Coupon

Who doesn’t like saving a little extra for everyday purchases? We all do. It’s why we’ll hop on Google and search for “X coupons” or "Coupon affiliate programs" before buying. Or, we’ll use coupon apps, rebate services, or even hoard the Sunday paper to stack and get into the extreme couponing side. Coupon programs aggregate deals from around the Web and package them as feeds. Many coupon blogs earn thousands each month by listing the latest deals for products and services. Most of these sites run on autopilot – content goes out from time to time; the right SEO could make many promotions #1 in Google whenever someone looks for a specific coupon. Do this: Type in [product] + coupon and visit the first few results. Did you notice how almost all will redirect to a product page once the coupon is selected? The site uses their affiliate link while loading the page. This can lead to incredibly high commissions if someone makes a big purchase + multiple, small purchases add up! Simply put: If your blog has any kind of topic related to savings, finance, or ‘good deals’ then you’ll want to include coupon affiliate programs.

The Couponing Industry: What You Need to Know

The coupon industry is a tough nut to crack for two reasons:

1. People tend to visit manufacturers for their coupons
2. You’re targeting penny-pincher types typically frugal with their expenses

Meaning… you’re trying to convert people on product and service offers already looking for steep discounts. They’re the type to walk away if they’re not receiving a discount. They’re also the type to do excessive research throughout their buying decisions – they’re a logical sell vs emotional. The big money makers in the couponing industry include:

• Groceries
• Tech and gadgets
• Physical and online retail
• Health and beauty
• Vitamins and supplements
• Hair and eye care
• Clothing and accessories

An easy market analysis would include counting the number of loyalty cards or store credit cards you own. Most other consumers likely have these items, too. Coupon savvy people doubly so. The best part of promoting coupon programs is this: People are ready to buy. A person is still in their research but looking for a coupon generally means they’re ready to buy. They may do this check during checkout. Or, they know what product they want but double checking to see if there are discounts before hitting the buy button. The most popular way people find coupons includes:

• Inserts included in papers
• Apps and coupon websites
• Loyalty cards and store emails

Positioning in the marketplace allows a coupon affiliate to become the last point of entry before consumers purchase a product. It just so happens that last click is through an affiliate link provided by the coupon affiliate programs. Know what that means? Easy commissions.

The Coupon Industry: By the Numbers

Why bother promoting coupons if people are looking for cheap deals? Wouldn’t that lower your commissions since they’re buying it for less? Kind of, but people using coupons will do so regardless so it’s better to get some commission rather than none. Here’s what couponing looks like by the numbers:

• More than 407 billion worth of coupons is circulated in the U.S.
• 8% of coupons are for non-food products
• Total savings from coupons exceed 3.6 billion USD
• 96% of people have used coupons for a purchase

Comparing the amount floating around and what’s used doesn’t seem like a huge participation. Yet, coupons have long since been a motivator in sales. How many times have you checked for one before checking out? Or, receive an email notification for a discount because you abandoned a cart? The projected digital coupon users in the United States is roughly 143 million… as in most of the adult population of the States. That’s 52% of US online shoppers using online coupons for their purchases. See where the opportunity lies when promoting coupon programs?

What’s the Allure of Couponing and Opportunity for Coupon Affiliate Programs?

Coupons provide a discount on products we’re already buying. Yet, they’re also motivators. Many will base their purchases if a coupon is present even if the item is unnecessary. They see the deal, buy the product, and hoard it – it gives them a small pat on the back because they got a deal. The coupon site side of things is an autopilot business:

1. Launch a site
2. Include coupon feeds
3. Add tailored reviews with coupons
4. Sit back and enjoy

Store loyalty is paired with coupon frequency which transfers to a good coupon site. Sites like RetailMeNot and Ebates have millions of daily visitors because they’re constantly updating their listings. There’s an incentive for businesses to offer coupons and coupon programs, too. Each new coupon site provides other sales funnel for the business. This encourages businesses to offer these since coupons are generally picked up, automatically, on these coupon sites. Savvy businesses tracking their analytics may get in touch with a coupon blog for promotions and sponsorship. Higher conversions through a coupon offer also sometimes increase commission percentage meaning better earnings with the coupon blog!

Making Money with a Coupon Blog (By Helping People Save Money)

The process of starting and growing a profitable coupon blog requires less work than most other niche blogs and sites. Why? Because there are many tools and feeds that’ll automatically pull and post. The development is usually this:

1. Start the site (and make it easy to navigate)
2. Sign up for popular coupon affiliate programs like Coupons.com
3. Integrate the coupon feeds to post to each store/brand
4. Add in retail affiliate to earn extra when pointing to the product pages
5. Continually update the coupon feed and build momentum with content
6. Optimize each brand/store page through link building and on-page SEO
7. Take out display adds on social platforms and PPC networks

Look at what some of the major players in this market is doing, too. This includes sites like Krazy Coupon Lady, Mambo Sprouts, Groupon, Fat Wallet, Red Plum, and more. Pay attention to how they do daily updates pointing to coupon pages and detailed guides. There are two avenues:

• General discounts
• Niche couponing

General discounts would be something akin to creating a coupon blog with a constant feed. It’s very hands off because its job is to display the latest and best coupons. Niche coupon sites take a targeted approach where they are intended for specific markets. You’ll find examples of coupon programs added to travel, hotels, adventures, things to do, weddings, web development, and more. Niching down is always a good decision:

1. Refines the content
2. Less competition
3. Tailored deals

Then, it’s a matter of building out these valuable brand/shop pages. And, peppering the site with reviews and comparisons. These two will let people “dig in” a bit further if they’re on the fence about buying the product – they get a great overview and a coupon right before hopping over to the site. The money comes in whenever someone uses one of these coupons. This is why you see many coupon sites pop under the product page after a visitor clicks on a “reveal coupon” offer. This sets the affiliate cookie. The user can then copy the coupon and complete the transaction. Pretty neat, huh? In 2015, RetailMeNot made almost 250 million in revenue… yeah, this niche is crazy profitable.

Riding the Excitement of a Good Deal – Become a Coupon Affiliate and Start Promoting Offers

Sure, certain styles of coupon sites are run on autopilot but that doesn’t mean it’s completely hands-off. It’s a disservice to start a coupon feed site without doing at least some SEO and content development. There are a lot of ways to monetize the site whether it’s through ads and sponsorship or adding coupon affiliate programs and their offers. The easy pairing of retail and online shopping gives it an added boost, too. It’s a niche project that doesn’t have many downsides outside of time investment. Look through our coupon affiliate programs directory and find several fits for your projects. Consider starting a coupon site or find ways to add deals to your resource pages and promotions. You won’t be disappointed with this awesome niche opportunity!