As a business owner, it may seem counterintuitive to you that issuing coupons would actually have an immediate increase on earnings. Don’t coupons necessarily sacrifice short-term earnings for the added long-term value of your new customers?
No! Here’s how you can get both: Say your product goes for $100, but there are no coupons for it yet, so your entire customer base excludes coupon shoppers. You would consider offering a coupon, but fear that your current customers might stop spending the full rate for your offering once you do. The solution: increase the price of your product while offering a discount on it that is available only to those who will spend effort searching for it. Maybe your $100 product is now goes for $125, but you also offer a $35 discount. The key is that this discount is not easy to find; it’s only there if your customer looks for it. This not only gains additional price-conscious buyers who insist on paying “less than full price” all the time, but it creates the perception of even greater value than had the product been offered at a discounted rate without the coupon (to learn how this works, see anchoring).
Your product will now be found by those who start their shopping with a coupon search. Are you ready to add your printable coupon to get found by Michigan consumers?
I have a problem paying for music. Well, I shouldn’t say that I have a problem pay for music, so much as I have a problem when the prices are not set by the artists, while big business just sits there profiteering. With that in mind, I have compiled a list of what I think are the top five places to get music, some are free, some cost money, but all are fair and each are very helpful!
1) Pandora: Pandora is bar-none my favorite playlist sight to use. You either type in the artist, song title, or genre you want to hear and it organizes a station with your preferences. The best part is you can have as many stations as you want. Pandora also gives you the option to “like” a song or artist on a particular station and will then play more of the artist or sound. The frustrating aspect of using this sight is if you type in a song name, it won’t play the song first, just stuff similar to it which can be annoying when you really want to hear a song!
2) LastFM: This is a very new (I believe) and very cool sight. LastFM will sync directly with your iTunes and then play and recommend songs based on your preferences. It even takes into account what music you most play! It also has access to radio directly as well as information about upcoming concerts based on your preferences. It is a little temperamental and can stop to buffer a lot, but it is still a very cool idea.
3) iTunes: iTunes is the one program that is always running on my computer. Building your own playlists which can then directly be burned to CD as well as automatically synced to iPod is a great feature. However, the fixed prices for music are bogus, as the artist her/himself should be able to determine the price. That is probably the only reason I shy away from using it to purchase music.
4) Rhapsody: I credit my knowledge of rhapsody to Oakland University. I don’t remember exactly how it worked, but all OU students got a free rhapsody account so I decided to give it a try. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. While they offer a huge music selection, comparable probably only to iTunes, because of the way the music is formatted it is only compatible with rhapsody; thus the files cannot be moved, or burned to disc.
5) AmazonMP3: Amazon overall is one of my favorite websites because you can find everything you could ever need at insanely low prices! Now that they have an MP3 component, its stock continues to rise in my book. The files come compatible for any device so they can be moved directly to iPod, blackberry, etc. While I may be impressed with that aspect, there is no playlist building option so that will deter my usage.
From iPods, to flips, blackberry’s, and everything in between it’s hard to keep track of all the new gizmo’s and gadgets that are released quicker then anyone can keep up. But more over, who can afford all these technologies that we feel we can’t live without? What a lot of people don’t know is that when something new is released (ie; a Vizio LED/HD Flat Screen TV) it will be at it’s highest price, however six months later, when more advanced technology is released the price of that will drop significantly, usually as much as half. That is a rule of thumb, it applies to cellphones, TVs, MP3 players and everything else!
However, it is the holiday season and most people will have something along those lines on their wish list leaving you to figure out how you can buy it. Rather then waiting six months, there is an easier way and it’s on your computer! E-bay is probably your best resource for slightly used items. For instance, the number one item on my list this year is an Apple iTouch 32gb 3rd generation which retails new at Apple stores and other licenses retailers for $299, not budging room (I have comparison shopped). However, on E-bay you can find this item starting as low as $150! That is half off for something that is like new. The best part about shopping on E-bay? All the sellers have ratings so you can make sure you are getting the real deal from a trusted source. If you aren’t comfortable making purchases online, there is another great source that allows you to meet people face to face and still get excellent deals on slightly used goods. Craigslist has everything you could ever imagine, streamlined to focus on your area! The same 32gb iTouch I am looking for is listed in my area at $200. It isn’t quite the e-bay price, but it still saves $100 and I don’t have to worry about shipping, etc etc.
So whatever electronic item(s) you are looking for this holiday season, remember to check these sources for outstanding deals on gently used!
Your resident deal finder,
Cole
Over the top costume jewelry has made a comeback in recent months; Necklaces that could be mistaken for bejeweled tops, big cuffs that make everyone look like a biker chick, door knocker earrings and so much more! But for a trend that will likely be in style as long as the first snow lasted, is it really worth going out and spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars? No, not really. So where do you go to find these great pieces at affordable prices? Lolly Ella of course!
Located in the West Bloomfield Plaza on Orchard Lake and Maple Road, Lolly Ella is a small, family owned and operated boutique that’s aim is to provide up to the minute costume jewelry at reasonable price points. Here you can find anything and everything that is up to the minute and chic, without breaking the bank! To see what they have in stock, sales, and coupons visit their website.
