ChristianFinding the perfect referral program ideas that work can be rather difficult, most especially if your target market or demographics is one that is notoriously harder to reach. Those markets could include older generations that may not utilize the newest in digital forms of communication, or even the younger that cannot yet find your more technologically advanced methods of advertising.
For these reasons it is most helpful to have a full-bodied referral program that encompasses all of the options available to cover as many bases as possible.
Referral Program Ideas
To cover all of your bases make sure to have at least three referral program ideas that utilize all available forms of advertising.
Customer Appreciation Day
If you celebrate a customer appreciation day those who rely on more traditional forms of advertising should be targeted. Use direct mail to send out flyers letting customers know their day is coming. Make sure current customers are rewarded on this day while offering other methods of reward for consumers considering becoming a new customer. Consider extending the same reward you offer to current customers out to those new consumers who become customers on customer appreciation day. However, make sure that current customers rewards are at least slightly better than the rewards given to new customers. It is imperative to nurture current relationships by letting them know they are still as important, if not more so, than any new referrals they send to you. This type of traditional advertising should cover your demographics that may not spend a lot of time online.
Social Media Contests
Contests held on social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook can help any business with an online presence to generate some buzz about their business or product. Everyone loves contests and the chance to win a free gift that has value. Remember when creating your contests that you can expect the reaction or referral program ideas relating to your contests, to be fairly measurable by the overall value of your contest reward. This means, the higher the reward value, the more buzz you can expect to generate. Giving away a year’s worth of free laundry detergent is an excellent draw; giving away a washing machine is a bit better. Social media contests are an incredible way to generate online buzz and pull in prospective customers from digital formats.
Walk-in Rewards
While gathering new customers is the goal with any referral program ideas it is imperative to remember your current customers when it comes to appreciation, as well as possible referral sources. When current customers stroll into your physical location, make sure they stroll out with a discount offer for their next purchase, as well as an extra copy of that coupon they can share with a friend. If you let consumers know that they can only be referred to your business through the suggestion of a current customer, you give your current customers the value they deserve, as well as the chance to be walking advertisements for your company.
Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture and Referral Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture and Referral relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability.
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