Everyone loves free stuff, and everyone loves to find a great deal. So why not reward customers with coupons using Snapchat? As a business owner, regardless of the industry you are in your consumer wants something in return from you. If they are always purchasing from you, if they are loyal to your brand and if they purchase often, you should reward them and Snapchat allows you to do so with great coupon sharing.

Furthermore, it is so simple for you to post a coupon for a few short seconds, and this is not only going to force the recipient to go to your site immediately, it is going to keep them coming back for more if they anticipate future coupons will be offered on your site or place of business.

Frequently, but Not Too Frequently

The use of coupons is a great scheme to draw in your customer, and draw them to visit your site. It is a great way for people who are new to Snapchat and have never visited your site in the past to hop on over and see what you have to offer.

If you are using this strategy along with other social media sites, it is a good idea to differentiate where you offer coupons and sales. So if you are using this app, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, spread the wealth. Add a new coupon every few days or once a week. Or, throw in a message for free shipping every few days if the customer spends a certain amount. Even offer free giveaways if a customer comes in to the stores and purchases an item.

You don’t want to post coupons every day. It will not only make your recipients feel as if they are being bombarded by your marketing, it will make them desire your products less. So share coupons and offer your recipients a reason to shop with you, but make sure you do not overuse this technique. As with any other marketing tactic, too much is never a good thing and you run the risk of pushing your consumers away if they feel they are being pressured to purchase from you.

Build Your List

As a business owner you will immediately see that by sharing coupons, you are going to gain an entirely new set of recipients who will follow your account. What does this mean? It means you are now building a list of recipients which you are going to be able to share and post future coupons to. With one great coupon or one compelling sale, you can potentially gain hundreds if not thousands of new followers in a matter of a few days or weeks.

In the past, business owners would buy emails or would have to use traditional marketing methods to get new followers. On Snapchat, a few great coupon offers means you are building an entirely new list of followers, you are adding several new names and you are going to be able to send out far more promotional material for no additional cost because you are building a list of recipients with each new coupon you share.

Make it Compelling

You also want to make the coupon compelling. If you are posting coupons that say save $5 when you spend $500 or more, is this really worth it for the recipient? More often than not, they are not going to jump at an opportunity to save .5% on a purchase. So make sure the coupons you do share are worth value to your recipients. Offer them a $20 coupon if they spend $100 or more; or, choose a free shipping coupon if they spend $50 or more on your site. With these coupons people are more likely to run to your site and check out what is currently available. Furthermore, they know they will not have to overspend, in an effort to save a few bucks when they are purchasing something from your business.

Make Customers Come Back

When the coupons you are sharing on your Snapchat account are compelling, more often than not the recipient is likely to come back for more. If your recipients know you post coupons every Monday (or any other day of the week), they are likely to check their account each week to see what specials you are offering this week. Or, if you offer great coupons even if they are not offered frequently, it is extremely likely your recipients are going to check them out when you do share them.

It does not matter what line of business you are in, consumers want to save. If you offer them coupons and if they know you will do so on a regular basis, they are going to come back to see what is being offered and it is also likely that they are going to purchase from you in the future as well.

Give it Away

Sure you don’t want to lose business, but with the right coupons and free giveaways, you are surely going to see growth in your business. If you sell pastries in a bakery, offer a free muffin if the customer spends a certain amount. Sure they aren’t paying for one item, but they are spending more than they otherwise would have if you weren’t offering a certain coupon. Plus, the muffin you are giving away only cost you pennies on the dollar, and in return you are making far more than you would otherwise have made if not for the coupon.

Watch Your Competitors

Competition is everywhere and is in every industry. Just as you have chosen to use Snapchat to share coupons and promos, so have many of your competitors. It is a free site, it gives you access to millions of people and it is easy to use; so why wouldn’t other businesses use it? For this reason, you have to know what your competitors are doing if you hope to gain a new following, and if you hope to keep your current recipients from turning to other competitors.

If you are in an industry that has limited competition, check out the snaps they are sending out and the coupons they are promoting. If you are in a huge industry with several competitors, spot out the most successful ones to see what they are doing. Not only will you be able to see what they are promoting, what they are selling and what they are sharing, you are also going to be able to gauge how much of a deal or how much of a savings you should offer to your customers when you do post your coupons on Snapchat. If a customer can pay less for the same exact thing elsewhere, they are going to do so. Therefore, you need to find out what your biggest competitors are doing, what they are offering and find a way to give your customers a better deal if you hope to keep them and hope to avoid losing customers to your competitors in your industry.

Know Your Demographic

About 70% of Snapchat users are women, and 18% of users are iPhone owners. What does this mean for you? It means you have to leverage your audience, and give them what they want. If you can send mobile snaps, or special coupons to iOS users, do so. Or, if you can find coupons and great deals that the major demographic group would enjoy, why not send them? Sure, you don’t want to alienate anyone; but, if you know you are dealing with a certain group of people, it is in your best interest to tailor the coupons that you share to these groups in an effort to get them to purchase, and in an effort to get them to use the coupons that you are sharing on your Snapchat account.

Like anything, you have to properly develop the coupons, you must do your research and you have to know who you are targeting. With this simplified solution to sharing information about promos or offering customers a coupon for a great sale, it is only smart to use Snapchat to help you leverage your business. Not only are you going to be able to reach out to your list of current recipients when you are using Snapchat, you are also potentially going to be able to reach millions of people from around the world who may happen to view the coupons you do post.