Author: Megan

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Marketing

Twin Cities Couponing Powerhouses Join Forces

Merger Means New Opportunities for Businesses, Savings for Residents

Twin Cities coupon connoisseurs, take notice. Local couponing powerhouses SaveOn and Metro Super Saver are merging to offer even more discounts and savings at local, trusted businesses.

“This merger means Savers in the Twin Cities metro area will receive more incredible deals in their mailbox and online each month — but instead of receiving those savings in two separate magazines and websites, they’ll get one monthly publication and visit one website with the SaveOn name,” SaveOn President and CEO Heather Uballe said.

The partnership between the two titans of consumer savings will benefit SaveOn and Metro Super Saver consumers alike by leveraging the value power of both parties to create significant savings at favorite local businesses.

“We care deeply about the health and wellbeing of the people in the communities we call home. Teaming up with Metro Super Saver allows us to help relieve some of the financial burdens people have been facing during the pandemic,” Uballe said.

“Our publications have helped people stretch their dollars further, and now, they will only have to look in one place for even greater savings. It’s our goal to keep expanding ways to save for consumers so they can Live Life for Less, while supporting businesses in their own community,” Uballe continued.

“No one would say these last two years have been easy, the same goes for local businesses. Seemingly overnight, nearly every industry had to adjust to shutdowns, inventory shortages and more,” Uballe explained. “That’s why SaveOn is dedicated to lending a greater hand to our business partners. We’re working to strengthen businesses and help provide opportunities for continued growth.”

Uballe said the merger will provide local businesses with additional opportunities to attract new customers through expanded services and advertising opportunities.

SaveOn and Metro Super Saver business partners will continue to receive the same services and offerings the companies have always provided but will also benefit from the following:

  • Combining SaveOn’s 40 years with Metro Super Saver’s 30 years, for a collective 70 years of direct couponing and print advertising expertise and services.
  • A postcard marketing program that allows each business another opportunity to connect with customers in their own homes.
  • Expanded digital advertising (DA) services and consultation with SaveOn DA experts, including search engine optimization (SEO), retargeting, geofencing, pay-per-click (PPC) search and display, email marketing, additional social media advertising platforms, and more.

“We’re really happy to be joining forces with SaveOn to help businesses strengthen their messages, increase exposure, and sell more of their products and services, while helping residents find more ways to save,” said Metro Super Saver Senior Sales Consultant, Todd Gerber.

Metro Super Saver’s employees will be joining the SaveOn team in the merger, and SaveOn’s first mailer will be distributed in the newly expanded market in April 2022.

To learn more about SaveOn or to find savings and advertising opportunities, visit saveon.com.

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About Metro Super Saver

A small Twin Cities advertising company that is all about the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, we work with small- to -midsized businesses to strengthen their messages, increase their exposure, and sell more of their products and services. First started in 1990 as a coupon newspaper, we offer a variety of consulting, graphic design and local advertising services, while we continue to publish a monthly direct mail magazine, mobile app and website to showcase restaurants, retailers, home improvement and more.

About SaveOn
Founded as a company with a goal to provide local savings to consumers in 1984, SaveOn has grown and transformed into a multimedia enterprise with national operations and an innovative digital presence. At SaveOn, we work directly with reputable business and provide people access to savings in their community through our integrated print and digital strategies, reaching more than 3.5 million homes in the Chicago, Detroit, South Florida, Grand Rapids, and Twin Cities areas. Together with our trusted business partners, we are dedicated to helping Savers Live Life for Less by saving them time and money. We are passionate about the growth of our team, business partners and the communities we call home.

Categories
Marketing

Print Marketing Is Not Dead

“Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated.”

That quote — actually a misquote — is often attributed to Mark Twain upon the humorist reading his own obituary in the newspaper. At least that’s how the best versions of the tale go.

The same sentiment can be attributed to print marketing. Despite the exaggerated rumors, print’s not dead. Far from it. In fact, renowned marketing guru Dr. Victor Frankenstein most succinctly summed up the current state of print marketing when he famously declared to colleagues, “It’s alive! ALIVE!” It’s true. Look it up.

