Getting More Customer Referrals: Why Social Media is Your Most Powerful Tool

Many companies have their own customer referral and loyalty programs but unfortunately they often fail to deliver excellent results because of a lack of foresight to make the most of what social media has to offer.

There is plenty of evidence available to confirm that most consumers are far more likely to trust the opinion of people they know over generic advertisements or a random sales pitch.

Now Blitz and other similar lead management software companies are able to provide automated lead management software to help you efficiently manage your referrals, but you also need to make the most of a powerful tool like social media.

The right target market

Targeting is a fundamental aspect of a successful marketing strategy and that principle certainly applies when using social networks.

You will need to identify which social media networks have the right profile for the customers you are trying to target, as once you have identified your target audience you can set about employing the tactics that will allow you to connect with these potential customers.

A prime example of the distinction between the different social media platforms would be a comparison between Facebook and Linkedin.

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Facebook is an excellent source of individual consumers whereas Linkedin will be more suitable for trying to connect with customers who are more likely to be looking for products or services that fall into the B2B category.

Who we trust

Another extremely persuasive argument in favor of plugging into the social media network in search of customers is the fact that so many of us consider our family and friends as a trusted source for referrals.

The majority of us are far more likely to buy a product or service if a trusted source like a friend or family member has recommended it, so it makes sound marketing sense to tap into this rich vein of referrals and build up a customer base that is largely based on trust.

We all like an incentives

Not many of us fail to be motivated to a certain extent by the offer of something for free or at a discount.

Offering customers certain incentives in order to persuade them to buy now or buy more, is not exactly a new concept, but it is a scenario that works extremely well when it comes to social media networks.

If you are able to successfully persuade your existing customers to share their opinion of your product or service with their own social media network through the use of incentives, this will quickly enable you to build a marketing campaign that almost takes on a life of its own.

There are many different ways to do this such as offering a free gift or a discount against their next purchase, in return for their referral.

Social media is an extremely powerful marketing tool and provided you manage to avoid being generic and get creative with your offers and incentives, there is a good chance that the social media sites will soon become a great source of new and more loyal customers.

Tanya Mueller has spent plenty of her career in the marketing frontline and enjoys the challenge of winning and retaining customers. She likes to share her insights online and is a frequent contributor on a number of business and marketing websites.