As we mentioned earlier, referral program gamification are great ways to reward your colleagues for their work by offering them some rewards or benefits like free coffee for spending x amount of money at your store!
There are many different types of referrals, such as through social media sites, word-of-mouth, etc. You must know how to use referral program gamification offerings to maximize the effectiveness of your program.
If there’s something people are doing well, why not try giving it away for nothing? This article will go into detail about some tips to help you gamify the rewards offered through referral programs.
Referral program gamification tip 1: Give rewards
The first way to incentivize people to refer others is by offering them something in return. This could be an extra discount to another business, their favorite restaurant meal plan, or a shirt from your shop.
A great way to do this is through referral programs where you recruit other individuals to use a product or service and they get a reward too!
By adding “buy X gets Y” into the equation, it creates an incentive for people to market themselves because if someone else purchases the item, you both win.
This is how most referral schemes work — you earn slightly more because of what person you referred and vice versa.
Referral program gamification tip 2: Create a website
Along with creating your referral program’s website, you will want to pick one that is user-friendly and attractive. Your users will be spending time outside of work interacting with your app, so make sure it looks nice and communicates what actions they can take.
It is also important to include clear messages and calls to action (CTAs). This could be an invite or link to join, how to use the product, or even just an “Earn Now!” You should know this well because you will need to test various CTAs to determine which are most effective where you plan to direct referrals.
Lastly, be careful not to overdo it with features. Users will become overwhelmed if there are too many ways to earn points or rewards. Just focus on having enough opportunities but not too many. Some companies drop their referral program due to being too greedy with reward types.
There are several free tools that can help you create your own websites including Squarespace, Wix, and Google Apps. All three allow you to add content, forms, and functions easily without requiring any technical knowledge.
Referral program gamification tip 3: Tell your audience about the program
As mentioned earlier, referral programs reward you for referring others to the service or product. By offering some sort of incentives like money back or credit towards the service or merchandise, you gain their trust by going beyond what is expected from you.
By giving them something they want or need, they will bring in more people that are also seeking the same thing. This snowball effect is how most large companies grow!
The easier way to do this is to tell your audience about the program. You can mention it during an event, on social media, via flyers, etc. When telling someone about the program, make sure to emphasize the benefits for them as well as the company.
This sets up both parties for a successful referral process. For you, as the referrer, you get paid! And for the person being referred to the app, receive a gift or discount.
Referral program gamification tip 4: Be consistent
A great way to add luster to your referral program is by being consistently active. This means posting updates, encouraging referrals, offering rewards for referrals, etc.
Set time frames and meet those deadlines every week or even daily if necessary!
Weekly refer-a-friend contests are a fun way to keep things moving at a steady pace. You can choose between weekly bonuses such as t-shirts or monthly prizes such as gift cards.
The more activity you have, the more opportunities there will be to gain from your referral program. And while it’s tempting to spend money and resources on flashy giveaways, staying within budget is always better in the long run.
Monthly prizes are usually less expensive than a one-time reward like a free t-shirt. So instead of giving away a t-shirt, you get two!
And don’t forget about cold calls. Some people feel uncomfortable asking others to do something so they try to create their own “in” and ask everyone else to join them. By calling someone directly, that person has a chance to say no or maybe suggest another option instead.
Use it as a way to boost conversions
The other major use of referral programs is to increase conversion rates. A common tactic used by online marketers is reward marketing, where you give something valuable to people who visit your site or purchase a product from you.
A very popular example of this is affiliate program rewards such as Amazon’s Gold Credit Card which gives one free money to each person that uses the card. This seems like a good deal, but only if you plan to buy things from their website!
By using referrals as an incentive to convert, you can be more confident in their effectiveness. By giving someone a little extra credit to spend, you create an incentive for them to do so.
Measure your success
The first thing you need to do is determine what metrics matter most to you. What things will show how successful your referral program is?
You can measure this by looking at conversion rates, participation numbers, revenue generated, etc. It all depends on what you’re trying to achieve with your campaign!
By having different metrics, you’ll be able to compare one year to the next, and see which ones improve over time.
Some of the more common ways to track engagement are comments left, shares received, referrals converted into purchases, etc. Make sure to keep an eye on these to know if the campaign is working.
Another way to track success is through KPIs or Key Performance Indicators. These are measurable results that help tell if your campaign is working well.
Examples might be conversions, clicks, views, etc. Use real numbers, not subjective opinions to assess whether or not your campaign is succeeding.
Be creative
While having an incentive such as a gift card or discount for attending the event is very popular, you do not have to use these types of incentives as your main gamification tool. You can create your own game by using behaviors that people already perform. For example, if you are trying to get more business, then offering a percent off coupon for future customers is a good way to incentivize attendance.
By including things like this in your referral program, it will begin to feel more natural to participants. You can also add additional features to make the experience better, such as letting other attendees give rewards to invitees or giving away free drinks or snacks!
These types of additions enhance the fun factor because everyone enjoys getting something for nothing.
Connect with your audience
Running referral programs is more than just offering rewards or benefits to those that recruit others, it’s about creating connections.
By giving people incentives to do things for you, they will feel obligated to keep doing so because they want what you have. This way, they’ll refer their friends who need what you offer!
The best way to connect with your audience is through conversations and relationships. Ask questions, tell stories, share experiences – anything that draws them in and keeps them listening.
Don’t be shy, get out of your comfort zone and enjoy talking to new people. Meet up groups via LinkedIn, join chat rooms or talk to everyone you can around you.