Last week was the North of Boston Tourism Conference - I was on the presentation panel for a fun and informative discussion on the pros and cons of the Community Buying services you see below and in the news - like Google's $6 Billion offer being snubbed by Groupon... and subsequent unleashing of their own Google Offers.
The event title was "Give it to Get it: The benefits of Discounting." See a definition of Groupon HERE - The key point is that these are promotional and sampling campaigns (not discounting" and not only for immediate profit. These will get people in the door, so make sure you have a plan to keep them coming back by being fabulous... and capturing their attention AND contact info for ongoing interaction for them and their friends)
The only way to know if it will work for you is to test it. First for your personal purchasing, then for your business. Since you can make offers for free, the cost is your time for management (and training of your front-line employees) and splitting the revenue with the service. Just remember that you can set all parameters of the offer... So don't promise what you can't deliver (do the math!).
- Groupon
- Local Ginger (part of Where.com)
- LivingSocial
- SocialBuy
- BuyWithMe
- Eversave (smart NS team)
- Tippr
- Google Offers (all above, watch out!)
Also on the panel was thoughtful moderator Julie Cook of Cook Bowe Communications, Bob Lawler from the sleek and beautiful Entertainment Cruises, and Captain Jimmy Douglass from Cape Ann Whale Watch.
A special Thank you to Executive Director Julie McConchie for the invitation to participate with this great organization - www.northofboston.org They live up to the name Hospitality 2.0!