Gift certificates as a business marketing tool

Article: Gift certificates as a business marketing tool

Gift certificates can be used as a marketing tool to attract new customers to your business. Either your business is a new or an existing one in town, you could meet your customers for the first time when they come to your door with gift certificates in hand. Many customers or clients buy them and give them
to their relatives and friends. Many companies also buy and give
them to their employees or customers.

When a customer purchases a gift certificate, you actually have
extra cash on hand; it's like a loan with no interest which may
help your business.

Creating a gift certificate is easy: You use graphic software to
design and print it out, or you can buy a blank certificate at a
local stationery store or office-supply store and stamp them with
your logo and business address; however, make sure it's hard to
forge it. You or your manager should sign on each one, give each
one a unique number, expiration date, and keep a record of it.

When starting your business, one of the ways to let prospective
customers know your business exists is advertising your gift
certificates on your websites, magazines and newspapers, giving
away free gift certificates to a nonprofit organization or
members in a business association such as local chamber of
commerce. If you have a restaurant such as a pizza eatery, you
can give them free to teachers, and teachers in turn will give
them to good students of the month. If they like the products
and service, they'll be your regular customers.

When customers purchase gift certificates, ask them to write
their names and phone numbers on certificates. In case your
customers don't redeem them near expiration dates, you can
call to notify them. If a customer redeem an expired
certificate, you can deny it, but why not consider it's
still valid if your customer is your frequent buyer, or
you would like to serve a new prospective customer.

One bonus for your business is when a person uses a gift
certificate, this person remembers where he/she gets an item
or service as a gift more easily, and you may have a new
customer.

Article: Gift certificates as a business marketing tool
By John Nguyen and Associates
Developers of Savingsforyou.net and Orange County Business Directory, CA