Markco Media, a UK-based media and advertising company, will launch a paid search marketing campaign on November 19 to promote CouponCodes4U.com, the US counterpart to MyVoucherCodes.co.uk.
The coupon site was in development for about a year, but Markco only aggressively added content during the past four months, according to Ozgur Uzuner, international online marketing manager for Markco Media, the two sites’ parent company. Previously the site was only promoted through organic search engine marketing.
Uzuner said the site was timed to officially launch this week because the holidays are approaching and consumers are increasingly looking for deals online. The portal features 20,000 stores and 50,000 active deals and codes.
“We get most of our coupons, discounts and deals through online affiliate networks Commission Junction, LinkShare, Google Affiliate Network and ShareASale,” Uzuner said. “And we also have private partnerships with some retailers who give us exclusive deals.”
Dell, Wal-Mart, Aeropostale, Bealls and Sears are examples of retailers with coupons on the site. The coupon codes are for online sales only. However, Uzuner said the company hopes to have its printable coupon section running in the next two weeks. Last month, the site had 350,000 unique visitors and over 800,000 page views.
Users do not have to provide registration information to use coupons on the site, which is free for all consumers. But there is an option to sign up for a weekly e-mail newsletter that highlights the site’s exclusive deals as well as the top coupons as decided by the CouponCodes4U team. Uzuner said the newsletter has about 30,000 subscribers.
Uzuner said Markco is mostly focused on customer acquisition because the site is fairly new. However, he added, the social media and e-mail efforts are focused on retaining customers and establishing a continuous dialogue with them. The site also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter.
“These initiatives help us to extend our relationships with our existing customer base,” he said.
