Why referral marketing should be the core of your business strategy

Faith Ocampo Published on September 15, 2015

female-friends-listening-to-phone-call
As social beings, we re naturally inclined to share our experiences with friends. Whether it s a remarkable or a disappointing incidence, it s likely to come up during conversations among people we re close with. Stories about products, brands, and our customer experience are no exception.

In fact, when it comes to gaining new customers, referral marketing is one of the most effective ways to generate leads. As a business strategy, this free advertising is enhanced by the trust factor. We re more likely to believe our friends and family over an unknown endorser.

But this doesn t mean that you can let your customers do the marketing for you. According to an infographic by Referral Candy, 83% of satisfied customers are willing to recommend good products and services to friends but only 29% of customers actually do. The role of marketers, therefore, is to deliberately influence this process by including it in their marketing plan.

When should you ask for referrals?

Asian-coworkers-chatting-over-coffee

Explicitly asking your customers to tell their friends about you can make the difference between bigger sales and stagnant revenues. However, you don t want it to come across as a hard sell. Rather, you must wait for the right timing to pitch your request. Asking your customers to take part in referral marketing would best work in these instances:

•     When signing new customers. There s a valid reason why you re generating new customers. Why not ask them to share their customer experience with their personal networks?

•     When you get high service ratings. This is an obvious sign that your customers love you. A little encouragement would convince them that your performance is worth sharing.

•     Right after customers used your products. Gain insights into what your customers actually feel about your services, and encourage them to tell their friends.

•     When you hear them say nice things about you. If they re already doing talking about your brand, you only need to point them to your target audience to help you get new customers.

Remember that subtlety is key in making this business strategy work. Otherwise, customers might think you re only getting in touch with them for advertising purposes.

What do you need to make it work?

To make this work, your entire firm s infrastructure should support your marketing plan. Among the features you ll need for an efficient referral marketing program are the following:

•     Transparency. Remember that your customers have to fully trust you before they refer you to people they personally know. It would help a lot if you can be honest and open to queries and feedback as much as possible.

•     An efficient referral program. To make matters more organized, devising a process flow to visualize your referral system would foster understanding between you as the brand and your customers as brand ambassadors.

•     Sharable online content.There s a huge chance your name will go viral if you allow your content to be accessible and sharable online.

•     Great customer service. This is the starting point of all successful businesses. Sure, people talk about poor client relations, but they also notice those who strive to deliver a pleasant customer experience.

As a business strategy, referral marketing is among the most effective ways to grow your community as you attract new customers and boost sales. You probably already have a lot of advocates willing to personally endorse your brand, so don t hesitate to put the word out there and get the ball rolling.

Faith is a digital media enthusiast aiming to become an active part of the tech world by sharing her insights. She likes to blog about everything digimarketing, technology, and social media.
Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 7 hours ago
𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗻, 𝗟𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗻𝗮 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.

Held in partnership with non-profit Fostering Education & Environment for Development, Inc., volunteers from the call center's Makati office planted 200 indigenous forest trees in the UP Laguna-Quezon Land Grant–part of the Sierra Madre's 9,000+ hectare protected forest.

The initiative focused on targeted reforestation and biodiversity conservation within this crucial ecosystem.

𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 underscores Open Access BPO's commitment to corporate social responsibility. By actively engaging in green initiatives, the company demonstrates a tangible dedication to creating a positive impact on the environment and the local community.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OABPOPlantItForward
#OABPOcares #IdeaHubOABPO
Open Access BPO 8 hours ago
This May, the conversation around #MentalHealth awareness rightly shifts towards action.

At Open Access BPO, we're dedicated to fostering a culture where our employees' mental well-being is a priority, through our employee engagement activities, employee-centric policies, and healthcare initiatives: https://buff.ly/kBYj9xI

This commitment empowers our team and reinforces our belief in the importance of advocating for better support for all.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OneForHealth #MentalHealthMonth
#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth
Open Access BPO 9 hours ago
#𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱.
It offers multiple opportunities to make a great impression and build lasting loyalty.

But even a single customer service blunder can quickly turn a positive #CustomerExperience sour.

There are more support failures that can may customers abandon your brand and check out your competition.

What you do to prevent them from happening is critical.
Start with a powerful #CustomerSupport strategy: https://buff.ly/xr3yMqT

----------
Let's give your consumers the #CustomerExperience they'll be talking about for years: https://buff.ly/3yaDcXW

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO Yesterday
Expanding your #startup internationally can unlock a world of opportunities.
From market research to talent acquisition, #outsourcing can be a powerful tool to streamline your global expansion.

But how can you tell if your startup is truly ready to take on the world?
Before you take the leap, check out these essential signs of international expansion readiness: https://buff.ly/aEtrOFi

——————————
Ready to take the leap and expand your startup internationally?

Let Open Access BPO help you navigate the complexities of global expansion through our #BPO solutions: https://buff.ly/3yaDcXW

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#OutsourcingCX #CustomerSupport
Open Access BPO 4 days ago
Staying competitive often means finding smarter ways to operate and deliver great results.

For many global brands, that involves partnering with #outsourcing experts, and the Philippines is a go-to destination.

What's makes these outsourcing collaborations so impactful for a company's growth?

Learn why so many companies trust Philippine outsourcing companies to help them flourish and expand: https://buff.ly/UKynqaI

——————————
Just like many of the world's top brands, you can count on Open Access BPO to deliver excellent #CustomerExperience through our outsourcing services.

Ready to see how we can help your customer service shine? Get in touch: https://buff.ly/3yaDcXW

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CSat
#OutsourcingCustomerService #CX
#CallCenterOutsourcing #CustomerExperience
Open Access BPO 4 days ago
The global market demands more than language fluency—it requires secure multilingual #outsourcing for seamless, protected customer interactions.

But with stricter regulations and evolving cyber threats, businesses must rethink how they approach multilingual #CallCenter outsourcing.

Check out our latest blog to learn why security must never be an afterthought in global expansion: https://buff.ly/llPMlW1

——————————
Multilingual capabilities and #DataSecurity are two of Open Access BPO's best assets.

Our seamless operational processes and professional teams of experts fuse together #MultilingualSupport for over 30 languages with #DataProtection practices.

Learn more about what we can do for brands: https://buff.ly/mjNQZ9U

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#MultilingualCallCenter#CustomerExperience
#MultilingualOutsourcing #CustomerService
#DataProtection