Programs for referrals may be one of the most economical approaches to expansion. However, having software alone is insufficient.
Too many businesses avoid taking the effort to publicize their new project or bury it under obscure submenus, which discourages customers from becoming involved. It is in your best advantage to showcase your new referral program if you are going to invest the time and resources to create it. Since one of your program’s primary goals is to assist your consumers, treat it like you would a new product feature!
Make it simple for people to locate upon logging in.
Making your referral program simple for clients to locate when they have the opportunity is essential if you want to reap the rewards of their advocacy.
Make sure it is prominently shown in your primary menus and navigation, rather than hidden away under tiers of account settings. Your app has the top-performing programs available on each screen. In fact, just by making the program more apparent, we’ve seen its performance more than double.
Look at how Prescription management software Blink Health advertises its referral program using specific, highlighted links in the user menu and navigation. To attract attention, it’s customary to utilize a little symbol (like a gift box) and/or a contrasting color for the referral program link.
Make an explanation page
An explanation page helps ensuring that clients understand your referral program’s operation and how they may join, in addition to helping to increase awareness.
Make this page on your website to describe how your program works and how users may accrue and utilize rewards. You can use it as a CTA link in your emails, social media postings, and other communications, and it’s a terrific spot to point visitors who want to start.
Begin by responding to these inquiries on your page:
- Which incentives are offered?
- How is a recommendation made?
- To whom may one refer?
- How many people can you recommend?
- Exist any exclusions?
- How would one begin?
It’s a good idea to create a public explanation page that anybody can read to learn more about your referral program’s operation and share it with people who are not yet clients, even if it’s only available to consumers.
Write an announcement for a blog article.
A lengthier blog post announcing your new program might be a terrific way to draw readers in and provide them some of the more in-depth information they may be searching for.
You may add more details, such as team member quotes and the program’s backstory. GIFs and images with instructions, samples of rewards, and more. Remember to include a link to the blog post in an email you send to your subscribers!
Prominent PPC management platform Adzooma published a blog post containing screenshots, GIFs, and an entry point to show readers how to take part in their refer-a-friend initiative.
Employ email prospecting
Consider sending out a formal launch email and promoting your newsletters consistently to get the most out of your email channels and subscribers. Here’s where you may use the fresh material for a blog post or explanation page.
To encourage first action, send out an official email announcing the start of your new or enhanced referral program. Send an email explaining the following using the contact details you currently have on file:
- What does it benefit your users?
- How the software operates
- How quickly they may take part (include a link or instructions in the email)
To keep your referral program top-of-mind, you may also include information about it in normal portions of your regular newsletters and onboarding emails to new clients.
Make a social media push for it.
Make use of your following on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others to spread the word, depending on where your target demographic spends their time online. Given that the typical individual uses social media for 145 minutes a day, it is worthwhile to invest your time in these platforms.
Since social media is free, you may publish news and information about your program and any changes regularly since tweets and Facebook posts don’t stay up for very long.
Add compelling images to your message, a brief explanation of why readers should join, and a link to your explainer page or blog post so they can find out more.
To create a little more buzz around the launch date, think about offering users the chance to win something when they tell their friends about the post.
Verity Credit Union used social media to advertise their referral program.
Make timely inquiries using in-app triggers
When clients are feeling good about your brand, it’s the greatest moment to tell them about your referral program. Feeling good about themselves makes people more likely to use your product or service more often and, in this situation, recommend it to others. Make sure to send thank you for the referral once your target user takes an action.
Find out when your customers are most likely to be happy with your product or service, and take advantage of it to remind them about your referral program.
This point in an e-commerce model could occur after a customer completes a transaction and is eager to get their order.
If you provide a CRM application, this may occur if a user gathers a certain quantity of leads or closes a deal using your program.
If you provide a monthly subscription box, this may happen when the client receives their third box in a row, proving that they are happy with their purchase.
Canva, an online design tool, asks users to recommend a friend as soon as they download their finished design creation. This is done since the users are probably happy of what they have just accomplished.
When a user completes an activity in your app, you should promote your program. Canva advertises its referral program after a user’s content publication.
Advertise it throughout your application
The sections of your app that customers often engage with may provide opportunity to include referral program marketing, depending on the nature of your product. This extends beyond menus and navigation, even though it is closely related to making your software simple for people to locate when they log in.
Referral program marketing may be included, for instance, during or after a user has browsed through a feed of fresh material for a certain amount of time.
Front Finance does this by including a referral program call to action in the home feed of their mobile app. This makes it simple for anybody to find the program when perusing fresh entries and helps keep it at the forefront of their mind.
Directly integrating banner alerts and CTAs into your app is a recommended approach.
Utilize personalized email signatures.
Create a signature that includes a brief message and a link to your referral program to provide a little more marketing with every email that your staff sends.
By doing this, you may raise awareness by including your whole sales, customer success, and marketing team.
For support employees who assist customers with difficulties and generate pleasant moments on a regular basis, this may be quite effective. But even threads including potential clients and business associates provide a chance to advertise your course and set yourself apart.
When you set up an email signature, the receiver is given an unbreakable method to access your application, which you don’t need to bother about preserving.
Including a brief reminder about the referral program at the bottom of success or sales emails is a simple way to promote it!
Compile it into your value statement.
Customers genuinely see a well-designed referral program as a bonus, and it may help you attract prospects who may be considering comparable possibilities.
As a result, don’t be scared to highlight it as the main method through which clients may save money or get rewards.
In order to do this, mobile phone carrier Visible advertises that both new and current consumers may profit from their referral program. The referral program’s ability to help you save money on your monthly payment is highlighted on the homepage.
Incorporate marketing into your invoicing
Including a message on your customers’ bills is a terrific approach to engage them in the program if you provide credit or a discount as part of your referral benefits.
A client will be more open to receiving a discount or other benefit to reduce the total amount due on their subsequent payment while they are reviewing their monthly invoice.
Put a message with a link to the referral page saying something like, “Refer a friend to earn 10% off your next invoice!” This could also be mentioned on your app’s charging page or in the email that you get when you receive an invoice.
This is a wonderful chance to remind the consumer that they may pay a lesser cost next month by introducing a friend, should the amount owing cause them to wonder whether your value is worth their investment.
Final Thoughts
The lesson here is that in order to achieve your desired outcomes, you must actively market your referral program.
If your consumers have to go around your website or app to uncover your referral plan, there’s no use in devoting time and money to it! Try out these ten tactics to see which ones your audience responds to the best.