While the rise of digital has heralded a new age in marketing, don’t believe the smarmy slicksters and snake-oil salespeople when they tell you it’s time to administer the last rites on print marketing and lower the old girl into the ground. Sure, she’s gotten a bit up there in years, but all those years have provided her with a wealth of experience and trusted reliability. And she’s still got a few feisty tricks up her sleeve. Just consider a few of these stunning statistics from printisbig.com:

  • U.S. advertisers spend $167 per person on direct mail, earning $2.095 in goods sold — a 1,255% return on investment.
  • Direct mail marketing response rates are 37% higher than email marketing rates, and they also result in a 40% increase in online donation rates.
  • 80% of households read or browse their advertising mail, and print is 59% more engaging than online articles.
  • Forestry is the most sustainable of the primary energy and materials industries.

Sill not convinced? OK, aside from facts and figures, let’s talk about some of the psychological aspects of how people interact with print materials.

Print provides a tangible, tactile experience for consumers.

The physicality of a publication, brochure or direct mail piece gives consumers that sensory experience that helps to solidify your message in the mind. Not only do print materials hang tough with the staying power to remain in homes or offices for longer periods of time, they also prompt stronger emotional responses in the reader. In a study conducted by the U.S. Postal Services and Temple University’s Center for Natural Decision Making, print materials bested digital offerings in most categories, including review time, stimulation, memory speed and confidence, desirability, and valuation. This is not to say digital isn’t valuable, but instead, that digital and print used together can be an unbeatable combination to reach customers.

Print provides a trusted credibility.

A report by MarketingSherpa set out to determine which advertising channels consumers trust most and least when making purchases. In a survey of 1,200 consumers, print ads topped the list.

As the survey’s author summarized: “Print ads were the top advertising channel according to our survey, with four out of five Americans (82%) telling us they trusted newspapers and magazine ads. In fact, the five most trusted channels were all traditional channels.

Print holds Attention.

An article from Modern Litho noted that websites are often skimmed in as little as 15 seconds; however, readers become more engaged when it comes to print materials, spending 43 minutes reading a magazine on average. Because print has been shown to hold attention, it allows a much more meaningful experience.

Print marketing provides a quiet, dignified and reputable way of conveying information to an audience.

SaveOn’s team helps countless businesses stitch together the creative marketing plan that has helped to bring their vision to life. See how they can help your business by reaching out today for a consultation.

Categories
Marketing

The Gift of Holiday Marketing Tips

We’ve all heard the tale.

Black Friday — that day of post-Thanksgiving frenzied shopping where droves of thrifty buyers fill the aisles and cram into dressing rooms across the nation in a cacophonic symphony of organized chaos to seek out those treasured deals and discounts — was christened with its now-fabled moniker. Black Friday signaled the annual event when businesses were finally able to turn a profit, marking the transition taking them out of the red and into the black of their accounting ledgers.

That comic-book-worthy origin story is, of course, a myth.

The true history of Black Friday may be lost to time and varying interpretations. Yet, what is fact about Black Friday is that it only serves as the starting gate in that harried horserace of holiday shopping leading up to the Saturday before Christmas — commonly known as Super Saturday or, perhaps more appropriately for those last-minute shoppers, Panic Saturday.

Yes, Black Friday truly is an important annual event for small businesses because it is the sign of the start of the holiday shopping season. Yes, shoppers are at a fevered pitch looking to score savings while simultaneously securing the perfect presents to place under the tree. And, yes, the importance of holiday marketing cannot be understated to help your business stand out in the crowd of midway barkers all trying to sway more people to enter their tent to take a gander at their latest and greatest sideshow marvels of holiday craftsmanship. Let’s take a look at some of the basics:

Man the battle stations

First and foremost, you need to be prepared to provide and maintain the ultimate shopping experience in the face of a sudden glut of customers. That means having team members who are knowledgeable and able to adapt to rapidly changing situations. As noted by BigCommerce, “It goes beyond digital and content preparations. Consider amendments to your customer service, shipping, fulfillment and operations teams to handle the extra visitors and orders.” 

