How to Increase Referrals: Tips and Tricks for Rewards

At QuickLinkt, business owners often ask us if they should reward referrals. Obviously, there’s a balance between rewarding customers for making referrals, incentivizing referred customers to try your business and not discounting prices too much. So, we thought we’d outline some of the different reward types available, and when to use them.

 

No Rewards
Businesses can choose a traditional approach to referrals by not offering incentives or rewards. You can still use QuickLinkt for these referral programs – customers can submit referrals from their Smartphone or your website and Facebook page, and you can track program success. This structure solves the problem of how much to reward/discount, but you may not see a big increase in referrals at launch. That being said, if you work in an industry with pricing regulation and have a loyal client base, this program could be perfect.

One-Sided Rewards
It’s been found that offering a reward increases the likelihood of referrals – so with QuickLinkt you can reward customers for referrals. Rewards are only achieved when referrals result in new business (like a mortgage refinance or home sale), so customers send quality leads. This type of referral program is perfect if there aren’t switching costs for new customers (ie. they don’t have to pay out the rest of their old gym membership), and if trust is a major factor in the purchase decision  – like choosing the best financial planner based on how they helped your parents with retirement.

Two-Sided Rewards
If you really want to bring out the big guns, you can create 2-sided referral incentives. Customers share discounts or offers with friends and family, and then are rewarded once offers are redeemed. The obvious advantage of this program is that customers are encouraged to make referrals, and referred customers have an incentive to try your business. This type of referral program is also awesome because it encourages customers to share offers over social media and increase your social media exposure. And since customers are 71% more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals, 2-sided rewards are perfect for growing your customer base.

 

So at the end of the day, we see successful referral programs with each reward type. It’s about choosing the best reward type for your industry, publicizing your referral program, making it simple for customers and getting the proper analytics to track success. What reward structure have you found the best for your business?

5 Tips for Increasing Client Referrals

referralFor most businesses, referrals are the number one way to gain new clients. Referral programs are so powerful because they decrease advertising costs, deliver high-quality leads and leverage a business’ best asset – its satisfied clients. But despite the power of referrals, setting up successful referral programs isn’t always so easy. 83% of clients agree that they’re willing to refer a business, but only 29% follow through.

The simple truth is that there’s a gap between a business’ number of satisfied clients and the number of clients making referrals. So if you deliver an excellent customer experience (which I assume you are) but aren’t getting many referrals, we’ve compiled a list of ideas to help you increase the success of your referral program.  

1. Let Clients know Up Front When you sign-up a new member or have the initial client consultation, introduce your referral program. It’s a great time to let clients know that you value their loyalty.

2. Make It Visible Clients should easily know how your referral program works. Consider adding a “Refer Us” page on your website or tab on your Facebook page, and including your referral program in print advertising.

3. Use Email Communications as Reminders Make sure to mention your referral program in your electronic communication. Include a reminder in your newsletters or link to the referral program in your email signature.

4. Let Clients Make Referrals Anytime One of the difficulties of referral programs is that clients forget them at the perfect moment to make a referral – like when a colleague asks about their recent move. Allow clients to submit referrals from their Smartphone so you don’t miss these opportunities.

5. Just Ask! If you have a solid base of satisfied clients, you don’t need to be sheepish about asking for referrals. Identify the best times in the buying cycle – like after a house sale closes – and use these opportunities to to ask for referrals.  

 

The bottom line is that your clients can’t participate in a referral program if they don’t know it exists! By using some of these simple strategies and making the referral process easy, you can leverage your happy clients and increase referrals. What techniques does your business use to build loyalty and increase word of mouth?