Recent studies show that referral marketing is one of the most important ways to increase customer experience. It seems obvious, but many companies don’t actively do this because they believe it will cost them money!
The truth is that creating loyal referrals costs you nothing unless you make something or sell something people want enough to tell their friends about it. And if your competitors are doing it, then you should probably be doing it as well.
Here are some examples of how referral marketing can improve your business:
It can boost sales by offering lower price points than what your competition has
It can create word-of-mouth buzz which brings in new customers
It can generate repeat purchases from happy past clients
It can strengthen relationships with other businesses through backlinks and reciprocal promotions
It can even help develop personal connections in non-business settings
And while these benefits may sound vague and nonspecific, there are specific strategies and tactics for each one. This article will go into more detail on all of these.
This article will also discuss why referring others to things is so effective for customer experience, along with some tips for giving good references.
How can you implement referral marketing?
Now that you have determined that referrals are an important part of your business, what next? You will want to know how to implement referral marketing into your business!
The first step in developing your referral program is deciding what type of referral partner you would like to work with. This article’s goal is to help you determine if working with a third-party website is right for your business.
It’s also a great way to start building trust within your community since they will be providing valuable content – something most people agree is worth it.
But before you pick “yes” on their offer, make sure to do some research and figure out whether or not this partnership is right for you. Read more about the benefits of using third-party sites here.
Examples of referral marketing
Recent studies have confirmed that referrals are one of the most effective ways to gain new business. Businesses rely heavily on word-of-mouth advertising, as people who talk about their experiences with a company will usually advertise the product for them.
By offering a reward or incentive to those who speak well of your business, you can tap into this influence to promote yours. This is referred to as referral marketing or rewards-driven marketing.
The rewards don’t need to be expensive, but something like a free coffee mug might win over some loyal customers!
There are many different types of referral incentives, such as discount codes, coupons, or even gift cards. By adding an app like Shopify which offers a $50 Amazon gift card for every 10 friends registered in their system, your business could offer a gift certificate as a reward.
This would not only create buzz around your business but would also generate some social proof by having people mention the company.
Touchpoints in the customer experience journey
Another way to look at it is that every stage of your customer’s buying process is like a touchpoint for you or someone else.
At the very beginning, they are deciding whether or not to buy from you. Then, they need to determine if you deserve their business as opposed to one of the many other competitors out there.
Next comes research, where they evaluate different products and services before choosing which ones seem most worthwhile. This can be done by talking to potential buyers directly, reading reviews, looking at pictures and videos, and more.
Once again, you come in when they make their purchase by offering incentives and promotions to draw them into your brand. And finally, after the sale, you want to keep them happy so that they will do the same for you in the future!
By understanding the link between referral marketing and customer experience, you will know how to prioritize both effectively. You will also learn some helpful tips and tricks for each.
Who should perform referral marketing?
As mentioned before, not every business has the resources to do referral marketing. This is fine and you should try other ways to grow your business!
But if you are willing to invest in some things that reward directly, then refer-marketing is one of the best ways to grow your business.
The most common way people begin doing referral marketing is by asking their friends or family members to visit a specific website or buy a product from them.
By creating an incentive for a friend or family member to come through for you, they will be more likely to purchase the product for you. It’s a nice little trick we use when selling products all the time!
This article will talk about why this method isn’t the best way to gain new customers for your business and what alternatives you can use instead. But first, let us look at the link between referral marketing and customer experience.
What results do customers get?
As mentioned before, referral marketing is very important to ensure that your business has steady growth. But what most people don’t realize is how crucial good customer experience (CX) is in referral marketing.
After all, you would want your colleagues to spread the word about your product or service by giving them a positive experience, wouldn’t you?
And while they might talk about the great CX your company offers, there’s no way of knowing whether they experienced it first-hand.
So, how can we as marketers ensure that our colleagues have positive experiences when doing outreach and referrals for our products and services? Here are two ways!
1. Make sure their call/meeting with you is fair
Your colleagues should be able to ask you easy questions about who you are and what you offer without feeling pressured. They need to feel like they can speak freely – this includes asking about competition, what makes your product different, why someone should choose yours over the others, etc.
They also need to feel comfortable talking to other team members if and when they take action against your recommendations.
It is okay to be direct but remember, sometimes less is more. If you find that something seems off, then try to understand why.
2. Follow up effectively
Make sure to follow up with those that contacted you for advice within 24 hours.
How can you improve referral marketing and customer experience?
A strong referral program is one of the most important ways to enhance your customers’ experiences. When done right, it creates an atmosphere where people feel comfortable telling others about your product or service.
By generating word-of-mouth recommendations for your business, you create exposure that may otherwise go unreceived.
It also helps boost engagement by creating conversations around your products and services. People who use your product or service will often talk about what features they like and don’t like. By incorporating these comments into their conversation, you gain knowledge more quickly.
There are several reasons why having a great referral-ship program is essential to success.
Will referral marketing and customer experience increase customer loyalty?
As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest reasons why people purchase products is because someone told them about them. If you’re thinking of starting any kind of referral program, make sure your referrals are being rewarded for their efforts!
By giving people extra credits or rewards for referring others to your product or service, you’ll win over some loyal customers – and that will keep them coming back.
A survey conducted by Viberate found that 74% of respondents would not refer a business they like due to fear of getting nothing in return. By adding reward programs, this number can be reduced!
If you already have reward programs, then you should look into ways to improve upon them. You don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to earn money because your participants didn’t get anything the last time they referred a friend.
There are several different types of reward programs, so let us discuss the three most common ones: coupons, credit towards purchases, and free items/services.
What are the challenges of referral marketing and customer experience?
While most industries rely heavily on referrals to stay afloat, technology companies can be extra vulnerable during the downturn. This is particularly true for smartphone manufacturers that depend on word-of-mouth sales to survive.
The mobile phone market has been through several downturns before, but what makes this one different is how quickly people stop buying new phones.
Most people know about the best sellers in a given season, so they stop shopping when their friends tell them about these products. It’s like staying at a hotel that gets packed every year around Presidents Day — you get the sense that everyone knows about it and wants to avoid it by not spending any money.
And while some people may still desire the product, many others don’t. They might even feel bad recommending it because there are no empty beds anywhere else.
For tech companies that struggle to maintain stock levels, this scenario becomes deadly. Because unless someone is actively looking to buy a device, very few people will ever see it for sale.
This way, if someone wanted to purchase a phone, they would have to go outside of your community or search hard for a unit. If they do find one, it could be months until they grab it due to all of the other options available.
In those times, chances are they won’t refer anyone to yours because nothing seems appealing.