Take your showroom online

As if online shopping needed a shot in the arm, the social restrictions everyone has experienced for well over a year dragged even the most stubborn in-person-shopping holdouts into the virtual world. Online shopping has become the most natural way to make purchases for anyone looking to combine safety and convenience, but you can still give your internet buyers the in-person experience through the magic of a webroom. Like a showroom, a webroom allows customers to explore products in detail and from every angle, helping to give them the peace of mind needed to pull the trigger on a purchasing decision.

If it’s free, then it’s for me

In our fast-paced and high-tech world, sometimes going a bit old school is frowned upon as being old fashioned and out of touch. Humbug and fiddlesticks to that! There’s good reason to revisit a throwback concept: Its time-tested, tried-and-true efficiency works. It’s no secret why giveaways have always worked and always will — people love free stuff. Digital marketing agency WebFX observed that people not only like to buy gifts for others during the holidays, they also don’t mind picking up a little something for themselves. Whether it’s an incentive offer that provides a free product when you spend X dollars or a bonus service such as free shipping, people are prone to spend a little more if they feel like they’re getting a bargain on the purchase.

Try a little gratitude

Your shoppers are putting food on your table and keeping a roof over your head. You probably already know who your repeat and loyal customers are. The holidays are a great time to show them some love and remind them about how much they mean to you. That could be done through special rewards or discounts, or you could even go for a more personal touch with a holiday card. The marketing automation platform Mailchimp highlighted that 73% of U.S. consumers prefer to be contacted by brands through direct mail because they can look through it at their convenience. Sending out a simple automated “thank you” is a fast and inexpensive way to let them know your appreciation.

With shopping at the top of everyone’s seasonal to-do list, the holidays are an ideal time to reach a new audience and solidify the relationships you have established with your current buyer base. But they don’t have to be stressful. SaveOn can take the headache out of the holidays with marketing solutions designed for any business that would even put a smile on ol’ Scrooge’s face.

Contact us today to find out how we can lift your yuletide spirits.

Categories
Coupon Tips Marketing

Savoring the Save: 2021 Couponing Statistics

In the unofficial history of coupons, Coca-Cola is often cited as giving birth to the couponing movement when the company offered slips redeemable for a free glass of the magic elixir at any soda foundation way back in 1887.

From that trailblazing idea more than 130 years ago, the concept of offering consumers a bit of a tease to get them in the door or to try a new product has become an unwritten code of conduct for businesses of all stripes and sizes. Over the decades, couponing has gone from a sweeping trend for many to almost a lifestyle for some, with websites, books and even television shows dedicated to the art of mastering a savvy deal.

And the forward momentum isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Let’s face it: Everyone loves a deal. It’s part of human nature. There’s a certain psychology that comes into play when you think you’re getting over on someone by striking a great bargain or finding a special value. It makes us feel good about ourselves, and it makes us feel productive and efficient. On the flip side of the cash register, it builds brand loyalty and invites potential buyers to explore new experiences.

The market and consumer data giant Statista released a 2021 report on U.S. coupon market trends that showed coupons are more than a mere gimmick — and although more and more people are putting the scissors back in the junk drawer in favor of digital deals, coupons are still shaping how consumers shop and influencing the shopping decisions they make. Some of the most striking statistics include:

  • U.S. coupon use dominates: 88% of survey respondents in the United States stated they had used coupons for shopping in 2020. That is slightly down from levels in the 90% range the prior two years, but the showing is nonetheless extremely impressive and hard to ignore.
  • A taste for something new: Ah, to be young and adventurous again. The younger the customer, the more likely they seem to be to let a deal inspire them to try something new. Among respondents, 89% of millennial shoppers in the United States would try a new brand if they were offered a coupon or discount. That makes millennials the most likely generation to do so, ahead of Generation X respondents with 86%.
  • The bargain of bare necessities: The U.S. shopper survey indicated household items (46%), restaurants and food delivery (41%), and grocery delivery (40%) were the most-searched-for coupon categories. That shouldn’t be a surprise since the survey was conducted in the middle of a global pandemic. Yet, it’s no stretch to think those areas would generate the most attention regardless of the coronavirus.
  • Tip your postal carrier: The mailbox still matters. Roughly 40% of survey respondents stated they looked in the mail for discounts or offers for shopping in physical stores, proving that going old school still has some swagger.

