How to Make Effective Coupons for Your Restaurant to Increase Traffic

It’s argued that the reason why email campaigns and social media ads do not increase significant traffic to some restaurant sites is that the coupons used are not that attractive to the customers. There is no doubt that coupons have the power to influence the purchasing decision of the customer. The offers are also able to dictate how often the customer will visit a restaurant. Coupons are generally appealing to all kind of customers regardless of the earning.

So, your campaign should not just target the low-income earners. Actually, customers who are well-off financially tend to be the most enticed by the coupons.

But, if the coupons are as good as advertised, why do most restaurant struggle creating and implementing them? Well, it boils down to three explanations: poor design, research failure, and poor marketing.

How Do You Design the Perfect Coupons?

The design of your coupons significantly dictates the type of traffic that your restaurant shall receive. A good design should have these five elements:

• Restaurant Name: This should be clear in bold and bigger words. A clear name is easily identifiable by your target audience.
• Restaurant Logo: The logo is meant to complement the restaurant name. it should also be bold and clear for the customer to see.
• The Offer: This is the most important element to the customer. The customer wants to know what you are offering and if it’s a good bargain. Think of using terms like “Buy _ to get _ for free” or “Get $_off on this meal.”
• The Terms: For the offer to convince the customer, the terms have to be favorable. The terms should be clear for the customer.
• Contact Info: You should provide a phone number or an email address that the customer can use to make an order.

How Do You Research on the Coupons to Use?
Before you come up with the offers, you should do a proper research to determine if the campaign favors your restaurant. This means:

• Identifying your target audience: Who are you targeting? Is it families, kids, or low-income earners? This should be clear.
• Reviewing past accomplishments:  If you had some success in your previous coupon campaign, try to build around it.
• Calculating your discount threshold: You need to determine what your profit margins are before offering the coupons.
• Trying different coupons: Every type of coupon has its own influence and it’s good to try all possible ones. The popular ones are free offers, discount offers, and bundle deals.

How Do You Market Your Coupons?

Of course, the first thing you need is a user-friendly website where customers can see your offers. You also need social media and email newsletters for your marketing campaign. Additionally, you should use these marketing strategies:

• Highlight the special offers in bold and contrasting colors
• Insist on “limited time” offers
• Have separate dine-in only and online customers only offers

With the above guide, you can use coupons to your advantage and in the long run be able to increase traffic to your restaurant. Considering that there are several sites where customers can find restaurant coupons online, you should list your offers in as many sites as possible. This will increase the visibility of your offers and will guarantee your restaurant consistent customer traffic.