What Is Referral Marketing? Here’s What You Need To Know 👇

Referral marketing explained simply, is where you encourage your customers and fans to refer their friends. This marketing channel typically offers rewards to people who refer new business your way.

Think of it like an exchange.

👉 They bring you a new customer.

👉 You reward them.

It’s a win-win!

Referral Marketing is growing at a staggering 642% a year, yet most marketers still don’t really know what referral marketing is. In this post, we’ll do a deep dive into what referral marketing is, how you can leverage it to grow your business, and why brands are flocking to be the first in their industries to launch referral programs. You can see some real life referral program examples here.

If you want the official definition of a referral you can go to the dictionary here. But if you want the definition and meaning that matters to marketers and business owners, then keep reading…

What Is Referral Marketing?

Referral marketing, sometimes called word-of-mouth marketing, is a strategy where businesses encourage their customers and fans to promote their products or services to friends and family. It relies on the power of personal recommendations to drive new customer acquisition. Referral marketing often involves incentives, such as discounts, cash rewards, or exclusive offers, to motivate existing customers to refer new ones.

If your brand is actively participating in referral marketing, then your customers would be able to share a referral link with their friends to spread the word about your business. You can read more about creating referral links here.

“Referral marketing leverages the trust established between friends and family. When a customer of yours recommends your business to a friend, they pass along all that trust. This is why referred leads often convert at a 3x higher rate than any other leads your marketing campaigns generate!”

– Kirsty Sharman, founder of Referral Factory

As an umbrella term, referral marketing can also include advocates or ambassadors other than existing customers, such as affiliates, employees, partners, and influencers. All these people would be interested in promoting your business in exchange for rewards (or cash) — and that means all these people could act as ‘referrers’ for you.

What Does Referral Marketing Look Like In Real Life?

Have you ever logged into your Uber or Airbnb app and been prompted to refer a friend for a small cash reward? Have you ever been prompted by a contractor you used to tell your friends and neighbor’s about their service?

That’s referral marketing!

In short: a business that practices referral marketing has a referral program — the referral program is what’s used to invite users to refer, track those referrals, and reward users. There are many ways you can create a referral program just like Airbnb, but the simplest way is to use plug-and-play referral software so that you don’t have to hire a developer to build your referral program.

You can find a list of the best referral software tools here.

What Types of Businesses Use Referral Marketing?

Among the multitude of marketing tactics available, referral marketing has emerged as a powerful tool that transcends industries and business models. It really is possible for all types of business to leverage referral marketing, but some types are more likely to have success of course.

Let’s explore the various types of businesses that can benefit from referral marketing.

1. Online businesses like e-commerce stores and marketplaces: Referral marketing is particularly effective for e-commerce and online retailers. With the rise of social media and online communities, people are more inclined to trust the recommendations of their peers when making purchase decisions. By implementing referral programs, these businesses can incentivize their existing customers to share their positive experiences and refer their friends, leading to increased brand exposure, customer acquisition, and ultimately, higher revenue.

2. Subscription-based services: Subscription-based businesses, such as streaming services, software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers, and meal kit delivery companies, can greatly benefit from referral marketing. As these businesses rely on recurring revenue and long-term customer relationships, referrals can be a powerful driver for growth. By offering incentives, such as discounts or exclusive perks, businesses can encourage their subscribers to refer their friends and expand their customer base organically. You can learn all about Saas referral programs here.

3. Local and service-based businesses: Local businesses, such as restaurants, salons, and fitness studios, as well as service-based businesses like lawyers, accountants, and contractors, can also leverage the power of referral marketing. These businesses often rely heavily on word-of-mouth recommendations and personal relationships to attract new clients. By implementing referral programs, they can incentivize their current customers to spread the word about their exceptional services, leading to increased visibility, trust, and customer acquisition.

4. B2B companies: Referral marketing is not limited to B2C businesses. B2B companies can also benefit greatly from this strategy. In industries such as software, consulting, or professional services, trust and reputation play a crucial role in decision-making. By encouraging their existing clients to refer their business to other companies or professionals in their network, B2B companies can tap into the power of personal recommendations, build credibility, and drive new leads.

5. Any businesses in a niche: If the customers you have know other people like them, you’ll probably have success with referral marketing. Sports, students, moms, car fans, medical professionals and other niches are great opportunities to leverage the power of referrals. This is because human nature leads people to socialise and spend time with others who are similar to them. Moms join moms groups, fitness fans have gym buddies, medical professionals study together, and so on. If your business is in a niche you’re in luck as referrals could be a great growth driver for you!

6. Startups and small businesses: For startups and small businesses with limited marketing budgets, referral marketing can be a game-changer. By leveraging their existing customer base and turning them into advocates, these businesses can generate a steady stream of qualified leads without breaking the bank. Referral programs can help startups and small businesses create buzz, increase brand awareness, and acquire new customers in a cost-effective manner. You can learn about referral marketing for small businesses here.

