Promo Codes: custom promotions to support your goals
Everyone likes to feel like they’re getting a good deal. With Timely you can now create custom promo codes to reward your clients, encourage bookings and help support your goals!
What is a promo code?
A promo code is a unique code that a customer can enter when they book with you to unlock a special offer. They can be a fixed price discount or a percentage off the total that they pay for their service. Promo codes are a fantastic way to encourage clients to book with you and if used carefully, they are a brilliant way to offer your clients a treat and build an amazing client experience.
Here are some ideas for how you can use promo codes in your business:
- Celebrate special events in your business such as your anniversary.
- Reward clients for referring their friends to you.
- Offer clients a special birthday offer.
- Incentivise clients to book in during a quiet period, for example post-Christmas.
- Offer special prices to your VIPs or Influencers.
- Help support a new staff member by offering a discount on services booked in their first month.
Click here to create a promo code
How promo codes work
With Timely you can create your own custom promo code to be used by your client during online booking, or you can add it from your end during the checkout process. You can completely customise your promo code with lots of great features including:
- Options to choose the value of your promo code.
- Setting time periods for when services have to be booked and redeemed.
- Restrictions on what services or staff are covered by your promotion.
- Limits on the number of times a client can use your code.
Help guides: How to create a promo code, How to redeem a promo code in your business and How your clients can redeem a promo code online.
Stay in control
Of course, when you’re offering a discount it’s important to protect your business by setting firm controls on how your custom promo code can be used. With Timely’s promo code restrictions you’re always in control and you can plan exactly how much any promotion will cost.
Here’s some advice for staying in control over a promotion
- Set goals – First and foremost you should know what you’re trying to achieve with your promotion. Don’t just set up a promo code for no reason! Set a goal for how many clients you’d like to book in and how many services you’d like to book. Not only will this help you decide what to offer, but it will help you to track if you are successful or not which will help you plan future promotions.
- Know what you need to earn each hour – It’s really important to understand your ‘break evens,’ that is, how much you need to earn per hour in order to cover your operating costs. Once you have this work backwards to create your promotion. For example – if you know you need to earn $90 to cover your costs you could offer a promotion on your services over $100 and know you’ll still break even.
- Know how much you’re prepared to give away – The other way you decide on a promotion is to set a budget and then work backwards from there. You might decide that you want to spend $500 on your promotion and that you’d like to book in 25 clients. You could then offer a promotional rate of $20 off to the first 25 clients to book in. Don’t forget to limit your promotion to one per customer!
- Try and add value rather than offering big discounts – Encourage clients to try a new services and spend more by offering a discount on service groups. Clients still feel like they’re getting a great deal and they may pay for an upgrade next time they book.
Read: The (not so) secret to getting big returns from your marketing budget
There’s more to come!
We’ll be releasing enhancements to promo codes in the near future with even more options to perfect your promotions! Keep an eye out in app for some exciting additions including:
- Minimum purchase values to redeem a code.
- Adding and removing promo codes on appointments.
- Reporting enhancements to provide greater insights into promo code usage across your business.
And more!
Click here to create a promo code
