Q&A: How Do I Get My Customers To Recommend Me To Their Friends?

Question: How Do I Get My Customers To Recommend Me To Their Friends?

"€œI am interested in learning more about 'Referral Marketing' and wondered if you have any blogs or references on this subject. Essentially, my boss has asked that I e-mail all of my database with a 'Please talk about us' kind of message. I'm not too keen on this as I think it needs to have a bit more substance? Are there examples out there of people doing these types of e-mails? I'm not necessarily talking about incentivising base customers to talk about us, just nudging them to ask them to recommend us. Is that a 'done thing'?"

Answer:

Just asking people to refer does not work -- after all, why would they? Keep it authentic and treat people as you"€™d wish to be treated, we"€™re all human and it can be annoying if you sense you"€™re being hounded to help a business hit sales targets or "€˜maximise the value of their database"€™ - it"€™s got to be give and take.

1. Rewarding, inspiring and entertaining people does work in a range of ways. And you have to be really honest how and why you"€™re doing it, and if you're smart also get feedback / ideas at the same time:
2. Consider attention grabbing "one-off" surveys - give away a Kit-Kat to have with a coffee to say "€œthanks"€ for survey completers (ship globally with a small note). May sound a pain, but make the effort to create good-will and show thanks. What would make you smile?
3. Building on the above example, ask survey respondents if they"€™d recommend you, if yes create an offer with a mutual benefit - their friend gets £20 voucher and referrer gets £20 voucher, consider a choice of vouchers that you"€™d want, maybe not your brands! (Amazon is great to make it easy and a tax efficient gift)
4. If you want me to refer, and I have a mutual incentive to answer the "€œWhy should I?"€, please make it really easy to do, the "€œHow do I?"€. Asking for my friends email addresses over email is weird and clumsy. Create a mechanic, it may be a simple form that makes the incentive and process open, honest and also answers important privacy issues showing how the brand would first engage with your friend.
5. Start a marketing process that builds referral in, essentially you want to avoid being in this situation again - creating an unnatural "€œrefer a friend campaign"€. Gaining a natural referral when somebody is new/happy is way easier through a satisfaction survey or similar post-sale touch-point
6. Use social networks to engage people in ways that indirectly give you feedback and referral opportunities, it's really important as you're interacting with a fan base that's naturally talking about your product. This public feedback approach is a dimension of referral since it's public praise that others find as they browse. Use appropriate software to capture it (Get Satisfaction is good, User Voice is maybe a little simpler - both have API"€™s to Zen Desk), great tools like that make it simple to share ideas, feedback and build a momentum
7. The ultimate referral tool, build a community with a myriad of features and functionality that allows me to share ideas in lots of places, I"€™m more likely to do it that way since you"€™ve so many opportunities to create inspiring reasons to do so

Done poorly, refer a friend or member get member is one dimensional, and a little cringe worthy. You have to step back, think and ask the questions: Why would they...; How would they...; When would they... and Where would they...