7. Financial services: When it comes to money, insurance, investments or any of those other ‘scary’ purchases, its pretty obvious that people are much more likely to take the advice of a trusted friend than the advice of a google ad. When it comes to industries people aren’t experts on, their insecurities mean they will be MOST likely to purchase through a reccomendation.

8. Professional Services: When people are paying others to be the expert, they want to know they are working with the best. That’s why reccomendations work particularly well in professional services. Coaches, architects, marketing agencies and more. These companies proudly show off their reviews to prove they really are the top players in their industry, but they should also be asking their customers to spread the word on social media and in their private networks that they endorse your professional services. This kind of endoresment is guarenteed to make sure your business stay top of mind in the minds of your ideal target audience.

In today’s digital age, traditional marketing tactics are becoming less effective, and consumers are becoming more skeptical of traditional advertising. Referral marketing offers a refreshing and authentic approach to attracting new customers. By harness ing the power of word-of-mouth and incentivizing existing customers to refer their friends, businesses can tap into a cost-effective and influential marketing strategy. From e-commerce and online retailers to subscription-based services, local businesses, B2B companies, startups, and small businesses, referral marketing has the potential to unlock success for all types of businesses.

Why Referral Marketing Matters

Referral marketing has become increasingly important in today’s competitive marketing landscape. As the cost of advertising on Google and Facebook rise, and the quality of leads generated via these platforms decline, businesses are looking for new and innovateve marketing channels to help them grow.

It’s no surprise they are turning to referral marketing. The data clearly shows that there is no other ways to generate leads of such high quality than through referrals. In fact, referral marketing statistics indicate that leads generated from a referral program have a much higher conversion rate, a much lower cost to aquire, and these leads are very likely to spend more and stay longer as a customer. All this is because these leads arrive as your door step after being reccomended your services by a trusted source!

This is why referral marketing should matter to you and your business , and why you should consider implementing it 👇

1. Trust in Personal Recommendations: In an era of information overload and skepticism towards traditional advertising, people trust recommendations from friends, family, and peers more than ever. Referral marketing capitalizes on this trust, providing businesses with a powerful tool to stand out in a crowded market.
2. Rise of Social Media: With the widespread use of social media, individuals have larger networks and can easily share their positive experiences. Referral marketing aligns with the viral nature of social platforms, enabling businesses to reach wider audiences through organic, user-generated content.
3. Saturation of Online Ads: Consumers are bombarded with online advertisements on the daily. Referral marketing offers a more personal and targeted approach, cutting through the noise and delivering messages directly to individuals who are more likely to be receptive.
4. Cost-Effective Customer Acquisition: As customer acquisition costs rise, businesses are seeking cost-effective strategies. Referral marketing often yields higher-quality leads at a lower cost compared to traditional advertising, making it an attractive option for marketers aiming to optimize their budgets.
5. Customer-Centric Approach: Modern consumers value experiences and relationships with brands. Referral marketing is inherently customer-centric, focusing on building positive relationships and rewarding loyalty. This approach aligns well with the values of today’s loyalty-focused consumers.
6. Algorithm Changes in Digital Platforms: Algorithm changes in major digital platforms can impact the visibility of businesses. Referral marketing provides a more stable and controllable source of customer acquisition, reducing dependence on platform algorithms.
7. Focus on Customer Experience: Customer experience is a key differentiator in the modern marketplace. Referral marketing, driven by positive customer experiences, aligns with the trend of businesses prioritizing exceptional service to retain existing and attract new customers.
8. Measurable Results: Advanced analytics tools allow businesses to track and measure the performance of referral marketing campaigns. This data-driven approach enables marketers to refine strategies, optimize outcomes, and demonstrate a clear return on investment.In other words, referral marketing is gaining prominence because it addresses the evolving preferences of consumers, leverages digital platforms effectively, and provides a strategic advantage in the fiercely competitive digital landscape.

A referred customer is about 25% more valuable than a comparable non-referred customer. Taking into account differences in acquisition costs, the difference in customer value is almost 35%

— Referral Marketing Stats By Referral Factory

How Do You Do Referral Marketing?

Unlike spontaneous word-of-mouth recommendations, referral programs are intentionally designed and directed by marketers. This means that if you want to do referral marketing, you need to launch a referral program. See how to do that using referral marketing software here.

When you launch a referral program you have to consider all aspects of your referral marketing strategy, you can’t just ask people to spread the word then sit back and hope for the best. Your referral program will contain rewards and incentives, easy to share referral links, promps and reminders to refer and much more.

Turning casual chatter into tangible conversions, that’s the absolute power of referral marketing. It leverages the authenticity of real-life conversations, permeating through social circles with an ease that traditional marketing can only dream of.

Here’s an example, you can decide which of these options is more impactful as a marketing channel…

1. “We are Jim’s insurance, we offer great service if you insure your car through us.”
2. “I used Jim’s insurance to get cover for my car and I could not believe how good the service was!”Do you see the difference? One’s a one’s a push, one’s a recomendation.

