For the last 5 years I have worked through and learnt much of the ‘marketing maze’ with my various clients, all of whom are passionate owners of small to medium enterprise. With them, I have hashed out what generally works well on a marketing /advertising level and what doesn’t. As I gain more experience, it is pretty clear from the outset what is going to be effective and what is not. However, the lines have blurred with the advent of a new marketing phenomenon – Groupon.
The Groupon concept has taken the ENTIRE world by storm and is professed to be one of the fastest growing companies globally – up there with Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft.
Simply explained, Groupon has a HUGE email database of subscribers in various major cities. This database grows through their own marketing efforts (social media, search engine optimisation etc) as well as by utilising a highly effective incentivised referral system that gets the subscriber to ‘refer’ a friend (who is not yet a Groupon subscriber) by giving the existing subscriber a further discount on the day’s special offer.
Groupon sends subscribers a daily special offer, relevant to the area that the subscriber lives in. The special is either from a restaurant / Beauty Spa or whichever other Groupon partner signed up in order to GET MORE FEET THROUGH THE DOOR, so to speak.
Unfortunately, this seemingly brilliant concept can go horribly wrong for the Groupon partner, which is generally a small to medium enterprise. Click on the link below and find out why and at the same time you can absorb some useful advice pertaining to discounting and the effect that it has on your business brand.
Enjoy!
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/will-groupon-really-boost-your-local-business/#more-9934
AMP Consulting specialises in Advertising, Marketing and PR Strategy and the implementation and maintenance thereof for Small to Medium Enterprise.
Written by Kim Thompson of AMP Consulting