Referral MarketingCrash Course

Master the Art of Referral Marketing

By Tony Mariotti@tonymariotti

I get tons of emails from marketers asking me…

I get tons of emails from marketers asking me…

How can I run better referral campaigns?

What kind of incentive should we use?

Should we run a single-sided or double-sided

incentive?

How often should I refresh my campaign

and offers?

Theseare

ALLgreat

questions

help increase referrals…

But time and again I’ve noticed

that marketers rarely focus

on the one thing that will always

LOCATIONLOCATIONLOCATION

1Widget Location Increases Referral Program Participation

Here’s a typical conversation:

I want to give my customers the opportunity to share and refer friends after they make a purchase.

Here’s a typical conversation:

That’s great! What’s your overall site conversation rate?

I want to give my customers the opportunity to share and refer friends after they make a purchase.

Here’s a typical conversation:

That’s great! What’s your overall site conversation rate?

I want to give my customers the opportunity to share and refer friends after they make a purchase.

Normal. Three to four percent on average.

Here’s a typical conversation:

That’s great! What’s your overall site conversation rate?

I want to give my customers the opportunity to share and refer friends after they make a purchase.

What are you doing about the other 97% of your site visitors?

Normal. Three to four percent on average.

Making your program widely available to all visitors --

Making your program widely available to all visitors --

in many locations, not just your checkout page --

Making your program widely available to all visitors --

in many locations, not just your checkout page --

is hands down the best thing you can do to increase referral program participation.

Making your program widely available to all visitors --

in many locations, not just your checkout page --

is hands down the best thing you can do to increase referral program participation.

(The second best thing you can do is A/B testing, but that’s coming later. Yep, that’s a teaser...)

Four key locations to install referral widgets to increase user participation

1 Homepage – Trigger an overlay on your homepage or link to your stand-alone referral page

Four key locations to install referral widgets to increase user participation

2 User Account Pages –Give logged in customers the ability to share from their account page

Four key locations to install referral widgets to increase user participation

3 Post Purchase Page – Make sure you auto-pop that widget and you’ll get 10x more sharing

Four key locations to install referral widgets to increase user participation

4 Stand-alone Referral Page –Create a landing page (i.e. yoursite.com/refer) and embed a widget on that page

Those are just four ‘must have’ locations.

I’ve also seen brilliant executions on:

Those are just four ‘must have’ locations.

I’ve also seen brilliant executions on:

blogs

Those are just four ‘must have’ locations.

I’ve also seen brilliant executions on:

blogs

help desks

Those are just four ‘must have’ locations.

I’ve also seen brilliant executions on:

blogs

help desks

outbound emails (transactional, newsletters, etc.)

Those are just four ‘must have’ locations.

I’ve also seen brilliant executions on:

blogs

help desks

outbound emails (transactional, newsletters, etc.)

…essentially, any real estate you control.

By spreading out your widget locations,

you will move the needle in a big way…

-- from just 3% on the post purchase page --

to 100% of site visitors.

Increase the visibility of your referral program

Oh, and one more key performance driver is Open Access Sharing.

widgets do not force users to login before sharing with friends!

Why?

Because ‘forced login’ will drop user

participation by 90% or more.

One question I get a lot is,

One question I get a lot is,

After setting up my widgets, what’s the first thing I should do

that will have the greatest impact?

One question I get a lot is,

After setting up my widgets, what’s the first thing I should do

that will have the greatest impact?

That’s easy…

2Promote Your Referral Page For Immediate Results

The widgets you’ve placed on your

Homepage

The widgets you’ve placed on your

Homepage

User account page

The widgets you’ve placed on your

Homepage

User account page

Post purchase page

The widgets you’ve placed on your

Homepage

User account page

Post purchase page

will take care of themselves with your regular site traffic.

The widgets you’ve placed on your

Homepage

User account page

Post purchase page

However…

will take care of themselves with your regular site traffic.

