Saving money is a priority for every American consumer. People spend more than $100 million dollars every year and are constantly seeking ways to save even more money, especially when many are still without a job.
That’s where BeFrugal.com steps in – not just to save the consumer money, but they give every small business an opportunity to save money three ways: cash back, coupons, and credit card rewards.
BeFrugal.com is the online resource for every household to save money on shopping, entertainment, groceries, movies, vacations, hotels, flights and more, along with getting an average of 7 percent cash back per purchase.
There are more than 750K visitors visiting BeFrugal.com every month and the company is growing by leaps and bounds as it celebrates their 4th year in business on February 28.
Small Business Examiner chats by phone with Founder Jon Lal at BeFrugal.com to learn how the company got its start and his plans to continue helping small businesses grow and succeed online.
STACY: Jon, tell me more about how BeFrugal.com benefits small businesses and how you started in the online coupon business.
JON: BeFrugal.com has a lot really good ways to save small businesses money because we’re the only online company that doesn’t charge a fee to set up their own advertising page on our website. The entire cost of doing business with us is FREE! We’ve also created a Facebook application that will allow a small business owner to not only post coupons on their BeFrugal.com page, but using a live feed, we can put those same coupons on your Facebook page – all for free! Anytime your BeFrugal.com coupon page is updated with new coupons, your Facebook page is automatically updated with those same coupons. We also have several thousand small businesses that have signed up to do this type of advertising and are doing really well. More importantly, they’re happy to have that kind of exposure with a reputable site like ours since we have a great brand name, and it’s all for free.
As for getting into this industry, it was personal for me because I was born frugal and was naturally oriented that way. I also knew about technology and found that to be a helpful thing. However, in the span of saving money online, I saw that there just hasn’t been any good websites to help people save money that is new, different, and clever. So, I decided that if I’m going to give any advice to a small business owner, I either need to solve a problem or make someone’s life easier. Therefore, I came up with the idea of launching BeFrugal.com four years on February 28, 2009 and the rest is history as we’re constantly growing and expanding the brand.
STACY: When you first launched your business, what were your short and long–term goals for it?
JON: Short–term goals can be dangerous because they can be a distraction from reaching your long–term goal, and ours is the place where people go to save money. We have the highest cash back site along with the greatest and best selection of coupons we offer online. Plus, we guarantee that they work and we’ll give you $5 if they don’t. Our technology is really good since we have lots of tools to help people save money because that’s what being frugal is all about. We’re the best at solving problems and helping people save money.
STACY: How has BeFrugal.com changed the way small businesses have grown their companies through the site?
JON: Small businesses haven’t had access to really good content for their Facebook page without having to pay. We’ve changed that by helping small businesses market themselves through their Facebook page plus save money through our cash back program. Small businesses receive plenty of exposure to our audience and they save an average of 7 percent cash back and $27 per order which helps with their expenses especially when they buy from another retailer on our website.
STACY: What are some of the benefits for small businesses to use your site vs. competitors?
JON: Our competitors don’t do a lot of what we do such as the Facebook functionality and helping small businesses to do so. If you’re dealing with a site like Groupon or Living Social, it’s going to a hit or miss market. Also, it’s financially very tough for a small business to work with an online deal site because of what has to be offered. You have to offer a coupon for anything that makes sense and give a portion of your sales to that company. However, with BeFrugal.com we don’t take a cut at all and you’re in the driver’s seat as to what coupons you want to offer, how long, and how often. We are 100 percent free with no gimmicks and on average, the small business takes 50 percent of the revenue. Groupon detracts what types of coupons that are offered. We give small businesses the space to market their company any way they want with a much stronger cash back offering.
STACY: Out of the three options small businesses can use to earn money, which is the most frequent choice and why so?
JON: A small business loves the cash back rewards because it helps them save money for their business such as supplies they needs.
STACY: How has online coupons/daily deals industry changed the way BeFrugal.com has done business with its customers?
JON: People are more aware of getting a coupon / deal and cash back because they think about this topic and now seek out coupons more now than they used. People are shopping online more often than ever and that wasn’t the case 5–10 years ago.
STACY: If a small business was contemplating using your site to promote their company for the first time, what would you tell them and why?
JON: For a small business first starting out, they’re thinking about being frugal and making every dollar count. There’s absolutely nothing to fear with using our website because you’re in control. Remember, not everyone out there is going to get the coupon. Don’t get too worried, but try a few things to make the coupon attractive because you want to get the consumer’s interest. Also, run the coupon for a shorter period of time and through trial and error, you will be able to determine what happens. BeFrugal.com is great way to test out and try out a lot of ideas. You can change your coupons at any time and can always remove your site if it’s not working for your business. It’s that easy! Our website is free and only takes a few minutes of your time. Plus there is very little to lose and you’ll get some exposure.
STACY: Are small businesses the only ones that can benefit from using your website? Explain.
JON: Every household in America will benefit by saving money with coupons and cash back online deals.
STACY: What are some challenges you’ve faced with marketing your business and how did you handle them?
JON: There’s a challenge every step of the way and I think that there’s ways to look at challenges: either worry about them or focus on making your company better. It’s important keep your eye on who your audience is and listening to what your customers are saying. Any small business you cannot be idle or static because you need to keep changing and stay ahead to move your company forward.
STACY: What’s the best marketing advice you received and why?
JON: A common theme that I’ve heard from several people over and over again, “Make you’re customer happy.” It’s true because business owners sometimes lose sight of that and forget that you’re not your own boss – your customers are your boss and it’s your job to make your boss happy.
Facts about BeFrugal.com:
- More than 750K visitors are on the BeFrugal.com site every month
- BeFrugal.com shoppers spend more than $100 million dollars online every year
- The average coupon on BeFrugal yields a $27 savings
- There are more the 40,000+ online stores listed on BeFrugal.com
Assistance for small businesses:
- Merchants can add their coupons to BeFrugal.com for free using the “Merchant Portal” and get access to online shoppers who spend over $100 million dollars online every year.
- Small businesses with an online store can be featured on BeFrugal.com with access to more the 250K visitors every month.
- Using the free BeFrugal merchant portal, small businesses can:
- Set up their store page on BeFrugal
- Add coupons for their store
- Receive increased exposure for your store on relevant pages throughout BeFrugal
- Upload their banner to the sidebar of BeFrugal
- Easily display current store coupons on their Facebook page in a coupon tab
- By using the BeFrugal.com Coupon Application, they can add a tab to their Facebook page that lists all their available coupons, updated in real–time from their store page on BeFrugal.com.
For more information on BeFrugal.com visit the website at: www.befrugal.com or contact the company through their live online chats located at the bottom of the website.
BeFrugal.com is located in Boston, MA.
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