As a tutor, you have the ability to generate coupon codes to reward and incentivize your students. The interface is super flexible and there are a lot of ways to customize the type of discounts you want to offer.
The interface for generating coupon codes is under Manage, which you access on Popless.com from the left-hand navigation. These codes offer a lot of flexibility. They can be in the form of percentages or a dollar amount, can be single-use or multiple-use codes, and can have a limited usage timeframe or be unlimited. Once your coupon codes are created, you can revisit and edit or deactivate (or even delete) them at any time. You can also find out how many times the code has been used.
Note: The discounts that you create using the promo code tool will affect your earnings.
For a student to use a coupon code, they need to have a Popless account, then go to your Popless page. (It'll be at popless.com/@YourDisplayName.) From there, they'll choose a date and time, continue to the payment phase, and be able to enter your coupon code.
Suggested uses for coupon codes
Be creative when giving out coupon codes. Coupons are effective and fun - here are just some of the ways you can use coupon codes.
Referral rewards
You could provide coupons to students who refer friends and family. When a new student books time with you and mentions they've been referred by one of your existing students, you could issue your existing student and thank you coupon for their referral.
Lapsed students
The ideal student is one who returns for ongoing, regular lessons. So if you've got students who took a single lesson and disappeared, or who took a couple lessons and dropped off your radar, consider contacting them and offering them a personalized coupon code that gives them a percentage off of their next lesson.
Introducing new offerings
Your Popless account will constantly be evolving, and any time you add a new type of lesson, or branch into a new area like Classes, giving away coupon codes is a smart way to launch it. You can do something public on social media, or hand out a few codes privately to select students. They'll be patient as you work out the kinks, because they know they're helping you build; and there'll be less pressure on you because of the discount.
Give a try-me discount
There will always be prospective students who are on the fence about tutoring as a concept, or not sure you're the right tutor for them. Offer them a personalized coupon code to get them to schedule a lesson and find out for sure whether you're the right tutor for them. If you spend the bulk of your time getting to know one another rather than working on your game, it doesn't matter because of the discount. And strong relationships are at the heart of a sustainable tutoring business.
When you screw up
If you miss a lesson, get your wires crossed, or somehow your student has a bad experience because of you, offer them a coupon code to make it up to them. That code could keep you from losing a student forever, or having a student vent about you on social media and damage your reputation.
When you have a lull
There will be times when your bookings are down. It's just the nature of being your own boss. That's the perfect time to roll out a new discount to get your schedule filled back up.
To celebrate milestones
Part of growing as a tutor is to continue to pursue your own goals. Students who see you're always improving and growing will be inspired to keep working on their own progress. So consider giving out some celebratory coupon codes when you hit major - and even minor - milestones in your own life. Let people know ahead of time that you'll be giving out codes to celebrate, so they can cheer you on.
As a thank-you
Popless coupon codes make great gifts. Look for opportunities to hand them out. If a student tweets a testimonial about your tutoring, reward them with a discount toward their next lesson. If a student completes 10 lessons with you, give them a thank-you coupon code. You could also use them to reward student accomplishments, or as incentives to press through obstacles when they seem to be stuck.
Coupon code settings
As you walk through the process of creating a new code, you'll encounter the following settings.
Coupon code
This is the code itself. Coupon codes are not case-sensitive, and it's a good idea to keep them short. It's also useful to pick codes that correspond to who or what the coupon is for. For example, there’s value in giving people coupon codes to students with their names in it, so they know you've tailored them personally.
Discount type and value
Here you have the option to give a percentage off or a flat dollar amount, and then set the exact value. So if you want to give out a 20 percent discount, you'd select Percentage and then 20%. We strongly advise against creating a code that awards 100% discount. The codes will apply to a single purchase, so it's possible people you give a coupon code to could purchase a multiple meetings with it - this might be a higher-value prize than you had intended. If you want to give out a code for a free lesson, it's safest to generate a discount with an Amount value that's equal to the cost of that lesson.
Note: Promo code balances do not carry over. So if a student applies a $100 promo code to a $20 lesson, there won't be any remaining balance. It'll just be used up.
Usage limits
As a general rule, Popless giveaways limit uses to one per code, and we generate a new code for each winner when we award discounts or free lessons. There may be situations, though, when you want to generate a coupon code ahead of time to incorporate into your group class, or to send on Facebook. Clicking Limit no. of times this promo code can be applied, and then entering a number, will let you fine-tune how many times you are willing to give out that discount. Remember that you'll also be able to limit your discounts by time period, which is another way to keep a lid on the number of times your codes can be used.
Promotional period
Here's where you can pick the start and end dates for when your promo code is valid.
This is an easy way to set a limited-time discount with unlimited uses. For example, if you want to give all of your students a five-percent discount during the month of July, this setting allows you to do so. It's almost always a good idea to set an expiration date to your promo codes, just so you don't get hit with a surprise discount in the distant future. If you'd like your discount to be fairly open-ended, consider setting the expiration date to the end of the calendar year. If you want to motivate students to book your time soon, set a short promotional period. Your students won't have to take their lessons during the promotional period-just submit the booking request and complete the payment step.
The bottom line
Coupon codes are a powerful tool for promoting your social media and Popless student base. They're easy to create, flexible, and generate a ton of excitement. Be smart about how you use them, but also have fun with them.
