Small Business Marketing: Four Steps to Generate More Referrals

Word-of-mouth marketing is incredibly powerful. A sincere recommendation from a friend or a colleague is more valuable and more likely to result in new business than even the best-crafted direct mail piece, website, or commercial

This isn’t a secret—most of us know this to be true from experience. And most of us, at some point or another, have focused time and energy on generating more referrals. Today, we’re going to touch on four steps to make this process easier.

But first, it’s important to understand that the biggest factor in generating referrals isn’t strategy… it’s the customer experience you deliver. If you make a habit out of surprising and delighting your customers, of consistently exceeding expectations, they’re going to tell people about you. On the other hand, if your customer experience is lackluster, you can’t expect them to spread the word.

That said, here are four steps you can take to generate more referrals today:

Offer Incentives

Give your customers a reason to spread the word. By offering an incentive, you will motivate people to make referrals while also showing how much you appreciate their business. A gift certificate, product discount, or other financial incentive is well worth the investment.

Be Accessible

In today’s fast-paced world, people expect to find business contact information quickly and with ease. Even if a customer has had a great experience with your business, they may give up on the idea of referring you if they are unable to find your contact information without too much hassle. Hand out business cards. Include your contact information in your email signature. Create a presence on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The more accessible you are, the greater the potential for referrals and growth.

Build Partnerships

Find businesses that offer services which complement yours. As a landscaper, for instance, it may be helpful to build relationships with a pest-control company. Creating partnerships with businesses that share a target client base may be one of the most important things that you do to give your business the boost it needs.

ASK!

You won’t get referrals if you don’t ask for them. This doesn’t have to be awkward—simply let clients and customers know that you are always looking for new business. The best time to do this is typically when you’ve completed a service or delivered your product. Something like “It was great to work with you—please let us know if we can help you out in the future. And if there is anyone you know who could use our services, please let us know!”

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Spotlight Branding

Spotlight Branding is a content marketing and branding firm for lawyers and other professionals. Our goal is to help you create an online presence that positions you as a credible expert in your field, keeps you connected with your network in order to stay top of mind and increase referrals, and to become more visible online so prospects can find you!