Coupons still matter. With more shopping options and more ways to reach those future customers coming to light every day, perhaps they matter more than ever. They build an unspoken bond between a business and consumer: If you’re willing to give my shop, product or service a chance, I’ll give you a bit of an incentive. The idea may be more than 130 years old, but the formula for success still works.

And by the way, that little Coca-Cola upstart is still in business.

SaveOn has been helping businesses connect with consumers since 1984. Contact us today to explore how we can help your business reach its fullest potential.

Categories
Marketing

Sky is the Limit for SaveOn

As a longtime marketing company, SaveOn has seen everything from economic boom to nationwide recession. Although it hasn’t always been an easy journey, the company has taken each ebb and flow as a learning experience. Its business model is built for growth and new opportunities but is prepared for crisis and external economic uncertainty. That’s why when the COVID-19 pandemic came suddenly and mercilessly, SaveOn was prepared.

“SaveOn is not afraid of a challenge,” SaveOn President and CEO Heather Uballe said. “When the pandemic hit, and businesses started pausing services, we didn’t sit back and wait for something to happen. We jumped into action.”

The company — which strives to save people money by connecting them with savings from trusted, local businesses — knew the pandemic had the potential to result in tough financial situations for both businesses and Savers.

“Our plan was to help keep businesses alive, while providing Savers with deals at a time when they needed them most,” Uballe said. “We had to help educate our business partners on the importance of not cutting off marketing and going quiet during tumultuous times.”

The company put together educational materials such as webinars and blogs, while having its sales team work with businesses to make sure they were supported beyond selling, she continued. SaveOn also put together a program to give local businesses free microsites where they could showcase their services, offers and more to potential customers.

“Sales weren’t our top priority. People were,” Uballe said. “We made sure our team, business partners and Savers all felt safe, secure and supported first and foremost. Next, we wanted to lift up local. We used our resources to give businesses with the most need free or discounted advertising, took to social media to encourage people to shop local, and adjusted our monthly giveaway program to provide much-needed materials to our communities.”

Some of SaveOn’s many charitable actions included:

  • Grocery giveaways
  • Team and club sponsorships
  • Donations of food, money and supplies to nonprofit organizations such as Grace Centers for Hope
  • Free microsites
  • Discounted advertisements
  • Social media and blog highlights of nonprofits

While many businesses and industries struggled throughout the pandemic and are still carefully navigating the recovery phase, SaveOn is one of the few exceptions. The company — which offers digital services, print coupons and mailers, and reaches nearly 3.5 million homes in the Detroit, Grand Rapids, Chicago and Twin Cities markets — not only remained open but also enhanced its digital service offerings and is now expanding into new markets:

  • In June 2021, SaveOn acquired Chicago-based Trader Magazine and its reach of 240,000 homes in the Chicagoland suburbs.
  • In its latest power move, SaveOn is going even further through a merger with Home Pros Guide in Davie, Florida, that will extend its reach to more than 1 million homes in South Florida.
  • Home Pros Guide will retain its name in the Florida market.

“We’ve been very blessed at SaveOn to have kept employees working throughout the pandemic and to be able to take on new business ventures,” Uballe said. “We never take a day for granted. We will continue to share our success by giving back to the communities we love and that have supported and built us up over the years.

“SaveOn is entering one of the most exciting times in our nearly 40-year history. Our team is energized and thrilled to continue to help businesses reach their fullest potential and help Savers Live Life for Less,” Uballe said. 

Learn more about SaveOn at SaveOn.com.

About SaveOn
Together, with our trusted business partners, we are dedicated to helping Savers Live Life for Less by saving them time and money. We are passionate about the growth of our team, business partners and the communities we call home.

Categories
Marketing

Doing Good is Good Business

Small acts make big differences.

They have an outward rippling effect the same way a tiny pebble does when tossed into an area of still and silent water. It expands in all directions and reaches well beyond its small and seemingly insignificant point of impact.

