact addresses. So an exclusive offer could already look like that, that you offer a quite classical 5 € discount coupon only for 24 hours. Shortage of time. One receives the coupon code then only if one registers itself e.g. for the new type character. As soon as you have the email address of the potential customer, you can use it for promotions, as long as he or she does not object.

Exclusive offers can also refer to expensive products, so that there is also a shortage. For example, an exclusive offer could be a special cover for a smartphone if it was developed in cooperation with a designer. Depending on the offer, digital or physical, different methods and possibilities can be found here.

An exclusive offer can also refer to the own community. For example, the offer is only available to followers who follow the company on Snapchat. Accordingly, everyone who wants to see the exclusive offer on Friday evening has to log in to Snapchat. It doesn’t always have to be digital either, exclusive offers can be there just for our customers. E.g. through a mailshot and the invitation to an exclusive test drive or the exclusive discount for the next flight. Of course, this offer is only available for existing customers.

Additional benefits, guarantees and service

Additional services make the purchase more attractive. Additional services should be calculated into the purchase price in advance. An additional 2-year warranty or an additional winter tyre change makes the purchase much more interesting for many people. Especially if you as a customer save effort, trouble or costs in the future. Additional services also promote a positive image of your brand, as well as in customer service. Accordingly, additional services can also be used as a marketing tool.

Through additional services you can also distinguish yourself from the competition. If everyone sells the same product and you are the only one who adds something special, then you have an individual product that is only available from you. You already have another unique selling proposition. Whether it is a service or an additional product, this method is especially profitable if it is offered for a long time, so that the service also gets around, keyword word of mouth.

The different methods can be but also nix. So you can mix e.g. the additional service with exclusive offers, e.g. the free winter tire change but only if you buy your car in July! In addition, there is of course still 1,000 € free, for the old!

Guidebook: Setting up your own business & business plan

You want to start your own business as a real estate agent or with another business idea? We support you with tips on your business plan and concept. Whether self-employed full-time or part-time self-employed: If you want to start your own business, you have to think about many things, in advance and in the operational business. From the right idea to health insurance – what do you have to consider when you want to become self-employed?

There is no education or training for entrepreneurs. One is or is not a managing director. What is always important is your own ambition, because that is the only way to improve every day.

The topics at a glance:

  1. Business Plan
  2. Founder and founding team
  3. Product / Service: USP
  4. Increase customer satisfaction
  5. Market Overview: Customers & Competition
  6. Reference customers: Positive image transfer
  7. Market analysis / validation: business idea
  8. Site selection
  9. Marketing concept: Sales
  10. Advertising: Google Ads, SEO, Newspaper, Radio?
  11. Marketing: Media advertising, costs and CPM
  12. Marketing: trade fairs, training courses and trade advertising
  13. Marketing: sales talk, telephone call and psychology
  14. Marketing: promotions, discounts and special offers
  15. Marketing: Social Media and Online Advertising
  16. E-business: electronic commerce in the enterprise
  17. Cooperations: Cooperative Principle
  18. Financial planning: capital and financing

Here you come back to the overview: