Offer Discounts to Customers How to Optimize Sales for Creators -

Aug 4, 2022

 Last updated: August 4 2022

Making money selling your digital items and services online requires just the same level of preparation and planning for creating them. It requires a compelling and effective marketing strategy and a receptive audience as well as a reliable selling platform. What happens if all that still doesn't translate into higher sales?

The best place to start is to offer discounts to your customers.

Everyone enjoys a good sale With a survey concluding that 88 percent of American shoppers used coupon codes for savings in 2020.

What do you need to be able to promote sales for downloads, subscriptions and memberships online? Here's what digital creators need to consider before cutting rates.

Don't offer discounts before looking at the basic

Selling online is a great option to earn money doing what you enjoy to do. However, you mustn't forget why you're doing it: To make money. You should consider the following factors when deciding if it is appropriate, what, and how you should offer discounts to your customers.

 What is your margin of profit?

Being able to sell your own items online without any upfront costs is a major advantage of being a digital creator. Still, you need the right business strategy to succeed.

Prior to offering discounts to customers you need to calculate:

  • Your expenses for business (subscription fees of graphic design programs, tools for managing social media, web hosting & maintenance and selling platforms, etc. )
  • The quantity of money you need/aim to make

The combination of these two figures gives you the magic number that you have to reach every month. This will guide you on the best way to price your items and how to apply discounts in line with.

 Who are your customers?

Everybody loves sales, regardless of age, gender, or economic status. However, keeping these aspects in mind will help you better understand which discounts you can offer, and the best way to make them available.

The creation of customer personas is a great way to do this. Here are some categories to help you think about the people potential customers who are looking for your services and ways to give them discounts.

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Location
  • Profession
  • Income
  • Family (marital status (children, marital status)

So how does this information help guide the way to make a decision when it comes to promotions?

Firstly, if you've already determined your minimum monthly sum you need to make and estimate your client's budget, this can help you zero in on the discount sweet spot which is the amount that entices your customers yet still manages to make you profits.

Secondly, solid customer personas can help you decide which products you should include in sales bundles or buy one, receive one deal.

 What does your store and schedule appear?

Getting your products to be seen by customers is an accomplishment that is a feat in and of itself. After you've accomplished it, the first impression matters: Your storefront should provide details about yourself, detailed item descriptions, and a simple checkout process. This demonstrates legitimacy, fosters trust among customers, and creates a an impression that lasts.

If you're selling a wide range of items, you'll have choose which you can discount to convince your customers to purchase more. It's the point where an accurate persona of the customer can make a difference. It can help you determine which products are the best to offer as a deal or gift, and which look appealing enough to be kept for full price.

As a coach or instructor offering free consultations or trials it is not a good idea to book your schedule to attract more clients. You will need to review your client base and availabilities prior to launching any offers.

What kinds of discounts you can offer?

The most successful sellers are aware that there's more to be had when providing discounts to their customers. To get the most value from discounts means offering just the right offer at the right time.

Digital downloads (Ebooks, printables, presets, sewing patterns etc. )

 Reduction in percentage

It is the most commonly used kind of sales and is the one online shoppers love the most. Data from recent surveys show it that 74 percent of online coupon users favor a percentage discount over other types of promotions.

 What to look for

For cheaper products, customers typically see a greater value in percentage reductions versus dollar amount discounts, even though the savings are identical. For example, a sale with T-shirts priced at $20 for 25% off is likely to attract more attention than one offering $5 off those same $20 T-shirts.

 How do you use it

  • Get new customers to join your list and expand your list of subscribers with a 10% discount on the first time you sign them up to your email newsletter.
  • Reward loyal customers by offering a 20% discount when they make their next purchase.

 Fixed Discount

Another common type of discount provides a set amount of a product's original price. Like percentage reductions messaging is everything.

 What should you look for

You can get the most value from fixed amount discounts when you apply them to costly products. Consider how different spending $50 off of a digital print poster appears when in comparison to offering the exact item at 33% off. Think about applying it to higher-priced products that haven't been performing in the past.

 How to use it

  • Offer a fixed amount discount on purchases with at least. For example, 30% off on all purchases greater than $100.
  • Let customers purchase and redeem digital gift vouchers worth $10, $20, $50, etc.

 Buy One, Purchase One

BOGO deals are basically offering two goods at 50% off. It's no wonder why this kind of deal is most often favored for 64% customers throughout the entire spectrum. This type of promotion is a great way to increase sales and to introduce customers to goods they would have never thought of buying.

 What to look out for

Make sure you are aware of the products you bundle and consider the needs of your customers. Does the possibility of bundling products of different categories greater than the possibility of the cart being abandoned? Should you be playing the safe side by giving away the same products even though you have to give the item that could be purchased independently?

 What is it and how to utilize it

  • BOGO discounts to your mailing list and offer customers any discount when they purchase a new product at full price.
  • Advertising Buy One, Get One offers through social media. Make a multi-slide reel with every product that consumers can mix and match for savings.

 Bundle discounts

Giving multiple items for sale is an excellent way to upsell and increase your AOV (average order value). Research shows the fact that 29% of customers are likely to purchase a product that they hadn't originally planned to buy if the item is heavily marked down. Brick-and-mortar stores use this type of sale to swiftly get rid of stagnant inventory so that they can make room for new items.

 What to look for

As a digital creator with infinite storage space, you must make sure to consider your margins before giving away multiple items with a discounted price. Be aware that when offering bundle discount offers it is all about timing An effective strategy is offering this promotion towards the end of the purchase. After a person has made a decision to buy something, provide similar items for a discounted price at checkout.