The easiest way to think about this is, unfortunately, in the negative. We’ve all had those days where one ugly comment hurled in our direction affects the rest of the day. It drags us down. We dwell on it and repeatedly hit replay on the incident over and over in our head.

The negative is memorable because we tend to carry it with us like awkward and cumbersome baggage that we can’t put down. It becomes a black stain in our mental ledger that too often will metastasize into an immoveable grudge.

In business, it’s been well-documented how one bad review can create those waves of doubt and uncertainty in a potential customer base. Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom; the good news is positive experiences produce similar results — and business owners have many more avenues to spread those happy ripples across the pond than they do the poor ones.

Perhaps the widest avenue for spreading good will is the one that runs outside the storefront. It’s that eight-lane luxurious superhighway known as community altruism, where small acts of kindness can reap big rewards in reputation.

Giving back is an important cornerstone for any organization looking to cement a relationship in the community where it does business. It’s said you have to spend money to make money and providing support to local causes and organization gives your business purpose as well as helps raise your profile and, ultimately, boosts your bottom line.

Build Your Brand

Having your business name attached to worthwhile causes and events bonds your brand to things local residents care about and puts your brand top of mind. The result is positive public relations and name recognition.

As noted in Forbes, “People tend to refer business to people they trust and believe will take good care of their family and friends. By giving, you are letting the world know that you care and that you are sharing your wealth and blessings with others. This is crucial to growth and success.”

Networking Opportunities

One of the most powerful tools a business owner wields are the contacts they make. Common ground is fertile soil to grow connections, and what better way to find like-minded people than at a cause or event you already support?

“Networking allows you access to opportunities you might not be able to find on your own. Your network has the potential to provide you with insight into different fields, information on what potential employers look for and advice on how you can improve professionally,” according to an article from Indeed.com.

Increase Employee Engagement

Offering options for your employees to give back to the causes they care about in the communities where they live increases engagement among your workforce. It also contributes to team building and unity among staff members. Younger generations place a high premium on companies that give back and are dedicated warriors in the arena of philanthropy. This can help employee retention as well as make you more appealing to top-tier candidates. 

All the above reasons help get your name out in front of the eyes of the public. However, there is another reason for community giving that often goes unstated and may be even more valuable: It’s the right thing to do.

You chose to do business in a particular community. Because of that, you should have a personal stake in seeing your community succeed and becoming a better, friendlier and more thoughtful place to live and work. A lot of times, giving back doesn’t even have to take a lot of thought and planning; it can be almost reflexive.

At SaveOn, for example, our collaboration with the Michigan Renaissance Festival in our Detroit market provided us with an abundance of complimentary festival tickets. It was a no-brainer to take those tickets, bundle them up and send them out to local first responders and front-line workers who have been working diligently to protect the community for more than a year. We didn’t have to think about it, and it didn’t cost a thing. It was just good will to good people.

And that may be the most significant point of giving back. You need to invest in the community if you want them to invest in you. It’s a foundation where not only relationships are established and built, but it also serves as an inspiration for others through leading by example and creating a more caring world.

Categories
Marketing

5 Tips for Getting Better Results from Your Advertising Campaigns

Advertisements are everywhere. From TV to billboards to your phone, it’s tough to go through an entire day, let alone an entire hour without seeing an ad. On average, people see 4,000 to 10,000 ads a day, according to Forbes. So how can you break through the noise and make sure your ads are heard? Is it even worth it to advertise when people see so many a day?

Yes. Ads still are influential and — when done right — have the potential to engage new and existing customers.

Whether this is your company’s first-time advertising or you’ve been running them for years, there are ways to improve your ad campaigns and increase your bottom line.

Creative

Any successful ad campaign starts with unique, memorable ad creative. You want your ad to break through the clutter of competitor ads, so you need to ensure your ad will stand out. Look at what all the companies around you are doing — and do something different. Don’t be afraid to step outside of your normal ad creative and push your boundaries.

