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A referral program is a great way to have your most loyal customers advocate for your brand by referring their friends and family. In this article we’ll cover 3 easy steps to building the best referral program. Check out our quick demo video on Setting up your referral program:

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Step 1: Set Advocate and Friend rewards.

Referral programs are successful because they offer value to both the Advocate and the Friend they refer. Advocate Rewards: These rewards are issued to the person sending the referral. The Advocate is only rewarded after the referee has completed a purchase. Friend Rewards: These rewards are issued to the person being referred to your store. This reward can be redeemed the first time they make a purchase with your store. 💡 We recommend ensuring the value of the reward (even if presented differently) is the same for both advocate and friend - this way, they’re both inclined to make a purchase!
Tip: Running a points program? Points is a good place to start. Running a stand-alone referral program? Dollars-off is more valuable up front.

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Step 2: Choose your referral Social sharing channels

If you want to make the most of your referral program, you have to make sure your customers are sharing your brand in the right places. In order to do this, you need to understand how your customers interact with your brand. Knowing who your audience is and how they interact with your products will help you determine which referral channels to use. Public Channels (Facebook, X): Public referral channels put your brand in front of a huge social audience, giving you the opportunity to make a strong brand impression. Private Channels (Mobile Messengers, Email): Private referral channels are a great choice for brands operating in private industries (such as intimate apparel).
Tip: Enabling at least one private and one public referral channel to encourage customers of every demographic to take action.

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Step 3: Set a referral landing page.

In order to convert your referred customers, you need to make sure they’re landing on a page that shows what makes your brand valuable. ✨ That’s why the Smile referral program automatically redirects referred customers to your homepage. It’s simple: it helps customers find what they’re looking for and, most importantly, shows them the value of what you are selling. This is why we recommend you leave this as your referral landing page to start.
Tip: Send customers to a strategic landing page that shows them the value of your brand.