Referrals are our #1 source of business and while that warms our hearts, we also know that a large numbers of businesses don’t leverage word-of-mouth marketing to get more customers.

Did you know that…

65% of a company’s new business is from referrals – New York Times

Over 50% of people ages 18 to 44 are at least somewhat likely to make a purchase after seeing a friend’s post- eMarketer.

People are four times more likely to buy when referred by a friend.- Nielsen

Yes, referrals are the rocket fuel to your marketing efforts.

How do you get referrals so you can get more customers?

There are many ways and we’ve covered some of them in the earlier challenges, like building community on social, shining the spotlight on your customers and staying connected with past customers.

These are all awesome at establishing trust and are indirect referrals from your clients or customers.

Today, however, we’ll focus purely on direct referrals.

Here are 3 sales-boosting, referral marketing strategies for you to choose from. Your challenge for today is to pick ONE. That’s right, pick just ONE of these 3 and implement it today.

Referral Marketing Strategies to Get More Customers

1. Rewards for Referrals

Dropbox is the first name that jumped to my mind when I thought about this strategy. They had this awesome referral thing where every friend who signed up for a FREE account would get extra storage space and so would I. Needless to say, I splashed my Dropbox link all over the place and sent everyone I knew to sign up for Dropbox.

So, was the reward monetary? No.

Was it a mega prize? No.

It was merely extra storage space but it worked because that’s what I needed!!

So, implement a rewards system that your customers will relate to and want.

2. Ask and You Shall Receive

This one is so simple that it’s crazy how often it’s overlooked. Simply ask for a referral from a customer or client who’s worked with you and is happy with your products and/or services.

A simple email saying,

Hi {name of customer}

Hope you’re well. I was reaching out because I wanted to share that I have an opening in my calendar for graphic design/SEO/social media services for the month of October.

Since we’d really enjoyed working together on {customer’s project name} and made {type of results} happen, I was wondering if you know of someone who’s looking for these results and services to make them happen.

If so, I’d love an introduction. Please CC me in your email to them so I can reach out to them directly and to thank you for your support in helping me grow my business, I’d like to offer you a complimentary {referral reward}.

Thanks so much {name of customer}

Warm regards,

You can do the same if you’re a product-based business too!!

3. Host a Referral Contest

I love this one because it’s so fun!! Host a referral contest where the customer who refers the maximum number of new customers or clients wins a gift card or product bundle or service offerings.

You can bundle this with a Referral Rewards-style discount for the new prospects as well and make it a real win-win-win for everyone.

So, there you have it. 3 killer referral marketing strategies to help you supercharge your sales.

Your challenge for today is to choose the one that you can implement right off the bat and share with us in The Biz Bistro or tag @contentbistro on Instagram.

Missed a challenge? Get all the 31 Days to Get More Customers tips here.