Ways to Increase Customer Referrals for Your Small Business
As a small business owner, you know that referrals are the lifeblood of your business. Word-of-mouth is one of the most effective forms of advertising and can be instrumental in helping you grow your customer base. In today’s digital age, there are a variety of strategies and tools available to help you get more customer referrals. DiscoverThurston.com takes a look at five ways to increase customer referrals for your small business.
Invest in SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is key when it comes to getting more customers through referrals. Investing in SEO means ensuring that your website’s content is optimized so that it appears higher up on search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher up you appear on SERPs, the more visible you become, which increases your chances of acquiring more customers through referrals.
Establish Digital Marketing Strategies
Investing in digital marketing is another great way to increase customer referrals for your small business. Developing creative marketing campaigns such as email newsletters, social media outreach, and other online promotions gives potential customers an incentive to reach out and ask about what services or products you offer. Additionally, digital marketing allows customers who already use your services or products to refer friends and family with ease via online platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Create a Loyalty Program
Create a loyalty program that rewards customers with gift cards. With this program, they can earn a certain number of points for each purchase made and redeem those points for digital gift cards through a secure API. This encourages customers to make more purchases and also creates an incentive for them to refer their friends. Using this digital gift card API, customers can receive their gift cards instantly in the form of codes or virtual cards via email, SMS or push notifications.
Invest in UX Design When Creating Your Business Website
User experience (UX) design should be one of the main considerations when creating a website for your small business. A well-designed website will make it easy for visitors to find information quickly and efficiently, as well as make it easier for them to contact you directly if they have any questions about what services or products you offer — all of which go towards increasing customer referrals over time. Also, consider investing in A/B testing techniques such as heat mapping and user surveys so that you can better understand how users interact with different parts of your website and make improvements accordingly.
Invest in Standard-Size Business Cards You Can Hand Out To Customers
Last but not least, investing in standard-size business cards is another great way to increase customer referrals for your small business. Handing out these cards whenever possible makes it easy for potential customers, or current ones who are looking to refer others, to remember who you are and what services or products you offer without having to search online. Having physical cards also serves as an excellent reminder that they should spread the word about your company if they have had a positive experience with it so far.
As we have seen, there are several ways your small business can get more customer referrals — from investing in search engine optimization (SEO) to creating loyalty programs, investing in user experience (UX) design, and publishing engaging content on your website. All these steps combined make sure those who come into contact with your businesses either physically or virtually receive memorable service that encourages them to refer others.