1. Use Coupon Codes in a Crowded Market

The problem with coupon codes is that you’ve jumped into the game of competing on price. That might not be a good strategy for service providers or those businesses with a unique product that is only distributed on their sites. However, coupon codes can be very smart for retailers that compete with other sites to sell the same items. An extra 10% off can make a customer choose your site over the competition.

2. Discount Coupon Codes Close Sales

Consumers today are programmed to find a deal, so discount coupon codes are a must-have for any online business. Our best coupon conversions come from a prominent tab labeled “coupon” on the left side of our homepage. When clicked, our email club sign-up form pops up. Customers can then submit their info. Shortly thereafter, they receive a discount coupon code via email.

3. Ask and You Shall Receive

Late last year, we had pro athletes retweet a coupon code to their followers. Cumulatively, our discount went out to 2 million Twitter users. But our conversions from that campaign were less than our current strategy, which is to give a discount to anyone who asks. We encourage people to ask us for a code in our social media bios. Our conversions are higher when people ask, rather than us doing the asking.

4. Perform Acts of Kindness

Give your employees a handful of discount codes in varying increments, and let them surprise customers with them. You can teach them to say: “We appreciate your business so much! You know — I’d like to give you $50 off your next order. Thanks for being such a great customer!” Acts of kindness like this go a long way toward building brand loyalty.

5. Consider Customer Acquisition Cost

Never offer discount or coupon codes unless you understand the unit economics of your business. I’ve seen friends get buried by deal sites — not because deal sites are bad, but because the business itself did not understand its own unit economics. Before you offer any sort of discount, know your customer lifetime value (CLV), and whether offering a discount will pay off in the long run.

6. Collaborate With Affiliates

Want to encourage affiliates to market for you? Give them a coupon code they can give to their audience. When the coupon codes are redeemed, track the affiliate’s sales. In the end, users get discounts, your affiliates get commission and you get new customers.