When it comes to taking advantage of the power of referral marketing, it all begins with ensuring your business is share-worthy.
The goal is to persuade existing customers, thought leaders and influencers to promote your products and recommend them to others. So, the better you structure your business to appeal to your target audience, and the more excited you get people, the easier it will be to launch your referral program.
Think about it: if your products and services don’t include a clear brand message that tells a potential customer exactly how they benefit from purchasing from you, chances are your affiliates will have to do way too much work to get the sale.
Remember, it’s not their job to persuade a prospect into making a purchase – it’s yours.
The key is to get your customers excited about your message so that they are motivated to spread the word. You can do this several ways, including through monetized campaigns (affiliate programs, rewards or other incentives), and of course, by creating a product that stands out in the market, is in-demand, and solves a specific problem.
Regardless of your strategy, you need to make sure that you focus on highlighting the benefits of your product or service. You’ll want to spend time working on a killer sales page while fine-tuning your shop or business landing page so that it offers a positive user experience.
Simplicity is key! You want potential customers to land on your page and get excited about what you have to offer. At the same time, your referral program should follow this same format.
And above all else, making sure that your customers are happy and that they feel you are a quality provider is essential in generating new business and persuading others that you’re worth recommending to their friends, family or colleagues.
Focus on over-delivering and exceeding expectations!
According to recent surveys and statistics, 62% of people do a thorough internet search before buying a product. They want to see what actual customers have to say about a company before handing over their money.
In addition to reading ratings and reviews, 90% of buyers rely on brand recommendations from people they know. Just think about the last time you made a big-ticket purchase. You probably asked around to see what people recommended, right?
At the very least, you likely spent some time reading through reviews and feedback left by people who had already purchased the product you’re considering. So, it’s important to make sure that if someone searches for your product or service, all they see are glowing testimonials and positive feedback. You do this by over-delivering and providing the best user experience possible.
With every customer transaction, you want to encourage them to share your product with others, either directly or indirectly through their social media platforms and outreach.
Here are a few ways to get started:
- Customers always appreciate a discount, or you can even give them a gift just for providing their feedback.
- For those who are more interested in boosting their internet clout, offer to do a shout-out to their social media page in return for a testimonial or share.
- A testimonial-style video created by satisfied customers can become instrumental in convincing new customers to take a chance on your products or services.
- Take time to share positive feedback you receive on both your business website and social media accounts. Give potential customers as much opportunity as possible to see how customers are responding to your services.
Word of mouth might be the most important part of your marketing since 75% of people have little faith in traditional advertisements. Genuine endorsements from people they know or respect will go the distance.
After each transaction, find a polite and non-intrusive way to ask customers to tell their friends and family about their buying experience. On average, people are four times more likely to do business with you if they were referred by a friend!
