I was at the grocery store the other day, browsing the coffee isle. I have no brand allegiance. I usually get what’s on sale. For the most part, I can’t tell the difference between brands. The creamer is what gives the coffee its flavor.
This particular day there were a number of different brands on sale, so I was spending longer than I normally do. Next to me there was a guy resupplying a coffee display for Millstone coffee, a brand I had never heard of.
The guy stocking the Millstone display saw that I was looking at different coffee brands and approached me. “Ever try Millstone coffee?” He asked. I looked over at the shelf and saw that the size bags of ground coffee I normally buy were priced at $8.99. I had been looking at coffee in the $6.99 range. I told him that I hadn’t tried Millstone before, which was the truth. He then offered to buy me a bag of Millstone coffee. He handed me a coupon that was good for one free bag. This wasn’t a buy one get one free offer. This was a $9 coupon good for a free bag of coffee. Now I know a good deal when I see one, so I accepted his offer.
When I tried that first cup of coffee, I was pleasantly surprised. It was smooth and tasted great. I liked it enough that I’m almost certain that I will get another bag regardless of whether or not it’s on sale.
The moral of this story is that the free offer got me to try a brand that wasn’t even on my radar screen. With Christmas approaching, there might be a lesson here for advertisers. Are you offering any specials or discounts? People respond to discounts. Buy one get one free is a great way to promote a product. Even buy one get one at half price is a good idea.
It takes only a few minutes to write a PPC ad that offers something that your competitors are not offering. So give it some thought. And if you’re in the market for some online marketing services, be sure to check out our special offers page. We offer different discounts every month.
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