Social Media: An Easy Source of Coupons

Thursday Bram — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:00:06 +0000

Have you "liked" your favorite stores on Facebook? Do you check in on Foursquare at your favorite restaurants? If you're willing to invest a little time into social media, you can make it a useful part of your coupon strategy. (See also: 6 Ways an iPhone Can Save You Money)

Many businesses now share special coupons through social media sites, making it worthwhile to to check Facebook, Twitter, and all the rest of those sites out there for coupons to help you save money. Many coupons are restricted to those people who follow, fan, check-in, and otherwise promote a given company in the terminology of whatever site you happen to be on — but the benefits can make it worthwhile.

Creating a Social Media Coupon Strategy

If you go through and connect with the stores and businesses you like to buy from on the various social media sites you're active on, you've made a start to getting those coupons. But it's easy for such sites to create too much noise, especially if you're connected to many people. It takes strategy not to lose those coupons in the noise.

On sites like Facebook and Twitter, you have the ability to create lists — groupings of different types of friends. By creating a list of those connections that you made for the specific purpose of getting coupons, you can make it easier to check in on such connections on a regular basis and see what sort of coupons they're offering. That way you can judge if it's a coupon that's worth your while without having to sort through all the updates from your friends.

It's also useful to build up social media habits, such as checking in at the places you visit. Many stores now offer special coupons based on the number of check-ins or other statistics, like a virtual punch card.

The Trade-Off for Social Media Coupons

The coupons that come from social media sources do have drawbacks beyond the time that you have to invest in finding them, which isn't all that different from any other source of coupons.

The real drawback is that you're giving up a good chunk of privacy for the privilege of getting those coupons. With a site like Foursquare, anyone can easily see the places that you go and check into, as well as notice patterns in your behavior. The same goes for how easily anyone can see the actions you take on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

It's a personal decision whether you're willing to give up some of your privacy for more (and in some cases, better) coupons. There's a clear benefit to those coupons — you get to save money — but it's up to you if that is enough of a benefit. Consider it carefully and, if social media coupons are worth your while, make the most of them.

This article is from Thursday Bram of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

50 Best Deals and Coupon Sites

Lynn Truong — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:00:02 +0000

Dealista MP3:

Dealista #6: Coupon Trends

This article shares tips from the 6th episode of Dealista, our podcast that'll help you get more for less.

Frugal is in and couponing has become trendy. Coupon users are no longer scrooges but sages, wisely spending by saving. It's now a prerequisite to join the ranks of deal hounds and bargain hunters who have vowed to save the world by saving dollars. (See also: The Best Places to Get Coupons Online.)

Coupons themselves have had their own extreme makeover, moving up the technology ladder to help their users retire the scissors and cute coupon organizers. The digital age has drawn a whole new generation of couponers, and they're determined to turn the measured art of couponing to their instant gratification ways.

Before I get to the staggering list of great deals and coupon sites dedicated to serving savvy shoppers like you, here are a few tips on using them efficiently. The number of sites and services might seem overwhelming at first, but the best ones allow for total customization. Only choose to receive coupons from stores you select or products you specify.

If you haven't joined in on the action, there's no better time. Save now -- no clipping required.

Alerts

Are you a shoe fiend who can't bear the thought of missing out on a sale? Are you in the market for a laptop or a digital camera? Have your favorite sites notify you immediately when a deal matches your preferences. You can be as specific (Visioneer OneTouch 7400 Scanner) or general (shoes) as you'd like. Rather than having to constantly check these sites, you'll be notified immediately when something you are eyeing goes on sale.

Twitter

If you are a Twitter addict, you might as well put it to some extra good use. Major retailers as well as local restaurants are sending promotions, coupons, and deals exclusively to their Twitter followers. Many coupon and deals sites are also offering Twitter alerts. Your favorite frugal bloggers are sharing deals on Twitter, too. If that's too many for you to follow, use handy Twitter-specific aggregators like CheapTweet and CouponTweet. If you haven't had the chance to get in on Twitter yet, here's a handy Twitter guide.