You can get

immediate results

by promoting the link

to your referral landing page

Five ways to promote your referral landing page to get results now

1 Send a dedicated blast to your email list that links to your stand-alone referral page

Five ways to promote your referral landing page to get results now

1 Send a dedicated blast to your email list that links to your stand-alone referral page

2 Post the link to your Facebook fans

Five ways to promote your referral landing page to get results now

1 Send a dedicated blast to your email list that links to your stand-alone referral page

2 Post the link to your Facebook fans

3 Post to Twitter followers

Five ways to promote your referral landing page to get results now

1 Send a dedicated blast to your email list that links to your stand-alone referral page

2 Post the link to your Facebook fans

3 Post to Twitter followers

4 Post to LinkedIn followers

Five ways to promote your referral landing page to get results now

1 Send a dedicated blast to your email list that links to your stand-alone referral page

2 Post the link to your Facebook fans

3 Post to Twitter followers

4 Post to LinkedIn followers

5 Include a banner in your email templates (order confirmation, newsletters, etc.) that links to your referral landing page

Promoting your referral landing page

to your email list and social followers

ensures that you will come out of the gate

in full stride

Schedule your referral page promotion and stick to it, say once a month or every other month.

What’s next?

OPTIMIZATIO

What’s next?

Referral optimization has two sides:

Referral optimization has two sides:

Sharing Rate

Getting more visitors to refer

friends

Referral optimization has two sides:

Sharing Rate

Getting more visitors to refer

friends

Referral Conversion Rate

Getting more friends to convert

The content of your widget impacts the sharing rate and referral visits.

Sharer Call to ActionWhat’s in it for them – this copy compels the

user to share. Focus on this headline to optimize the sharing rate.

The content of your widget impacts the sharing rate and referral visits.

Shared ContentThis is the offer that friends will see. It

compels them to click and visit your site. Optimize referred visits by A/B testing this

shared content.

Sharer Call to ActionWhat’s in it for them – this copy compels the

user to share. Focus on this headline to optimize the sharing rate.

The content of your widget impacts the sharing rate and referral visits.

3

A/B Testing:Optimize Calls to Action and Shared Content

How do you optimize the sharing rate?Here’s a real world example:

How do you optimize the sharing rate?Here’s a real world example:

A reasonable sharing rate is 7%

How do you optimize the sharing rate?Here’s a real world example:

(i.e. - For every referral widget viewed, on average 7% of people will share. You can get that result pretty easily.)

A reasonable sharing rate is 7%

How do you optimize the sharing rate?Here’s a real world example:

(i.e. - For every referral widget viewed, on average 7% of people will share. You can get that result pretty easily.)

However, achieved

a 50% sharing rate. Here’s how…

A reasonable sharing rate is 7%

optimized their sharing rate by A/B testing the call to action.

optimized their sharing rate by A/B testing the call to action.

Here are a few headlines they tested:

optimized their sharing rate by A/B testing the call to action.

1 “Get 50% Off a NatureBox”

Here are a few headlines they tested:

optimized their sharing rate by A/B testing the call to action.

1 “Get 50% Off a NatureBox”

2 “Get Half Off a NatureBox”

Here are a few headlines they tested:

optimized their sharing rate by A/B testing the call to action.

1 “Get 50% Off a NatureBox”

2 “Get Half Off a NatureBox”

3 “Get $10 for Free”

Here are a few headlines they tested:

optimized their sharing rate by A/B testing the call to action.

1 “Get 50% Off a NatureBox”

2 “Get Half Off a NatureBox”

3 “Get $10 for Free”

Can you guess which headline won?

Here are a few headlines they tested:

“Get $10 for Free” won by a long shot,

“Get $10 for Free” won by a long shot,

lifting the sharing rate

to 48.7%, well above

a ‘reasonable’ rate of

7%.

The irony, of course, is that all of these offers are the same.

The irony, of course, is that all of these offers are the same.

subscriptions are $20 per month.

The irony, of course, is that all of these offers are the same.

“Get 50% Off a NatureBox”

“Get Half Off a NatureBox”

“Get $10 for Free”

subscriptions are $20 per month.

The irony, of course, is that all of these offers are the same.

“Get 50% Off a NatureBox”

“Get Half Off a NatureBox”

“Get $10 for Free”

subscriptions are $20 per month.

= $10

The irony, of course, is that all of these offers are the same.

“Get 50% Off a NatureBox”

“Get Half Off a NatureBox”

“Get $10 for Free”

subscriptions are $20 per month.

A/B testing the headline made all the difference!

= $10

Next, an example of optimizing the shared content to increase referral visits.

Shared ContentThis is the offer that friends will see. It

compels them to click and visit your site. Optimize referred visits by A/B testing this

shared content.

ran a simple A/B test during the holidays, modifying only the title of their shared content.

Here are the two titles they tested:

ran a simple A/B test during the holidays, modifying only the title of their shared content.