Your resident deal finder,
Cole
and you would spend hours roaming the library for books to read, cassettes to listen to, and boys to flirt with! For some reason, however, as we grow up we grow out of the library. My mission on this post is not only to remind you that the library still exists but also let you know some changes that have been made.
The West Bloomfield Public Library is definitely not the same place as yester-year. From the dedicated tiles paving the way to the automatic doors, to the sweeping views of marble and stone when you walk in, the over abundant amount of computers, every book you can imagine not to mention magazines and DVD/Blu-rays the library is an undiscovered paradise for savers.
The big concentration of this is movie rental, because it is something that everyone does; it is also something you should never have to pay for. A membership to blockbuster will cost you anywhere from $8.99 to $19.99 per month, then $2.99 per film rented. Not to mention the dreaded late fees that are about $1.00 a day! Netflix isn’t much better. While the max you will be spend on netflix per month is $8.99 they have late fees as will as hidden fees. The West Bloomfield Public Library has a film section that rivals any rental chain if not surpasses it. As long as you have a valid library card you are free to check out any movie and return them according to schedule (new releases 4 days, other 10 days) with a late fee charge of only $00.35 per day. Not to mention, if you call the library and tell them it is going to be late, they won’t charge you!
The book argument should not even have to be repeated for “frugulista’s” the world over, but let me just remind you. If you walk into your local Barnes and Nobles or Borders with the intention of buying a book, you are not likely to walk out without spending less then $20, for something you will read once and then probably never look at again! You can rent the exact same book from the library, have it for two weeks, then return it at no cost and save yourself the money! WHY NOT!
So next time your considering renting a movie or buying a book, remember your dear old friend Mr. Library, and who knows maybe all the saved money will add up to a nice, new, burberry scarf for the cold winter to come! Stay warm all!
For locations, hours of operation, and all other inquires please visit the west bloomfield public library website.
Your resident deal finder,
Cole
The first 10 Michigan businesses that mention coupon code “DEALYP” in the month of December, 2009 will receive a free assisted account setup at SaveNextDoor.com:
- We’ll sign you up for a free, unlimited-length account to promote your coupons locally.
- We’ll help you create your first printable coupons, optimizing them for search engines.
- We’ll help you make your business profile look professional: email us your logo and we’ll upload it for you.
Your business just has to offer a coupon, and we’ll do the rest for you.
As a small business owner, you can reach the increasing number of individuals who start their search for a merchant by Googling for coupons online. Here, we discuss keys to successfully getting your coupons found online.
Start with a valuable offer.
Most online coupon searchers won’t be printing your coupon as their first – they’ll have printed hundreds of other coupons before, and will have made hundreds of other judgments about the value of those coupons. When coupon searches come across your coupon, expect careful scrutiny.
Phrase your offer carefully.
Does your coupon title phrase your offer in terms of a “fee” or a “discount”? Some businesses actually do make the mistake of offering a coupon with terms like “joining fee” in the title. Since your coupon is supposed to attract new customers, it’s bad to assume that they know what your normal fees. Instead, focus on the discount. For example, suppose your gym normally has a $50 joining fee. Will your coupon say, “$25 joining fee” or “50% discount”?
Create an expiration date.
If there is no urgency to use your coupon, it’s less likely to be used in the near future. You can always offer another coupon later with a new expiration date, and will have a chance to change the offer once the first coupon expires. Online printable coupons feature performance tracking that allow the business to determine which coupons were popular. By giving yourself the chance to create a new coupon when the first one expires, you have the opportunity to experiment. At www.SaveNextDoor.com, since the best coupons show up on top of the search results more often, they get displayed to a larger audience and receive more exposure.
Use relevant keywords.
If you want your coupon placing strongly in Google’s search results, you’ll need to anticipate and target the coupon searcher’s phrase when naming your coupon. As shown in the screenshot, the relevant terms get bolded in Google’s search results, resulting in more clicks. And, more importantly, they receive higher rankings.
Keywords to consider:
- Your category.
- Your specific product or service.
- Your brand name.
To acquire new customers, generic category-based phrases are a best bet for matching the search queries of new potential customers. For example, titles like “flower coupon” and “florist coupon” are likely to match up with coupon searches from users who aren’t yet sure of which type of flowers they are looking for.
www.SaveNextDoor.com brings local printable coupons to small businesses. SaveNextDoor gives smaller businesses a chance at exposure by helping them promote their deals to local consumers. When a consumer performs a zip-code based local coupon search, SaveNextDoor displays the most popular results near them.
On SaveNextDoor, merit-based exposure ensures that the best coupons receive the highest level of visibility. By contrast, traditional coupon publications have placed the highest-paid coupons on the front cover. This site levels the playing field by ensuring merit-based ranking.
As the above graph shows, local searches for printable coupons are on the rise.
Local businesses stand to benefit from publishing their coupons on SaveNextDoor whether or not other businesses are participating in the area. Businesses with no competition from others can still show up in search engines for local coupon searches.
Welcome to DealYP, where you will find local coupon marketing news and analysis relevant to your small business’s advertising strategy. Our focus is on low-cost local coupon marketing for small businesses. DealYP is the official guide to using the local coupon search engine www.SaveNextDoor.com for maximum results.