Google Coupons – No Sunday Paper Required

You no longer have to wait for the mail or newspaper to arrive at your doorstep to receive the latest promotional offerings by local businesses in your area. With Google Maps (also known as Google Local), these offerings are closer than you think.

In an August 15th press release, Google announced that it has partnered with the direct marketing powerhouse, ValPak, to offer print-at-home coupons for business listings found on Google Maps, also increasing the reach for ValPak’s current print-at-home coupon sponsors.

So how does it work and what’s in it for Google?

I decided to perform my own test on Google Maps, in search of listings that featured coupons.

Search term: Junk Removal

On the second page of results I located a well respected company, 1-800-Got-Junk? Underneath the general contact and location information is a link for Coupons. I immediately clicked on the link and was taken to a separate page titled, Google Coupons. There it was, a printer friendly page containing 1-800-Got-Junk’s contact information, a map for their Jacksonville location and a coupon for $10 off the next time you book a service.

What’s in it for Google?

Currently, there are no plans for Google to charge for this service. Google hopes to generate enough interest with a company that it encourages them to jump on board with search advertising.

My overall experience and what it means for businesses?

With a quick search and a few clicks of my mouse, I was able to locate a business providing the service I was interested in, along with an incentive to try them out. As the popularity of Google Maps increases and the word spreads, I believe we will see more businesses showing up in the listings with coupons.

Internet savvy business owners and entrepreneurs alike, looking for a dynamic way to reach their audience could benefit from adding their business to the free listings on Google Maps. Did I mention the service is free, and adding a printable coupon to your listing is free?

Sounds like a no-brainer to me – especially coming into the 4th quarter, when consumers are looking for a location to obtain that hard-to-find Christmas gift for Uncle Ned. Maybe adding the coupon will be enough of an incentive to bring them in your door. And hey, it’s free!