How To Ask For A Referral

With refer a-friend programs more prevalent than ever, one question marketers are asking is how to ask for referrals from their customers. Since your happy customers are already talking about your product, why not turn these conversations into new revenue? Referrals incentivize your customers to share your company with friends in a personalized and organic way, strengthening existing customer loyalty and boosting new customer acquisition.

To build the biggest possible advocate list, these basic principles must be kept in mind:

Simplicity - keep the structure of your program simple whether it's the visual design, the copy, or rules for issuing rewards;

Speed - nobody wants anything to be laborious especially the act of sharing. In a world where sharing literally is a button click away, make sure your advocates can find your referral program, use it easily, and get immediate feedback.

Special - refer-a-friend is special because it connects two people. So, make both the advocate and her friend feel special too with a unique offer, with great communication, and by honoring that person-to-person interaction everwhere.

Asking for referrals is easy when these three principles are implemented in your brand’s experience. For more best practices to succeed with how to ask for a referral programs download our 2016 Referral Guide.