1 “Birchbox – Deluxe Beauty Samples”

Here are the two titles they tested:

ran a simple A/B test during the holidays, modifying only the title of their shared content.

1 “Birchbox – Deluxe Beauty Samples”

2 “Birchbox – The Perfect Holiday Gift”

Here are the two titles they tested:

ran a simple A/B test during the holidays, modifying only the title of their shared content.

1 “Birchbox – Deluxe Beauty Samples”

2 “Birchbox – The Perfect Holiday Gift”

Can you guess which headline won?

Here are the two titles they tested:

ran a simple A/B test during the holidays, modifying only the title of their shared content.

“Birchbox – The Perfect Holiday Gift”

doubled the number

of users who clicked

on the shared content

“Birchbox – The Perfect Holiday Gift”

doubled the number

of users who clicked

on the shared content

AND

doubled referral

purchases.

“Birchbox – The Perfect Holiday Gift”

doubled the number

of users who clicked

on the shared content

AND

doubled referral

purchases.

A double whammy!

All performance gains were achieved with just one copy change.

Note that this test ran with no incentive, which is

always an option for referral campaigns.

But wait.

But wait. There’s more.

But wait. There’s more.

Here is a run down of campaign metrics

and elements to refine and test…

4Additional Referral Campaign Elements You MUST Test

Referral Performance MetricsAs your referral program evolves and A/B testing is

underway, focus on the following key metrics:

Referral Performance Metrics

Sharing Rate – Percentage of people who share when presented with a widget

As your referral program evolves and A/B testing is

underway, focus on the following key metrics:

Referral Performance Metrics

Sharing Rate – Percentage of people who share when presented with a widget

Referral Visits – Clicks on shared content

As your referral program evolves and A/B testing is

underway, focus on the following key metrics:

Referral Performance Metrics

Sharing Rate – Percentage of people who share when presented with a widget

Referral Conversion Rate – Percentage of referred visitors who convert

As your referral program evolves and A/B testing is

underway, focus on the following key metrics:

Referral Visits – Clicks on shared content

Referral Incentive StructuresIncentive structures will impact referral program

performance.

Referral Incentive Structures

No Incentive – Sharing for the sake of sharing

Incentive structures will impact referral program

performance.

Referral Incentive Structures

No Incentive – Sharing for the sake of sharing

One-Sided – One party (typically the sharer) gets something good

Incentive structures will impact referral program

performance.

Referral Incentive Structures

No Incentive – Sharing for the sake of sharing

One-Sided – One party (typically the sharer) gets something good

Two-Sided – Both parties (the sharer and their friend) get something good

Incentive structures will impact referral program

performance.

Types of Referral Incentives

• Store credit• Cash back• Coupons• Loyalty points• Gift cards• Discounts• Access to special features (SAAS and web-based apps)

These are the kinds of ‘carrots’ you can put in front

of your customers to encourage them to share:

• Free month (subscriptions)• Donation to charitable cause• Special events (in-store or brick & mortar)• Premiums (physical items like a tote bag)• Extra entries for sweeps and contests

Types of Offers for Referred Visitors

The following ‘carrots’ for friends will boost

conversion rates for new customer acquisition.

• Everything on the previous slide, plus…

• Discounts (10% off your first order)

• Free trial

• Free shipping

• Limited time offers

You’ve completed the Referral Marketing Crash Course! We’ve covered --

You’ve completed the Referral Marketing Crash Course! We’ve covered --

• Best practices for widget placement and promotion

You’ve completed the Referral Marketing Crash Course! We’ve covered --

• Best practices for widget placement and promotion

• Real world examples of high-performing referral campaigns

You’ve completed the Referral Marketing Crash Course! We’ve covered --

• Best practices for widget placement and promotion

• Real world examples of high-performing referral campaigns

• A/B tests that have massively boosted campaign performance

You’ve completed the Referral Marketing Crash Course! We’ve covered --

• Best practices for widget placement and promotion

• Real world examples of high-performing referral campaigns

• A/B tests that have massively boosted campaign performance

• Performance metrics and incentive structures

Everything we’ve covered can be

implemented immediately and effectively

with .

If you’ve come this far, you should give

yourself the power to truly knock your referral

marketing out of the park.

Sign up for a 30-day, no risk free trial.

Click here to get started!

Thanks!For more tips and examples, visit us:

Tony Mariotti@tonymariotti

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