How to Boost Your Order Count by Asking Loyal Customers for a Referral
If youâve been in business for more than 10 minutes, youâre already familiar with the maxim âItâs not what you know, itâs who you know.â
And you know your ecommerce store customers⌠but you donât know their friends.
YET.
Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful ways to capitalize on the âwho you knowâ phenomenon. Luckily, you donât have to sit back and wait for the magic to happen.
You can transform your existing customers into willing, loving salespeople just by offering them more of what they already love: your products!
Todayâs simple tip is all about referral discounts, AKA incentives for your devoted customers to tell their friends about you.
Keep reading to see how to do it right (plus swipe an email template that you can start using right away).
How to ask for a referral
Referral requests donât need to be long or complicated. Youâve only got to do three things:
- Thank your customer
- Clearly explain what heâll get when he refers customers (and, if applicable, what those new friends will get)
- Give him an easy way to go ahead and do it!
In fact, you donât even have to write a dedicated referral-ask email. You can work a referral ask into one of your regular olâ email newsletters.
So whenâs the right time to pop the question?
When to ask for a referral
Technically, you can ask for a referral right away â like in your receipt email for the customerâs first purchase.
Thereâs nothing stopping you. And you might see some new customers from it.
But personally, I recommend waiting to send a referral-ask email until the customer comes back for their second (or third, or fourth) purchase.
Why? Well, youâll know they really like your store and that their first purchase wasnât a fluke. That means that when they DO refer their friends to you, the language they use is likely to be more persuasive and genuine.
⌠Which means more referral sales, more loyal repeat customers, and (say it with me now) more beautiful revenue.
Why do referrals work so well?
Simply put, we trust referrals from our friends because we trust our friends. So donât underestimate the value of a few whispers or email forwards or social shares here and there.
Plus, referral discounts play a double role in ramping up your revenue. Along with bringing you excited, brand-new referral customers, they encourage the referring customer to make more purchases once they get their reward.
Talk about a win-win!
Swipe this friendly referral email copy template, if you please
Subject line: Youâre the best! Hereâs [DISCOUNT $ OR %] off your next order
Hi [FIRSTNAME],
Thanks so much for being a fan of [STORE NAME]. Weâre pretty big fans of yours, too.
Got a second to share your love for us? Use the links below to refer your friends and followers to [STORE NAME], and youâll get [DISCOUNT $ OR %] off your next order!
[Social Share Buttons]
Stay awesome,
Your friends at [STORE NAME]
(P.S. If you use that template, leave a comment and let me know how it works for you?)