Is Marketing With Groupon Effective For Every Business?

Online, April 6, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Groupon the community based coupon company is gaining ground in local areas across the nation. Groupon is a service that gives users the ability to try out products and services at a discounted price. It's been extremely effective and the company has been expanding. Recently, Groupon has announced it will be unveiling a mobile app for phones that will allow it to give offerings based on location and time of day. (Source: Reuters)

When asked about Groupon, North Carolina based small business marketing expert Jay Simcic said, "This app could be a game changer on how local businesses market and gain new customers. It allows the user of the app to make split second decisions based on where they are. It brings a new meaning to spontaneous buying."

While Simcic believes the Groupon tool is a great use of marketing for certain types of establishments he believes it doesn't lend itself well to business to business marketing efforts. In fact he believes companies should be laser focused on what they want to get out of Groupon before they enter the market.

Simcic says, "Business owners have to analyze the demographic of Groupon's users. These people are not business to business type buyers most of the time. Business owners have to look at the message to market match to ensure that Groupon is a right fit." Find out more about Simcic at his small business marketing website, http://www.profitconvergenceinc.com.

Groupon has a demographic made up mostly of women aged 18 to 34 years old. Simcic believes the businesses owner's offer is the most important aspect of being successful with Groupon. He says, "I don't believe Groupon is for every business. Just look at their demographics. Giving the right offers to the right people is key to success. And right now, unless a business owner's market is younger women then you might reconsider. This might change later but for now it is important to evaluate the entire package, their list, their demographics, and the offer. If it fits, great. If not, look somewhere else."

Simcic believes Groupon is a great way to introduce people to new services and product offerings at a small loss to get people through the door. He also believes it should only be used after careful considerations of message to market match. That's why he believes all smart businesses bring in "a fresh set of eyes" to evaluate the current marketing mix.

Learn more about Simcic and his company. Visit his small business marketing Youtube channel to learn more. (http://www.youtube.com/user/profitconvergence)