1. Increased Traffic - Introduce your business to new customers and send a reminder to your existing customers, driving traffic back to your store, office or Web site. Give your customers and prospects a reason to choose your business over the competition by offering exclusive coupons and discounts.

2. A Larger Email Marketing list - Make your customers or visitors sign-up for your email newsletter before they are able to receive your coupons. That way you'll have an opportunity to follow back up with them to resell.

3. Increased Sales and Repeat Sales - Remember, when customers visit your store, office or site to redeem a coupon, they will very likely buy more than just the item promoted thereon. Same goes for a discount. Both new, and existing customers may be motivated to try a new product or service they would not have considered otherwise.

4. Viral Marketing - Take advantage of word-of- mouth referrals by encouraging your customers to forward your coupons to interested friends or family members. It is the oldest and least expensive form of advertising.

5. Increased Customer Loyalty - Develop relationships with your customers by offering them added value, letting them know how much you appreciate their business. Keep their minds on you, and they'll forget about the competition.

6. Affordability - Save your marketing dollars. Online coupons are far less expensive than traditional coupon advertising because they require no production expense or mailing costs.

7. Targeting - Reach the right customers. Companies like Loyal Email target precisely where your customers live, where they like to shop, and what they like to buy, making your coupons highly relevant and, accordingly, more effective.

8. The Better Your Coupon, The Better Your Response- Use online coupons to offer savings of money (a dollar amount or a percentage off), time (free pick- up/delivery or gift wrapping) or to promote any aspect of your business. For example: a restaurant may offer a "buy one entrée and get the 2nd at half price." A landscaper may offer a "free crabgrass eater application" with a yearly contract, a movie rental store may offer a "2 for 1 midweek" rental, and a retail store or website may offer "$20.00 off any purchase of $100.00 or more."

About the author:

Chris Swemba is the founder and CEO of Kinetica Media, an internet marketing company that develops and implements affordable internet marketing and website design services. Please visit http://www.kineticamedia.com for more information on our internet marketing products and services.