How to Take Advantage of Referral Marketing

Yes, people are purchasing your products based on what other people say about you. And there’s no other marketing strategy that can beat this practice. The simple reason why people trust referral marketing so much is that its principle is grounded on reviews written by people who have already interacted with your business.

It is so powerful that can either boost your business or even break it. The good news is that there are ways of turning it to your advantage. Even if you receive multiple negative reviews, research has shown that the majority of customers will return to your business if they see you take early action to fix their problems.

In today’s article, we will show you how you can start your own referral strategy and improve your referrals

Before making any decision on referral marketing strategies, you need to find out what people are saying about your business on the internet. Many business owners don’t know that, even if you don’t have an online business profile, people are still talking about your business on social media, forums, or on their own websites.

Google Analytics has an entire segment that can help you find out how people review your business and on which websites your brand is mentioned.

When people want to buy from your website, the process should be easy and fast. Sending an order should be just a few clicks away.

Tip: When you review your current buying procedures, put yourself in the shoes of the customer and see if you find yourself satisfied with the experience.

Bonus tip: It all starts with you. If you want to increase your revenue, you need people to trust in your business.

Customer service is a really important part in your business, therefore working with a team that is motivated to deliver the best service possible will bring you extra benefits. Thus, even if there is something wrong with your product/service, having excellent customer service will put your customers at ease. Instead of diminishing their trust in your brand, clients will like you even more for being there when they need your help.

More than anything, people like rewards. So you can reward the customers and visitors that are recommending your business to their friends and peers. You can give them bonus points for visiting the site, convert the money they spend on a product into points, and offer them extra points if they refer a friend and their friend becomes your client.

You already have a number of people who refer your business, but things are constantly moving forward and you need more and more people to refer your company.

Why not place a “refer button” on your website? Somewhere in sight, so you can see it the minute you land on a page. You can also add social sharing widgets to every product page.

Whatever you choose to do make sure that it is almost impossible for visitors not to refer your business to their online communities.

You should always find new ways to impress your customers. For example, think about the packaging and unboxing experience. Instead of sending the product in just a regular box, you can add a little sparkle to it.

Find a unique way to box customers’ products. Make it look like a gift and add a thank you note. It’s cheap, but it makes an impact on your client. This way customers feel appreciated and, more importantly, they will want to share the experience with their peers.

Useful tip: No publicity is bad publicity!

People base their buying decisions on online reviews. So you should always encourage your customers to review your business online. Having no reviews is the same as having bad reviews because it indicates you are not willing to build a relationship with your customers and you are not willing to win the trust of your potential clients.

People do read your business online reviews. It has been shown that people read between 6-10 reviews before making a purchasing decision, this is why is important to make your customer review your brand: the more positive reviews you get, the more your target audience will trust your business!

As much as we trust reviews coming from 3^rd parties, it’s always impressive when your brand is recommended by a public person. The practice is being applied by basically all BIG brands in the world. It is true, it may be a bit expensive for your budget right now, but you don’t have to hire the Queen of England to recommend your products. You can choose a famous Youtuber, a blogger, or Instagrammer – people who have a large audience and numerous followers.

In a closing note, referral marketing is vital for every business, it is the foundation and the soul of every brand. Make sure to keep an eye on what people are saying about you and always try to find new ways to improve your products/services and eventually your business.