Mobile

A recent article in the New York Times featured the rise of mobile coupons. No more forgetting to bring coupons with you. Get them sent directly to you, wherever you are. When you’re checking out, simply show your cell phone to the cashier and voila, your savings are ringed up. Sign up with services like Cellfire, MobiQpons, and Yowza, and if you have an iPhone, Coupon Sherpa is an app that handles coupons for popular retailers.

Site-to-Card

Sites like Shortcuts allow you to link coupons to your store savings card. For example, if you have a Vons card, select the coupons you want and it'll be added to your Vons card. When you're checking out, swipe your card and your coupons will apply!

Public Opinion

Not sure if a deal is great or just so-so? The best deals sites offer editor picks and allow users to vote and comment on deals. Use the power of social media to decide whether to jump on a sale or wait until a better one comes along.

50 Best Deals & Coupons Sites

Here they are. These sites will help you find the best bargains and coupons.

Wise Bread's Best Deals

The latest deals and coupons aggregated from the top sites around the Web. Plus the Top 10 deals of the day hand picked by Wise Bread. Subscribe to receive the daily deals roundup delivered to your email inbox.

Dealnews

My personal favorite deals site, the writers at dealnews do the very hard work of scouring the web every day for only the best deals on the hottest items. Every deal has been verified and the retailers are reputable (they ban any store with a history of poor customer service). Unlike many other deals sites, their site is easy to navigate and use, which is a godsend for any deal hound trying to get in and out quickly so they can catch the deal they want.

8coupons

Get up-to-the minute deals on your phone with free printable and text message coupons that you can redeem by just showing the cashier.

Baby Cheapskate

An essential destination for the busy parent and homemaker. The site has the best baby, kid and maternity bargains available, as well as the weekly circulars for grocery and drug stores. Another awesome feature is their Monthly Deal Forecast where they predict upcoming bargains, so you don't miss out by buying too early!

Bargainist

Deals are handpicked and updated several times a day, this popular site gets on all the "top lists" for good reason. They've also got a fantastic tips section that offers valuable bargain hunting advice.

Ben's Bargains

One of the longest running bargain sites around and still going strong, Ben has a loyal following because of his carefully selected deals, which includes advance notice of upcoming deals and exclusive offers (not to mention fantastic giveaways) for his readers. There are also special tracker tools that tracks down hot and hard to find items, so you don't have to run all over town yourself.

BradsDeals

One of the few non-tech oriented deals sites, this one covers an array of deals that tackles the shopping lists for everyone in the family. Brad's been interviewed by many news and talk shows, and is recognized as an expert bargain hunter. You can't go wrong following his picks.

Buxr

A fun and innovative site that gives deals hounds another thing to be excited about. Not only do users vote deals up or down, but they get money and prizes for doing what they do best--finding the best deals and telling others about it.

Cellfire

Get groceries, shopping, restaurants, and entertainment offers sent direct to your cell phone. With Cellfire, you never have to print, clip, or forget your coupons again.

Cheap Stingy Bargains

A top resource for Dell and HP coupons and an indispensable site for anyone considering a computer purchase. Of course there are coupons and deals for all sorts of products, too. The site is updated hourly, often posting more than a hundred deals and coupons a day.

CheapTweet

They scan and gather the best deals, coupons and sales people are tweeting about. Users can rate deals and the number of retweets contribute to whether a deal makes it to their Cheapest Tweets list.

Coupon Album

If you have a favorite store or don't like the idea of ordering from a place you've never heard of, stop by Coupon Album where the deals are listed by store. They've got coupons and deals for hundreds of the most popular stores.

CouponCabin

A popular coupon site that updates their directory three times a day to keep their coupons fresh. Their straightforward navigation allows you to find coupons based on features like most used, printable, and free samples.

Coupon Code

A clean and simple coupon site that offers discounts for over a thousand stores. You'll have no problems finding just the right discount for you.

Coupon Craze

At Coupon Craze you'll find internet shopping store coupons, online coupon codes, free shipping coupons and discount coupon code for store savings. Use their tools to find the best coupons and keep up to date on the latest codes.

