Are coupons good marketing or lazy marketing? In my opinion coupons is a lazy approach to marketing and the fastest way to drive your business into a financial crisis.

Is selling more and making less good for your business? No, of course not.

"Google is getting into the local coupon business and tying it to their Google Maps service. Starting today [Aug 2006], Google will let any business offer discount coupons to people who use its Google Maps service, which also acts as an online yellow pages. A business will be able to upload information for coupons, including images, and Google will display a link to those coupons when the business name is displayed. Users can then print the coupons and take them to the merchant. Via Duct Tape Marketing

Why Coupons Suck as a Marketing Technique

In my past I had a printing brokerage business and did a lot of printing for a local Subway sandwich franchise, in those days their primary marketing strategy after a good location was discount, coupon, discount, coupon and discount some more.

I will never forget a conversation I had with Barry, "Yea, the coupons work, the only people who win is the franchisor and the customer. As the owner I do more work to make less money." He was one of the franchisors that was pressuring Subway to change their approach. Later he said they decided to experiment with TV advertising during NHL games.

For the most part, Subway seems to have cut the discount and coupons way back from what they used to do and have concentrated their efforts promoting a quality sandwich mostly pitched on TV.

Discounting and Using Coupons Is Addictive and Unhealthy

Addiction to anything is not a good thing. Brand autopsy has started a Discount Detox Center, see an excerpt below:

The discount addicted marketer denies he or she is addicted to the marketing tactic in question. These marketers fail to grasp the dangers of working in a business environment where after the "HIGH" of a high volume/low-return sales cycle comes the "LOW" of a low-volume/low-return sales cycle.

In the case of low price marketing schemes, withdrawal without proper marketing supervision can be debilitating for the business, and in some cases, fatal to the brand.

Discount addicted marketers soon reach the point of maintaining their discounting habit. At this point, the marketer needs to constantly include a discount tactic in his marketing plans to feel "normal."

Get Help

Just because Google makes it easy to distribute coupons does not mean that it is the right thing for you to do for your business. Consider the tactic carefully and make sure you have other marketing tactics working before you try coupons.

If you have been using coupons and discounts as a way to drive sales and cannot wean yourself from the habit - check out the "Discount Detox Center".

You will be glad you did.