Increase your footfall with a simple customer referral loop

Turn your happiest guests into your best acquisition channel with a five-step referral campaign.

Word of mouth beats almost every other acquisition channel. The best way to get new customers is through existing ones, and customer referral marketing tends to create customers with a higher lifetime value, thanks to greater loyalty and overall spending.

A successful referral scheme does not have to be complicated or expensive. Your loyal customers are one reliable source of referrals, and your review data is another. Here is our five-step recipe for setting up a simple customer referral campaign.

1. The data

For this campaign you need a list of customers who have given you feedback or left a review, ideally positive. Many online review systems store a contact list you can access.

If you do not have that, look instead at customers who show loyalty through their visit or booking frequency. If they visit and spend a lot, they count as loyal.

2. The trigger event

The trigger here is time-based: build an audience of customers who left a positive review within the last X days.

Choose a timeframe that works for you. Memory and engagement are higher when less time has passed, and you can also trigger the campaign immediately, so it sends straight after someone leaves a review.

If you are basing it on loyalty instead, the trigger is 'total number of visits is greater than [number]'.

Either way, set it up once as an automated campaign and it runs without you updating and sending it by hand.

3. The messaging

The first part of your message should acknowledge the customer's feedback and the experience they had at your venue.

The second part gives them the chance to be rewarded for bringing a friend and spreading the word.

Make it easy for customers to understand how the referral works and what they need to do. More importantly, make clear what is in it for them.

4. The offer

Include a special deal or time-limited offer that customers can claim at your venue.

Here is what your email could look like:

Subject line: [Name], spread the word and bring a friend to get [offer]

We're glad you enjoyed your time at [venue]. Why not share the experience with your family and friends?

The best bit: if you bring a friend, you get [offer].

REFER NOW

5. The outcome

The effect is straightforward. You get new customers through the door, and your existing customer pays you another visit to claim the reward.

To get the ball rolling, automate your review requests so the campaign always has fresh reviews to work from, without anyone asking for them by hand. This recipe is the last in our five-part series on personalised marketing, and every one of them runs on the same data. Reach out to one of our team to find out how to set this up in your venue.