Coupon Mom

A favorite site for the busy mom, Coupon Mom breaks up the offerings into easy to manage and digest sections. Find printable grocery deals by state, restaurant coupons, free offers and samples, and a daily roundup of the best coupons on the blog.

CouponMountain

Updated several times a day, the site offers exclusive online coupon codes, link based coupons, product discount news and sale announcements. Follow their blog for the most up to date announcements, and their forums for all kinds of hot deals, like travel, online auctions, rebates, and sweepstakes.

Coupons

A super user friendly site for the most current grocery coupons. You can enter your zip code for area specific deals, then select the coupons you want, and print them out. It's a great alternative to going through the Sunday paper and clipping your own.

Coupon Sherpa

This handy app provides hundreds of in-store coupons for many merchants right to your iPhone or iPod Touch.

CouponTweet

They scour the world's most popular social networks for special discounts and get special, hard-to-find deals from their partners and friends.

DealCatcher

A top site that offers a full staff of editors to ensure the quality of the deals, along with a large forums community that contributes shopping advice and reviews. Their Sunday Ads section allows you to look at discounts from over two hundred stores. Stop buying the Sunday paper just for the ads.

Dealigg

A terrific community site which features the best deals found by regular shoppers like you. No editors. No filters. If you like getting unbiased and timely bargain information provided by like-minded deal hunters like yourself, this is the site for you.

Dealighted

Aggregates deal discussions among the most popular and largest communities. You no longer have to visit several forums to find the best deal -- Dealighted does all that work for you. You won't find anything but the very best and most current deals featured.

Dealio

Members vote for the best coupons and sales and never miss a deal again with their Comparison Shopping Toolbar. Get instant price comparisons and related coupons and deals without leaving the store site to scour the multitude of deals sites to confirm the bargain.

Deal Locker

The clean and simple site makes searching for coupons a breeze. They have an amazing tool called the Amazon Discount Finder which searches for items currently at 10%-99% off. You'll also find great free sample coupons in the Coupon Blog.

Dealplumber

Dealplumber's mission is to make it easy, hassle free and fast for anyone to find the best bargain, discount, deal, coupon and promo code. Deals and coupons are handpicked and shared by other users (monitored by dealplumber volunteers for quality) to save big on everything they shop online.

Deals

With a slogan like because paying retail is a crime, you can be sure that they take their deals seriously. A vibrant community votes for the hottest deals and their Quick Submit Tool makes submitting deals just one click away.

Deal Seeking Mom

Get real deals for real moms. Tara handpicks the best deals for moms and their families.

Deals2buy

A clean and simple deals site (quite a rare thing to come by) that packs a punch without the clutter. If you are looking for a site with great deals but that won't overwhelm you with hundreds of deals and links at once, Deals2buy is the place to go.

Deals of America

Presenting only handpicked bargains from the most reputable American retailers, the staff is committed to providing every resource to help shoppers save money. They understand the uncertain credibility of many unknown online retailers, so they try to search bargains from big online retailers or stores with nationwide presence, so shoppers can feel safe and secure with their purchases.

DealsPlus

A site that uses the power of social media to determine the best deals to feature. Members submit and vote for the best deals. You can be sure that only deals with member consensus show up on the homepage. Along with coupons, store specials, and freebies, you'll also find the Sunday circulars from any store that has one -- an extremely useful feature to prepare for seasonal sales like Black Friday.

DealTaker

A deals site that doesn't just focus on tech bargains. Find discounts for clothes, toys, jewelry, and more. Their simple design makes the forums easy to navigate -- no small favor for the rookie deals hound.

Ebates

A site that gives you money back for shopping. Most coupon and deals sites make money through commission. Ebates does too, but they like to pass some of that back to you, the actual shopper. What better bargain can you get than that?

eCoupons

One of the largest online coupon websites listing more than five thousand stores and tens of thousands of active coupons and deals. Members can earn cash back when making purchases with participating partner stores.