Like any other marketing piece, start your process by identifying your audience. Next, determine what your key message and call to action will be. Once you have those key elements figured out, you can start brainstorming ideas. Things to consider while brainstorming ad creative are:

  • Research: Research is the key to creating effective ads. Use primary and secondary research to test out colors and ideas as well as learn about audience preferences and behaviors.
  • Brand standards: Although we encourage you to push your boundaries, you still need to stick to your company’s branding. Make sure you keep your company’s voice, logo, colors and fonts intact when making new ads.
  • Advertising medium: What medium will be the most impactful for your audience? Keep in mind what platforms your audience spends the most time on, which ones they are most interactive with ads on and which ones your budget allows you to invest in.
  • Appeals: Will you make an emotional appeal, bandwagon appeal or maybe a humor appeal? There are many types of appeals you can use to capture the attention, hearts and memories of your audience.

Timing

Anyone in sales knows that timing is the most important part of the process — you have to be there when your audience is ready to buy. Although ads don’t always entice people to buy right away, they plant seeds for when people are ready to make a purchase. You can use ads to raise awareness about your products and services, company, and values. These ads will help keep your products and services top of mind when the customer is deciding between you and a competitor. Having seen your ads, they will already know who you are and why they should buy from you; and they will see you with more credibility than a competitor that they haven’t heard about.

Ads also give you the ability to talk to customers 24/7. You don’t have to wait for them to drive by your store or come in and talk to a sales rep.

Repetition

One of the reasons your ad campaigns may not be performing is lack of repetition. Like we said earlier, people see thousands of ads a day. Repetition will help them remember your ad.

Do you remember the HeadOn commercials? Yes, they were annoying, but you didn’t forget what HeadOn was or how to use it.

You don’t have to be as repetitive in commercials as HeadOn was, but you will see more success in your campaigns if you are repetitive over time. Running ads for at least six months helps you consistently stay top of mind to buyers. That’s not to say you have to run the same ad. As a matter of fact, we suggest changing up your ad creative periodically to not let your audience go ad blind.

Offers

If you’re offering a discount or incentive for people to buy your product or service, make sure it’s a good one. It doesn’t have to be outrageous — it just needs to be enticing enough to get people to change their habits and choose you over a competitor. For example: A pizza place wants to bring in new customers, so it decides to offer $2 dollars off. That offer probably won’t make many people change their mind. It doesn’t appear to be that much off, and it doesn’t build excitement. If that same pizza place was offering free delivery, that may be enticing enough to switch. Even though free delivery is only a dollar or two more, using the word “free” builds excitement and catches people’s attention. That kind of offer is enough to at least make people check out your site or menu.

Additionally, really good offers like 50% off or buy-one-get-one-free are sure ways to get people to give your product or service a try. In a report from AMG, 66% of shoppers said they like BOGO the most out of all discount promotions. They also found that 93% of shoppers reported they have taken advantage of BOGO promotions at least once.

Get the latest on coupon marketing

Analyze and Adjust

Advertising campaigns won’t do anything for you if your product or service aren’t great and aren’t delivered to the customer’s expectation. Once you put a product or service into market, keep an eye on customer feedback. Watch your online reviews, monitor social media, use call tracking and digital analytics, and track your coupons. The information you glean from user feedback will help you 1) determine if you are delivering on your promises, 2) ensure your advertisement is effective, 3) adjust and improve ads, and 4) improve your products and services overtime.

We understand tracking and analyzing data isn’t the easiest thing to do. That’s why our team is here. We use the latest technologies to track and analyze your ad campaigns so you can make informed decisions and see hard ROI.

To learn more about how we can help you create ad campaigns that actually yield results, visit SaveOn.com/business.

Categories
Marketing

Choose Your Moment: Event Targeting

At one time, the two sales secrets to gaining new clients and customers was a finely tuned skill for glad-handing and healthy stock portfolio in shoe leather. Ah, but times have changed.

Thanks to technology, it’s easier than ever to be in with the in crowd and go where the in crowd goes — regardless of whether you are, in fact, in person or not.

Event targeting puts your brand in front of a captive audience that would likely have an interest in your product of service. By using geofencing strategy, event targeting allows you to send your ads to the mobile devices of anyone who enters those fenced parameters during a specific time frame.

