With consumerism now largely taking place in a digital world, the conversations, good and bad, regarding products, services, businesses, and brands are at an all-time high. As a business, in order to capture a piece of that conversation for your benefit, you’re going to need to strategically implement tactics that allow you to do so.
What we’re talking about here are referrals. If consumers are going to discuss their experiences all day long and recommend (or detract) products and services to their peers, why not try and capture that feedback for your benefit. Your only concern, of course, is ensuring that the feedback you are seeking to gather is positive.
Referrals are an incredible tool for building brand awareness, creating customer loyalty, and earning trust amongst your target audience. While a percentage of referrals will occur organically, whether, via word-of-mouth or sheer voluntary action by the consumer, a large percentage of them are going to need to be earned.
Lucky for you, in this article, we outline three effective strategies you can implement to get more referrals and high-quality referrals at that. So, if you’re looking for ways to build trust, improve your review rating, and increase your customer base, this article is for you!
What follows will be a discussion regarding three effective ways to get more referrals. Let’s get right into it.
Three Ways to Get More Referrals
Getting credible referrals may seem like a walk in the park, but it’s easier said than done, especially if you’ve yet to establish a loyal and sizeable customer base.
Luckily, we’re here to provide you with three effective ways to do so. While these aren’t the only strategies, it’s a great place to start.
There are several ways to get more referrals, however, below are three (3) effective ways to get more referrals:
- Provide Impeccable Service
- Request a Testimonial
- Leverage Your Email List
Provide Impeccable Service
In order to get more referrals, you first need to earn them. Otherwise, your referrals will be more like negative reviews and unwanted word-of-mouth. The most effective way to earn your referrals no matter your audience type is to provide impeccable service.
One more time for the people in the back! Provide. Impeccable. Service.
As a business or a brand, a CEO or entrepreneur, you may think that you work for yourself; that you run your own business. However, to the contrary, you’re actually working for your clients and customers.
By providing impeccable service and going above and beyond to please your customers, not only will they remain loyal but they’ll be encouraged and motivated to spread the word, share their positive experiences on social media, leave positive reviews, and ultimately provide YOU with more referrals.
As a quick tip: Once you’ve provided impeccable service, your job isn’t done. Not only do you need to continue to provide such service, but you should then ask for a referral when the timing is right.
What you’ll soon come to learn is that there are several ways to ask for a referral. If you’re deserved and you do it at the most opportune time, you’re all but guaranteed to earn the referral.
Request a Testimonial
Going back to the art of asking, requesting a testimonial whether in the form of a video or a written review can be an extremely effective way to get more referrals. The only question, however, is how you go about requesting a testimonial.
As discussed, the first step is about getting the time right. Failing to do so may result in the loss of a customer, or worse, a negative review or testimonial. Once you’ve determined the right time to do so, you need to ensure that the request will be worthy of a return on your efforts. How so?
Keep the instructions simple, streamlined, and easily understandable. Next, offer them an incentive. Whether it’s a tag on social media, and discount or free product, or an invite to your referral program, there are several ways to offer incentives.
Finally, you must decide whether or not you want to automate the process or remain manual with your communications. Both have their pros and cons, so only you will be able to decide what path you’d prefer to take.
Leverage Your Email List
Segway! Deciding to automate or keep manual the referral request process will largely dictate how you craft your weekly newsletters and marketing strategy at large. While many have a false perception that email is dead, they couldn’t be more wrong.
Leveraging your email list and incorporating a call-to-action for referral, whether automated or personalized & manual, is an extremely easy and effective way to gain more referrals.
If you already have a loyal customer base, they’ll likely already be filtered through your email list. In short, this makes the process of vetting the right candidate to ask a reliable one. Oftentimes, all a loyal customer needs to take action is a trigger to do so.
So, just ask. Add a call-to-action at the bottom of your newsletter, provide a link to apply to your customer referral program, or make the email itself easily shareable. Whatever you choose to do, leveraging your email is a must.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to getting more referrals. Depending on your needs, goals, and objectives as a business, the strategies you decide to implement will vary.
By identifying your goals and objectives and researching the most effective ways to qualify leads and earn reputable referrals, you set yourself and your business up for success.
Just remember, be open, be honest, and be timely. In contrast, don’t be pushy, don’t be salesy, and don’t be annoying.
If you need to improve your digital marketing, schedule a complimentary strategy session with us today!
