Coupons are a tried-and-true way to increase sales. A coupon can be super effective if implemented at the right times. However, rely on a coupon too much, and customers will always come to expect one. They’ll begin to wait or delay a purchase hoping a coupon or sale pops up soon. 

Here’s how you can best implement coupons to increase  sales of your online courses. 

When to use coupons

As a prelaunch strategy. Increase the earning potential for your new course by building interest before it launches. A coupon is great to pair with a gated course, as it’s hard for customers to know what they’re getting before they buy. A coupon will incentivize hesitant folks to make the financial investment in your course and will help boost those initial sales. Keep in mind that your “early bird” sale should be your best offer. Those who bought in early may feel cheated by a better option later. Moreover, they’ll see a better offer as a sign that the course didn’t sell well and that they overpaid.

To gain repeat customers. Loyalty goes a long way to increase sales, and coupons can help cultivate loyalty among your customer base. For instance, you can offer existing customers early access and a discount to new courses to retain their business. You can also create a loyalty system where customers unlock codes once they’ve taken a certain amount of courses.  One effective strategy is to invite your learners to share a special code with friends and coworkers who might be interested in taking the course with them. For any referral that signs on, your learner gets their own discount. It’s a great way to encourage word of mouth sharing and to passively increase sales among your target audience.

To create a sense of urgency. If given the option to pay less, most folks will jump on an opportunity when they see it. Sales and limited discounts create a sense of scarcity. Folks will find a timer on a coupon as a reason to purchase now, giving you a quick boost in sales.  Keep in mind that the timing should be well-reasoned. Use special occasions, sales weekends and holidays, or historic slow weeks for your business to implement a timed coupon.

Best Practices when Creating Coupons

Setting up a coupon is super simple. Navigate to LEARNDASH LMS > Coupon and click on “Add New.” From there, you can customize to your liking. As you personalize, keep the following in mind:

Give it a good name. Use a coupon name that relates to the purpose, such as “back to school sale.” A coupon should have a smart but short name to catch a potential customer’s eye. In your LearnDash settings, you can name your unique coupon in the “coupon code” field.

Choose the right discount. How much to discount an online course might seem like a difficult question, but it’s easier than it seems. Try the rule of 100: everything below $100 should be a percentage deal, while everything above should be a money-off deal. In your LearnDash settings, you’ll chose “Flat Rate” or “Percentage,” and customize from there.

Set an expiration date. Expiration dates offer a sense of urgency and pressure to act, as well as speed up the purchasing behaviour. Always add a time limit and make that visible during your campaign. In your LearnDash settings, this is as simple as marking your Start and End date. 

Limit usage. Create a limited number of coupons to create urgency and scarcity. Creating a variety of types gives you more control over distribution (such as different customer segments, channels, or seasonal promotions). It can also help you better monitor the effectiveness of each coupon. In your LearnDash settings, you can limit the number or redemptions, courses, or groups that a coupon can apply to. 

Create Custom Coupons with LearnDash

The best part is that with LearnDash, deciding when to offer a coupon is your decision. Online course marketplaces like Udemy force course creators to have perma-sales, which limit their profits. If you use your own course site, such as one built on LearnDash Cloud, you can turn a sale off or on and limit coupons to those who would be most incentivized to use one. 

When you’re able to control coupons, you can use them to your advantage for quick sales boosts. Plus, you’re building your own brand (not Udemy’s), and you don’t need to split revenue. You own all the student data, which can be leveraged for better marketing. In other words: you are in control.

Ready to get started? Watch our quick YouTube video tutorial:

For a complete walkthrough of implementing coupons, check out our Knowledgebase article.

Ready to try it out for yourself? Try out the LearnDash demo to see how easy you can create coupons for the courses you build in LearnDash.