Large gatherings such as conferences, trade shows, sporting events, festivals and concerts provide ample opportunities to use event targeting to reach a relevant audience. For example, a local or regional car show is going to draw a crowd of people who are already car enthusiasts, making it an ideal gathering for an area automotive dealer to highlight its latest and greatest deals by sending banner ads to the smartphones of attendees throughout the run of the show and beyond.

The benefits of event marketing are numerous.

You don’t need to have a physical presence

Whether you have a scheduling conflict or the cost of an actual staffed booth space at an event isn’t in your budget, event targeting still allows you to get your brand in front of the audience at the event while you are tending to other business matters.

We suggest using event targeting even if you are able to attend the event. Once you have captured your relevant audience, you can continue to target them for days or weeks after the event has ended, helping keep your company top of mind in purchasing decisions.

It takes advantage of real estate and personal habits

As mentioned, when event marketing is done correctly and strategically, it gives you access to group of people in a single location who are more likely to have an interest in what you are offering. At the same time, it takes advantage of modern habits that have developed alongside technology. On average, Americans check their cellphone 262 times a day— or once every 5.5 minutes — and 83% reported feeling uneasy leaving their cellphones at home. Using event targeting, you can take advantage of high cell phone use and always be in front of your audience, day or night.

It’s a growing form of marketing

Two-thirds of the world’s population are connected by mobile devices, and more than 8 in 10 marketers said location-based advertising and marketing produced growth in their customer base, higher response rates and higher customer engagement. Location data has emerged as one of the most powerful and important data sources. A BIA/Kelsey study forecasts spending on location-based mobile marketing will increase to $38.7 billion in 2022. If you aren’t using this marketing, you risk falling behind competitors.

SaveOn has a team of digital experts that helps our business partners craft ideal event marketing campaigns to bring them wider exposure to the right audiences. Incorporating event targeting can help any business grow their customer base and bottom line. See what we can do for you at saveon.com. 

Categories
Coupon Tips Online Deals

5 Ways to Stretch Your Summer Fun Budget Further

Summer is finally here, and since we spent the last year in quarantine, it’s time to make up for lost time. We all have a million and one things that we want to do this summer. The only issue — other than the fact that summer is never long enough — is how quickly costs add up when you’re out doing things. It’s such a bummer to have to choose between missing out or seeing your bank account drain.

Luckily for all our Savers, we have tips to help you have the perfect summer without spending your life’s savings. Here are five ways to stretch your summer fun budget further, so you can Live Life for Less.

Check out our blog on what it means to Live Life for Less

Coupon, Coupon, Coupon

You know we had to start with this one. The term couponing seems so boring and difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Using a site like ours (saveon.com), you can quickly search for coupons to your favorite places by company name or category. We have thousands of dollars in savings for your favorite restaurants, bars, clothing and retail stores, entertainment venues, and more. The best part is our coupons are local, so you can support the businesses that make your town special, while doing the things you love.

Learn to coupon like a pro the easy way

Attend Community Events

One of our favorite ways to have fun for free is to go to community events. Pretty much every city holds free events that are a blast to go to. Whether it’s a block party, concert, workshop or art show, we strongly suggest getting a group of friends together and checking it out. You’re not spending anything to be there, you get to meet new people and, if you keep an open mind and go with friends, we guarantee you’ll love going.

Track Deal Days

We’ve all showed up to a restaurant or movie theater and realized if we came the day before we could’ve gotten the same meal or seen the same movie for so much cheaper. The key to saving a bunch of money is checking for “deal days” and planning around them.

Change Up Your Budget

No, we don’t mean expand your budget or stop paying your student loans. Even though you might not be able to get special rates on tickets to Cedar Point, you can get deals on things like groceries and automotive repairs. Using coupons, specials or rewards to save money on essentials can free up money to let you do more of the things you love with the people you love.

Sell Old Stuff

Somewhere in your house you have a pile of old junk that you never use. It might be clothes, it might be video games or it might be kitchen appliances you’ve hardly used, but we know you have them. Why let them continue to clutter your house when you could easily sell them and spend the money on summer fun? You could go the traditional route and have a garage sale, or you could take a more modern approach and sell online. A lot of people have good luck with Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Poshmark.