Entertainment Book

Buy a book of coupons for your area for less than 20 bucks, and get coupons for restaurants, movie theaters, and shopping. You can get exclusive discounts on stuff you buy every week like movie rentals, pet supplies, books, office supplies, lunch, clothes, and a lot more. I get an Entertainment Book every year and make my money back in the first two months.

FatWallet

A robust forums community of dedicated bargain hunters. In addition to hot deals and coupons, FatWallet offers a variety of tools for reviews, price comparisons, and instant alerts. Their greatest unique feature is their cash back rewards program for shopping with hundreds of partner stores. Get money back for cashing in on a huge deal? It doesn't get any better than that.

FreeShipping

One of the few drawbacks of online shopping, and the bane of a bargain hunter's existence, is to have a great deal spoiled by a shipping charge. FreeShipping saves the day by providing free shipping codes for over 800 vendors on the Internet.

GottaDeal

A very well rounded site offering deals for a variety of items (as opposed to mainly tech focused as is the case with many deals sites). Their annual coverage of Black Friday deals is truly spectacular and an essential destination for any bargain shopper.

MyGroceryDeals

An extensive site that provides a comprehensive listing of the grocery deals in your area. The filter settings in your profile allow you to specify things like food allergies, preferred stores, and dietary considerations, so you'll get a customized list of only the most relevant items for you and your family.

MySavings

An online community bringing together consumers to share money saving tips and offers. The site provides a comprehensive directory of freebies, coupons, and other discounts and deals.

RetailMeNot

A leading consumer destination for online coupons, discounts, and promotional codes for merchandise, travel and services, committed to helping consumers enjoy a hassle-free shopping experience. Members rank coupons based on their reliability. Tools, widgets, and a Firefox extension are available for quick and easy access to your coupons. Their people-powered price comparison engine, Beat My Price (beatmyprice.com), allows you to enter the deal you've found to see whether it truly is the best available.

Savings

At Savings.com, members and coupon hunters find the best coupons on the net and then the Savings.com community decides which coupons are the best coupons. Their simple search engine and category list makes it quick and easy to find exactly what you're looking for. Savings.com aims to be the first and last place you look to find the best available coupons for whatever it is you're looking for.

Shop It To Me

Rather than scour through all the deals on the web, create your own wish list of items and wait for a bargain to appear. Select your size, brand, and other preferences, and you'll get notified if there's a relevant sale. It's like having your own personal shopper!

Shortcuts

An easier way to lower your grocery bill. Just add coupon savings directly to your grocery store loyalty card.

SlickDeals

A popular, if not the most popular, deals site around today. The homepage displays only the hottest deals, but the true action happens in their forums (forums.slickdeals.net), where the community reigns. You won't be wading through an ocean of not-so-slick deals because the community takes care of those for you. You can always get the inside scoop on the most current deals. In addition, their shopping tools, feeds and alerts ensure that you won't miss a single sale.

Spoofee

A fun, quirky site that features a wide range of deals across different categories. Deals are ranked by the community and you can follow the wild antics of the owner in the blog section.

Techbargains

An essential stop for any technology purchase, they not only provide deals, coupons, and the latest bargain news, they have a variety of helpful shopping tools. Their search engine include eBay sales, a useful feature. Read their Hot Tip articles for important shopping advice. Review their recommended products database for items you should consider buying. Get rebate and vendor information for no fuss execution.

Valpak

Everyone is familiar with the thick Valpak envelope of coupons that arrive in the mail. Now you can get instant access to all coupons currently available for your area. This is hands down the best place to get coupons for local services like dry cleaning, auto repair, and restaurants.

Yowza

Get mobile coupons and exclusive offers from over 10,000 merchants nationwide.

Zavers

Save a coupon to your account and access via your mobile phone. Have coupon codes texted to you when you save a coupon.

Dealista is a collaboration between Wise Bread and Quick and Dirty Tips, the producer of popular podcasts such as Grammar Girl, Money Girl, Winning Investor, and Mighty Mommy.

If you enjoyed these tips you can find more in our show's archive.

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This article is from Lynn Truong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: