It’s said that the “Your Brand is the Sum of Conversations Happening About It”. And as many know, the best marketing tool available is the conversation that eventually leads to a referral. No matter how much you invest in other tried and true marketing programs, there is nothing that compares to the conversion potential of a trusted recommendation from an individual that has had a positive experience with your brand and company.
But How Do I Get More Referrals?
The easiest way to accumulate customer referrals is to ask customers directly for introductions to those they feel would most benefit from your product or service. Outside of the direct request, organizations should work to create more formal marketing programs to create a consistent referral stream.
Marketing consultant, speaker and best selling author of Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine, John Janestch, does an excellent job of breaking down four types of referralprograms that every business should implement. Check out this post to learn more about creating Direct Referral, Implied Referral, Tangible Referral and Community Referral programs.
In addition to customer referrals it is also common for companies to start up internal programs to drive attention to hiring needs. Many companies put in place to reward employees for their efforts to assist with filling the talent pipeline. This might include a cash reward, gift certificates or a tangible item like an ipad or a Fitbit. Check out this post that details how companies can use culture to drive talent recruitment.
Employee Email Can Play An Important Role
A new mechanism that should be considered when honing in on your referral program marketing strategy is the employee email signature. An average employee sends 10,000 emails annually! For a company of 100 employees, your collective company will send approximately 1M one-to-one emails each and every year. That’s a lot of potential brand and marketing impressions that could be put to use! This intimate touchpoint with customers and employees is prime for the promotion of your internal and external referral programs. Better yet by leveraging an email signature marketing application like Sigstr, internal stakeholders (i.e. Marketing or HR) can streamline the management of referral campaigns within the employee signature to ensure consistency and adoption.
Interested in trying employee email signature marketing at your company? Give it a try on us! Start your free 30-day trial now: www.sigstr.com.