 What is it and how to utilize it

  • Include a pop-up display to your checkout page featuring a bundle with related products.
  • Offer a discount bundle on the product page with free items below or as the sidebar.

 Limited time/supplies & seasonal special offers

The internet is open all hours of the day, which reduces the urgency needed to buy when shopping on the internet. Applying time-sensitive discounts or restricted-supply deals encourage customers to act promptly. Additionally, you can make use of seasonal or holiday offers to make the most of the increased shopping traffic or to promote items relevant to particular time of the year.

 What to look for

Make a discount calendar in advance of the time. This will help you time the launch of new products and also the content you share on social media. Additionally, you should be aware of sale duration times: You want to make the sales small enough to cause urgency, but sufficient to allow for proper promotion and awareness of customers.

 How to use it

  • Birthday discounts are offered to clients who have already bought from you.
  • Offer digital holiday coupons to those on your mailing lists.
  • Join Cyber Monday, with huge discounts.
  • Offer sales on seasonal items in your newsletters. If, for instance, you create vegan cookbooks, offer discounts on your best soup recipes at the beginning of the fall season.

 Freebies

Although technically, they are not discounts, freebies can be an excellent method for retailers to increase recognition and increase traffic to their store. This kind of promotional strategy is perfectly suited for digital creators as you don't suffer any losses in terms of money.

 What to watch out for

Everyone loves free...but the purpose of offering freebies is to convince your clients to eventually buy. Be sure to provide templates that demonstrate your best performance and leave the audience wanting more. If, for instance, you're a fitness coach and you want to offer your customers a free week-long meal plan that includes meals only or fitness routines that are directed towards one specific area.

 How to use them

  • Download PDF free templates throughout your social media networks.
  • Mix less-popular items as freebies when customers purchase items for their full cost.
  • Promoting free products in your mailing newsletters and link to your store page to increase customers to your store page.

Memberships, Subscriptions, Software, and Memberships

Are you thinking that giving discounts to customers only involves downloadable products? If you're an instructor, coach or software designer, you have a variety of choices for promoting memberships to your programs, or subscriptions to your software.

 Free trial/Freemium plans

Giving a trial-free subscription to your course materials or program is an ideal way to bring in and retain new followers.

 What to look out for

As with product-based promotions understanding your target market is vital: What do your potential clients looking for? How can you show them the best of your offerings or software to convince them to commit to paid choices?

 How to use it

  • Give a trial version of your application with limited features.
  • You can offer a full version your program for a specified time.
  • Offer a test of fitness plans or classes.
  • Make savings by choosing to pay annually instead of. each month.

 Free consultation

Consultations for free are an excellent method for coaches as well as other service providers to gain confidence from clients. It is possible to offer a brief, live meeting over Zoom or through the use of a messaging platform. The client will describe the specific issue (weight loss, nutrition, parenting issues) You can then provide an organized plan that is tailored to their needs.

 What should you look out for

First and foremost, you'll be able to figure out how much time you have available. Are you targeting an international or local audience? There could be differences in time that are an issue with scheduling. In order to address both you should announce limited availability (i.e. first 10 responses) and make clear to the services you're providing and who it's suited for.

 How to use it

  • Create a "booking' button on your store's homepage that is linked to Calendly or other interactive calendaring tool.
  • Offers for free consultations to members of your mailing list who had not previously booked or purchased with you.

Free webinaror Questions and Answers

Creating live events is a great way to get more people to know about your products and services. While you won't be able to devote enough time to each particular participant, this approach might be easier than a 1-on-1 consult.

 What should you look for

Choose a broad topic people are interested in and be prepared to answer any questions! Try to give useful information without trying to sell your services, yet don't go in depth and keep your audience wanting more!

 How to use it

  • Make a live event on Facebook and promote it via your account on social media as well as your website and email.

Which marketing channels to use when offering discounts to clients

Even the best-planned discount will fall flat when they're not promoted effectively. Using proper marketing channels correctly improves the chance that your promotions will reach your target audience and convince them to take action.

 Social media

If you haven't set up a page on social media for your products, now is the best time to create one. It is the most effective tool for getting your goods or services noticed.

  • Making a Facebook business page makes your business appear more professional, and lets millions of people all over the world to connect with you. Make use of your Facebook page to advertise special offers, as well as to connect with your audience. Join relevant forums to find out about your field and to increase the awareness of your offerings. It is also possible to use the platform to create and promote free live events as well as paid advertisements.
  • Instagram is the ultimate instrument to grab your customers' attention, display your products or services, and drive customers to your online storefront. A recent study found that 33% of those who responded said they'd used coupon codes found on stores' Instagram pages to buy on the internet. Posts that highlight the sale items and incorporate discount codes inside the post's caption. Connect your store's website to your bio as an easy way to take clients to your store in seconds.

 Email marketing

Emails from marketing are generally regarded as unpopular by shoppers. Don't completely eliminate your newsletter just yet: A surprising 81% of online shoppers are actually happy to receive emails that contain sales announcements or discounts. Increase the number of emails you send out by offering signup discounts or freebies. You can also use it to give your customers discounts and drive more traffic to your store.

 Your website or storefront

As a digital creator, having a dedicated space to showcase your services and products is crucial. Make use of social media and email marketing to drive more the number of visitors to your online storefront which gives customers an even more detailed look at the products and services you offer. Utilize pop-ups, and other related product windows to promote deals, BOGO discounts and more.

No website? It's not a problem! Connect your shop to your social media profile and connect your products with millions of internet-savvy shoppers. Find out how easy it can be by clicking here.

In the average, shoppers using discount coupons spend 24% more than those that don't. If you're a creator of digital content you have it in your best interests to locate an efficient and easy way to provide discounts to your clients.

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