Keeping customers engaged and interested in your referral program is key to the success of your program. These guidelines will help to boost your referral program performance.
Step 1: Reward Senders and Receivers equally
The best referral programs reward both new and returning customers for participating. However, a referral program that doesn’t reward both sides equally is more likely to suffer poor engagement rates.
By rewarding your Senders and Receivers in the same way (such as $10 off for each person), you not only make your referral program easier to understand but also increase the sense of shared value. This makes it more attractive to new customers and encourages existing customers to help spread the word about your program.
Tip: update your referral rewards and monitor in Smile Analytics to see the change in Completed Referrals.
Step 2: Use a branded referral message
Your referral message is a fantastic way to expand your marketing reach, especially if you brand it properly. Customized messaging not only increases the trust new customers have in your referral link, but also improves the odds of customers engaging with it.
You can easily brand your referral messages in a number of ways:
- Include your logo in the share image
- Use images that show what you sell
- Tell the Receiver what’s in it for them
- Use words like “I” and “My”
- Keep it current
Each of these small changes can have a huge impact on a customer’s desire to share your referral message.
Every brand impression matters, so make sure that each referral your customers share keeps the focus on your business.
Step 3: Make sure your most loyal customers know about it
No one’s more qualified to use your referral program than your best customers. With an interest in your brand, your most loyal customers are already your best advocates. That means you should be mobilizing them with your referral program!
- Designing a campaign that targets your best customers
- Describing how your program works
- Letting customers know how they can participate
- Showing customers what they can earn by participating.
Each of these emails will get them excited about earning more rewards and give them the knowledge they need to start spreading the word.
You can supplement referral email campaigns with:
- On-site calls-to-action
- A dedicated program page
- Social media marketing