As a marketer you want to get as many people recommending your brand as possible. This is why we believe marketers need to change their perspecive on word-of mouth referrals. Stop thinking of referrals as something that happens in the background, and start thinking of it as a tactic that you can use to actively generate more leads. Doing referral marketing is much simpler than you think, in 2024 there are tools and platforms that make it possible to launch your own branded referral program in just a few days. Watch the video below to see the five steps you’d have to follow:

If you do referral marketing right, you’ll drive organic growth which really is the best kind of growth a business can ask for. By transforming customers into marketing champions who recommend your brand, you amplify your brand’s reach and resonance. Word-of-mouth marketing showcases your business in the homes, cafes, and workplaces of your customers, leveraging their trusted networks in the best way possible.

Busting growth plateaus is achievable with smart referral marketing. The best thing about customer referrals is that it can fuel exponential growth: your existing customer base refers their friends, who join the base and, in turn, refer their friends, who join the base, and in turn refer more friends… and on and on it goes. As your base grows so does the potential for more and more referrals.

As this word-of-mouth promotion grows, so too does your business. Referral marketing presents an incredible opportunity to not only drive organic growth but also bolster customer acquisition in a meaningful way.

Effective Strategies for Implementing Referral Marketing

If you’re working on a strategy presentation, you can download our free referral marketing strategy template here. This is a slide deck with a generic referral marketing strategy that you can copy and steal as your own!

If you aren’t quite ready to present to your boss yet, and you just need the basics. We’ll cover that below.

When it comes to implementing a referral program, there are a few key elements you should consider. Firstly, who are you asking to refer your business: is it your customers, affiliates, partners, employees, influencers or a combination? Knowing who you’ll ask to refer will help you plan for the next key consideration: the referral rewards and incentives. We say rewards and incentives because it’s worth considering whether you’ll only reward the person doing the referring or whether you’ll also incentivize the person being referred, your new lead. In customer referral programs, it’s typically best to reward both parties, what is commonly referred to as a double-sided referral program.

Once you have a clear sense of who you’ll ask to refer and what you’ll give them to motivate the referrals, your next step is to think about how to get them referring and, for this, a good bet is to use referral links. These will help you make it super easy for everyone involved in the process: your referrers, their friends, and — importantly — you! Using referral links means tracking and managing your referral program can be automated down to the very last detail — even firing off those rewards!

Here’s a breakdown of the four key components you should consider when creating your strategy:

1. Identify Your Referrers (Customers, Fans, Affiliates, Employees, etc…)

A successful referral marketing strategy starts with identifying who you’ll ask to refer. These can be your highest value customers, your most loyal fans, or your dedicated employees. By tracking their interactions with your brand and noting their level of engagement, you can build a solid list of individuals capable of championing your products or services. Remember, however, to tailor the structure of your program according to who you’re asking to refer as what motivates your existing customers might be different to what motivates your employees.

In addition, connections in the realm of referral marketing hold immense power. It’s not enough to spot your potential referrers; it’s imperative to cultivate relationships with them. Providing them with the right incentives, aligning their passion for your brand with their natural tendency to share, you can ensure a reliable, thriving stream of high-quality referrals.

2. Design an Irresistible Referral Offer

Designing an unbeatable offer revolves around understanding your referrer’s wants — then, presenting them with an opportunity that is truly hard to resist. In customer referral programs, keep in mind that people are often equally, if not more, driven by the opportunity to give their friend a special deal than they are by the opportunity to get rewarded themselves. Creating a double-sided referral program, where both the referrer and the person being referred receive rewards, can be highly effective in driving referrals. This not only incentivizes your customers to spread the word about your business but also entices potential new customers to take action.

Tailoring your program to reward your loyal customers not only solidifies their commitment to your brand, but also incites them to spread the word even louder. Thus, to build loyalty and to incite referrals, the art of rewarding customers plays a pivotal role.

3. Generate Referral Links So People Can Refer

While there are a few different mechanisms for getting people to refer, including physical referral cards and referral codes, the most effective way to implement a referral program is to use referral links. These are unique URLs that are easy to share across various platforms, serving as your brand’s passport to reaching potential customers. The beauty of referral links is that when they get clicked on by your new potential leads, you can include all the relevant information as well as a personalized recommendation from the referrer. This makes it super easy for the person referring as well as the new lead.

4. Track And Manage Your Incoming Referrals

Referral marketing can be an amazing way to generate leads for your business but if you don’t implement effective tracking early on, it can also be a huge drain on your staff resources and could even harm your business’ reputation if referrals aren’t correctly captured and attributed. This is why referral tracking is crucial.

Investing in the right tools to manage your referrals cannot be overstated. With seamless integration into your existing setup, referral marketing software can help you organize fruitful relationships, track referral sources, and reward referrals promptly and accurately.

Winning strategies for managing referrals also involves constant monitoring and adjustment. For boosted growth, evaluate benchmarks, manage referral sources diligently and adapt your approach based on tangible results.

Conclusion

Ready to throw out your existing channels and go all in on referral marketing? We don’t blame you! Check out our YouTube channel for more content around referral marketing and you can use it to grow 🚀