As we already mentioned, referral marketing is one of the most powerful ways to grow your business. But what is referral marketing? how can you do it properly? And what are the benefits of referral marketing for your business?
Referral marketing happens when someone else does some work for your company in exchange for something they want or need from you. This could be buying a product or service that you sell, asking about products or services you offer, or creating an audience for a new business like yours!
The person doing the referral may get a reward for their efforts, but more importantly, they’re telling others about you and your business – potentially boosting your reputation and sales.
Here are five reasons why referral marketing is important to your business. Read on to learn more about them!
Reason #1: It builds trust
Trust is one of the biggest allies in growing your business. People will go out of their way to buy from you if they have faith in you as a seller and as a leader.
By offering rewards to people who talk about you, you build trust. They believe that you’ll help them achieve their goals (by getting the incentive first), and you earn their respect by giving them incentives to promote you.
This works in both directions – not only do they feel incentivized to spend money with you, but also you gain credibility when people tell their friends about you.
Benefits of referral marketing 1: They are the ones that will tell their friends about you
Having a business that does not use referral marketing is like having a car without wheels. You know it’s important, but you don’t use it because you wouldn’t have access to one otherwise.
Referral marketing happens when someone you know uses your product or service and then tells their friends how good yours are.
This person can be a friend, family member, colleague, or even online user that has an account with your company. By offering them a discount or reward for referring you, they get credit for helping promote your brand!
It’s a win-win situation. For them, they get something they want by promoting you, and for you, you get new customers.
There are many ways to create referrals. Some make you earn rewards for referrals, while others pay you! It all depends on what works for your business and your budget.
Hence, why it is crucial to run referral marketing strategies.
Benefits of referral marketing 2: They are more familiar with your brand
As mentioned before, one of the key components to successful referral marketing is having someone else do the work for you by creating referrals for your business.
By offering rewards or incentives for people that refer others to your product or service, you can get those hard-working individuals to spread your name around!
Rewards may include free items, discounts on services, or even cash payments. It all comes down to what works for your business and your budget.
The easiest way to start reward referral marketing is through word-of-mouth. If someone you know has done well via referral marketing, they will surely tell other people about it.
Benefits of referral marketing 3: They are more likely to buy from you
Recent studies show that people are 5 times more likely to do business with a company if they know someone else who has done business with them.
This is referred to as referral marketing or word-of-mouth marketing. By asking your current customers to talk about your business, we can learn a lot about your organization and what products and services you offer that may be of value to them.
It’s an effective way to generate new sales because your prospects will feel comfortable buying from you since they have confidence in you.
And while it might sound cliché, references matter – even to those who don’t intend to make a purchase. If someone doesn’t trust a seller, chances are good that she won’t stop there.
By acting responsibly when giving referrals, you’ll help ensure that lasting positive relationships are formed and that your community continues to grow.
It’s worth noting here that although this article focused mostly on benefits for businesses, these same perks apply to anyone looking to gain exposure through social media channels.
Benefits of referral marketing 4: They are more likely to pay for your products and services
As mentioned before, referral marketing is motivated by money. Companies make profits off advertising so they will spend money promoting products and/or services that help them make more profit.
By offering your service or product to someone else as a way to win the reward, you get credit for helping others succeed and creating a snowball effect of income. This is why it is considered a powerful tool in business!
Referring out of loyalty to a company or individual is an excellent way to gain exposure while simultaneously earning some extra cash.
Benefits of referral marketing 5: They are more trusting of your brand
As mentioned earlier, referral marketing is all about creating relationships with your community!
By offering rewards or incentives to others to do business with you, they become your partners and supporters. This relationship benefits both parties, giving them recognition for doing well and your company getting new customers.
Referring friends to your business or taking part in social campaigns can be done for a reward such as discounts or free items or services, t-shirts or bags, or word-of-mouth advertising.
Running promotional events at local businesses or sports teams can create buzz, bringing attention to your product and service. By providing content for their website or via email, you also get exposure.
They are more familiar with your company
Even if you’re already running every social media campaign through paid advertising, referral marketing is worth doing at least once to see how it can boost your business.
By adding some additional referrals to your list of vendors, people will feel more inclined to do business with you because they know other people use you and enjoy what you have to offer.
This can work in your favor or against you — depending on whether these new contacts like what you offer and who you are!
If you’ve been looking to increase your online sales, try giving away something free as an incentive to visit your site and/or buy from you. Or maybe add some discounts that referrers get while buying from you – this could make them very happy!
Alternatively, you can reward successful referrals with special treatments or promotions. For example, Apple frequently rewards big spenders in its stores with early access to products and giveaways.
Broken down, those two strategies alone can be enough to create a snowball effect that boosts your sales.
But aside from direct benefits, even just knowing about your product and service helps spread word-of-mouth marketing. People love to talk about things they believe in, and referring others to you is one way to inspire that action.
Reference: How To Boost Sales With Social Media Referrals.
They know the people who work there
As mentioned before, your business should be focused on offering quality services or products that people want. But how do you get more people to try out those services? By telling others about them!
Referring to someone else’s service as if it were your own is called referral marketing. It’s one of the most powerful types of marketing available because not only does it spread your brand name, it can create new relationships for your company.
People will trust other professionals in your field more if they refer to you as an expert. This way, both you and your friend will gain credibility.
It also helps your friends win praise for helping such and such a company find its next leader. You may even make some money too! Funding your referral scheme via referral rewards programs is another great way to keep referrals coming. Companies pay you for bringing in new members!
There are many ways to source additional referrals. Some of the easiest ways include staying active on social media, talking to people around you, and sharing your experiences with what you’ve learned from doing things yourself.
They may have a relationship with one of the people who work there
As mentioned earlier, referral marketing is when someone you know uses their connection to help your business in some way. It can be through social media, phone calls, or even emails!
If they can convince their friend that your business offers good services and products, then it helps your business’s reputation.
It also gives them credit for bringing you into the community, which is an excellent thing to reward.