My student discount isn’t getting the uptake I want: how can I promote it?

So, you’re officially part of the world of student discounts. Great news.

However, whilst you might have crafted the perfect offer, something might just be missing. Your discount isn’t getting the love that it deserves. 

In this blog, we’ll discuss why your discount isn’t getting the uptake you’d hoped for, and share top tips on how you can stop that from happening, and turn things around.

Let’s dive into some ways you can boost your discount’s visibility and effectiveness.

Make the offer clear and enticing

Is your discount straightforward, or does it require a deep dive to understand the terms?

Complicated or unclear discounts often deter customers. Keep it simple – consumers love percentages off or flat monetary savings. Consider a clear call-to-action (CTA) like “Save 20% Today” instead of vague wording like “Limited Time Offer.” 

Already got this in the bag? 

Well, it’s time to get more creative with your CTAs (and this time, we’re talking about the placement).

Place your discount in the header to get it seen across your site. This high-visibility spot is probably the first thing your user will see – it’ll drive awareness and engagement. 

At Pion, we can help you get your CTA understood loud and clear. Aside from the standard linking options, we can now offer you two more highly effective options: embedded CTAs and hosted CTAs. 

Embedded Connect will integrate directly into your site (the clue is in the name!). This option allows you to use your own page for your CTA. The CTA will be embedded into your page. Alternatively, Hosted Connect will be hosted on Student Beans’ site (Pion’s discount platform). 

There are benefits to both. Embedded Connect keeps your users in your ecosystem: it’s consistent. Plus, your CTA will align with your look, feel and branding. 

However, for other brands, Hosted Connect may be a better option – the set-up is quick, and the maintenance is minimal. For smaller brands, hosted CTA’s will benefit from our large and engaged audience (ideal for brands looking to increase their visibility!).

You can tap into our existing traffic, and give your brand a promotional boost. Get in touch with your customer success manager to learn more.

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Using the power of creators

If your discount is struggling to gain traction, the solution could lie in tapping into the power of Pion Creators – a multi-channel campaign built by Gen Z, for Gen Z. ‍

Boost your brand awareness

One of the biggest challenges brands face is cutting through the noise (and trust us, it’s loud out here). 

Pion Creators will give you an edge. We’ll help your brand drive genuine, organic engagement with the audiences you want to reach. We know the best people to talk to Gen Z are Gen Zers themselves: Pion Creators do exactly this, amplifying word of mouth and making your discount feel more authentic. 

You can list your offer (or competition) on the right marketplace, tailored to Gen Z audiences. Our network of creators will grow your brand awareness, extending your reach far beyond your usual audience.

Drive high-quality traffic

Not all website traffic is created equal. With Pion Creators, you can drive high-quality, targeted traffic to your site or app. With paid placement advertising, your discount won’t just be seen by the right audience; it’ll be noticed.

This translates into more meaningful engagement, driving not just clicks, but visits that actually convert.

Run paid placement ads supported by our creator content, amplifying how many users see your brand and offers across relevant channels. We can also re-target your programs, to ensure your offer gets in front of users who are most likely to convert.

Increase conversions from high-intent shoppers

The real magic of Pion Creators comes from their ability to engage high-intent shoppers: those on the verge of making a purchase. By integrating diverse CRM products and retargeting tactics, our campaigns regularly re-engage users, nudging them toward conversion. 

Bespoke, insight-led creator campaigns

Unlike traditional ad campaigns, our Creator offering starts at the first stage: insights.

We’ll kick off by understanding your brand’s needs and the market you want to reach. We gather insights directly from Gen Z, ensuring the content is not only relevant but tailored. Content is great – but it’s nothing without data.

Benchmark your campaign data to succeed again, and again 

With Pion creators, we’ll provide estimated impressions, reach, and clicks for every campaign package, so you can clearly see the value and performance of your investment. We track how your discount is performing across key metrics, helping you refine and optimize your strategy for maximum impact.

Check out some of our creator success stories here, or check one out in action below.

Run targeted ads and invest in paid placements

Are you sure the right people are seeing your discount? If not, it might be time to dive into some paid advertising (we can help with that, too!) 

We have the data on where Gen Z are spending their time – and we know the channels to reach them.

Pion can run highly targeted campaigns to put your offer in front of the exact audience you want to attract. We can offer a variety of placements: featured discounts, hero ads, promotional banners, promoted search ads and of course, social media integration. Get in touch with your customer success manager to learn more. 

Gamify the experience with WINSDAY

We all love winning, right?

Well, what if you could win and your customers could win? 

WINSDAY is a weekly competition held every Wednesday, where users have just 24 hours to enter and win. Hosted exclusively on the Student Beans app and website, this campaign features a fresh giveaway each week from a different brand. At the stroke of midnight, the competition ends, and winners are chosen at random.

It’s fast, it’s fun, and it’s highly engaging.

WINSDAY keeps users coming back for more: the excitement of winning an offer brings users back again and again, week after week.

It’s also a powerful community driver – something we know to be key in driving loyalty.

Users will return to your brand and engage with other relevant content. Once you have the user engaged, you’ll be able to re-target them and keep your brand front-of-mind.

Finally, WINSDAY drives the FOMO effect. The competition is only live for 24 hours, after all! The time-sensitive nature of the giveaway keeps things exciting.

Like what you’ve heard?

If your discount isn’t getting the traction you expected, don’t lose hope!

Promotion is an ongoing process of testing, refining, and adapting to what works best for your audience.

However, we hope we’ve given you the solution to your problems – you’ll only find out if we’re right through one way, though.

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