We hope you’re as excited as we are to get back out this summer and safely create new memories with friends and family. If you’re serious about stretching your summer fun budget further this year, consider becoming a SaveOn member, or as we call them: Savers. It’s completely free and there are tons of perks.

Find out the perks of being a Saver

To stay up to date on our daily deals, contests, ways to save and more; follow us on Insta and Facebook; or check out SaveOn.com. Here’s to making this summer the best one yet!

Categories
Marketing

4 Email Marketing Trends for Success

Opinions vary on the official origin of email. Some trace its history back to the mid-1960s. Others proclaim its founding was in the ’80s. Regardless of the true birthday of the email, it could be argued that it has lost a bit of its luster. If email was indeed founded five decades back, the first email scam probably came out four decades, nine years and 364 days ago. 

Now with a plethora of scams, mountains of unnecessary spam and co-workers who woefully abuse “Reply All” etiquette (Yeah, I’m looking at you, Carl), it may seem a bit of email’s initial shine has dulled over the years — but you’d be wrong.

Email — and in particular email marketing — is still a vital and vibrant strategy for businesses of any size. And the best part is that new innovations in email marketing can streamline your tactics, connect you to the customers who are looking for you and bring a bigger bang to your ROI. Here’s a look at four trends to consider this year:

Get Personal

“Customers don’t just want to feel like another cog in the works; they want to feel valued by the companies they invest in,” according to the email marketing firm Benchmark. “One problem that can occur in email marketing is the lack of personalization that comes with automation. A key trend to follow is instead leveraging robotic process automation and AI to create personalized emails that speak to your consumers. This means using automation and AI to send targeted emails that appeal to your specific audience segment. Analyze your customer’s shopping habits, opening rates and favorite products or services to then create an email that speaks to those behaviors.”

Follow the Drip

No one likes to be overwhelmed, but underwhelming potential clients isn’t a great alternative either. That’s what makes a drip campaign ideal: It’s like the Goldilocks of email marketing — not too hot, not too cold, but just right by breaking down marketing communications into a series of “drips” spread across a specific timeframe and that require specific responses.

“This ensures consistent and cohesive communication between the subscribers and the company. Moreover, it gives the customer a sense of control over their inbox. … That’s why drip email campaigns tend to perform better than regular email campaigns,” according to NetHunt. “Specific actions taken by users activate the launch of the sequence. Emails that get sent out as a part of a drip campaign are more responsive and create a much ‘friendlier’ communication between each side. They are not overwhelming; all the necessary information comes in ‘drips,’ saving effort of having to traipse through a hefty copy. The customer gets the exact piece of information they expect to receive.”

Include a Video

Video is way a way to communicate quickly and effectively to an audience. Incorporating video into an email marketing plan can help you stand out from the competition. Even just including the word “video” in the subject line of an email can increase the open rate, according to SuperOffice.

“Video email marketing can be a great way to convey a lot of information without making your emails text-heavy. For tutorials and how-to videos, it’s a great platform. What’s more, 91% of consumers revealed that they watch an explainer video to learn more about a service or product,” AdWeek wrote in an April 2021 blog. “It’s also important to prioritize concise content over wordiness. Long paragraphs can look cluttered and make your email harder to read.” 

User-generated Content

User-generated content has been a big hit on e-commerce sites because it brings a sense of bonding between consumers and a brand. It’s not surprising it’s transitioning to email marketing.

“Consumers find UGC 9.8 times more impactful than influencer content, and 78% of people say UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions,” according to Sleeknote. “Strategically injecting it into your emails is the perfect way to humanize your content and get a tip of the hat from your customers.”

There’s probably no reforming Carl of his bad email habits, but SaveOn has digital solutions designed for every business. Tap into our resources of more than 140 million opt-in email records in our database. Target your message to the audience you want to reach using over 750 filters including geography, age, gender, household income, levels of interest and more. Visit saveon.com/business/digital to find out how we can work for you.