One of the best ways for your company to grow is to get your customers to refer you to potential customers. Referral marketing is a popular strategy that uses recommendations and word-of-mouth through your existing customers.
Referrals can be one of the most powerful marketing tools you have. Your customers already know your brand, which makes them the perfect “spokesperson” for your products or services. Aside from the possibility of gaining new customers, this tactic also allows you to build stronger relationships with your old ones.
There are many things you can do to make this strategy more effective to ensure success in marketing.
Here are seven tips from a Denver SEO expert for smarter referral marketing:
1. Impress your customers
Your customers must see the difference between your brand and your competitors to recommend your brand. Your goal should be to exceed customers’ expectations and ensure that they have a positive experience with your company. It is easy to ask customers for referrals if you are pleased with your product.
What can you do to make it happen?
Your business’s goal is to provide a great customer experience. Send a thank-you email to all your customers, and ask them if you know anyone who would enjoy your products.
2. Offer discounts and incentives
It’s no secret that reward-based motivation is what motivates people. You can use this to your advantage and get your customers to refer you to their friends and family. If they refer a friend to your business, you could offer them coupons or vouchers for every purchase.
What can you do to make it happen?
You need to know exactly what customers want, whether they are looking for discount coupons, free products, or any other incentive.
3. Make your customers feel special
It will be easier to send out an email blast to many customers at once, but it will make them feel much better if they receive a personalized email with their information. You can make your customers feel valued and connected to your business by sending them a thank-you note with your incentive for every referral they bring. They will perform better and be an asset to your referral marketing campaign.
What can you do to make it happen?
Keep a list of the customers likely to give you referrals, and make sure you send them thank-you notes and emails.
4. Follow up
When you learn how to get customers to refer you to people, the most important thing is to keep following up. After asking your customers to refer you, make sure you keep track of them so you can see if they bring you one. Following up with customers will help them recall the rewards and incentives and encourage them to refer others.
What can you do to make it happen?
This is a great opportunity to highlight the personal emails you have been following up with customers. As an incentive to spread your brand’s name to others, remind them about the incentives.
5. Send tokens of appreciation
Send personalized tokens to your customers to show appreciation and let them know that you value them as a partner in the business. Keep in mind that tokens of appreciation are personal and different from coupons and incentives.
What can you do to make it happen?
It is a good idea to keep track of your customers’ purchases and find out what products they are buying most often. As a thank-you, you can send them a complimentary product the next time they place an order.
6. Promote your referral marketing program
Referral advertising and marketing are often not well-known to many people. You need to inform them about your program and explain how it will benefit them and your business. It is vital to inform as many people as possible about your program, so they know its importance.
What can you do to make it happen?
Once your referral marketing program is established and launched, you can discuss it on social media, send email blasts, and create a blog for your website.
7. Keep the engagement going
It is important to build a strong relationship with customers. However, keeping them close and strengthening the relationship is even more important. Send out consistent emails to your customers and keep them informed about any promotions or programs you have. Personal greetings will remind them of how important they are to you and keep them loyal to your company for life.
What can you do to make it happen?
Keep a calendar of events and special occasions and a list of your top customers for each month. To build a stronger partnership, send them tokens or emails.
The Bottom Line
Referral schemes can be a great way to grow. Your customers are your best marketing resource because they already know and trust you and your brand. However, you must still develop a solid referral marketing strategy.
Start hitting those targets through referral marketing and succeed with consistent and effective customer engagement with minimal effort.
