At Referral Rock, we\u2019ve helped build referral programs for a wide range of different businesses. So whether you\u2019re a startup, small business, or large enterprise, referral software can easily fit your needs.<\/p>\n
Now, you may be thinking you could run a program without any help. But there are incredible benefits that come with referral software.<\/p>\n
In fact, a survey on using automation software reveals:<\/p>\n
- \n
- 30% of employees<\/a> say automation software saves money<\/li>\n
- 44% add that automation saves them time<\/li>\n
- 33% reveal automation software enables them to accomplish more with fewer resources<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As for the perks of running a referral program<\/a> with software, we go over the top benefits below:<\/p>\n
![\"Why](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Why-Using-Referral-Software-Is-Better-Than-Doing-It-Yourself.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n1. It\u2019s easy to measure progress<\/b><\/h2>\n
Referral software gives you a comprehensive view of all your program\u2019s statistics in one place. This software makes it easy to track the members who join your referral program, the new referrals those members create, and how many of those referrals become new customers. You can also easily track the rewards your customers earn \u2013 all right from dashboards that record these stats for you.<\/span><\/p>\n
Admin dashboards allow you to see how many people signed up for your program, and how many referrals they\u2019ve sent, among other things.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
With Referral Rock software, you can also track referral visits on your dashboard to know how much brand awareness your program is generating. This shows how many new people viewed your referral program. Even if a referral doesn’t purchase right away, they could come back later, now that they know the benefits of your brand. Measuring traffic generated from your program shows you if the messages and offers shared by your referring customers bring people to your website.<\/span><\/p>\n
Easily view your program analytics without any extra steps or wasted time. All aspects of referral tracking<\/a> are covered!<\/span><\/p>\n
2. You can engage more customers<\/b><\/h2>\n
If your program isn\u2019t easy to share, it won\u2019t gain much traction \u2013 at least as much as it potentially could. Creating ways to make sharing easy is one feature that makes referral software so appealing.<\/span><\/p>\n
Including Referral Rock\u2019s One Click Access links in emails will let your customers start sharing right away \u2013 no registration or passwords needed. You can add One-Click Access links to any emails where you promote your referral program, including dedicated referral program emails, transactional emails and newsletters. Just use our easy Link Builder, integrated with the software you already use to send emails. The more emails these links are included in, the easier it is to share, and the more engaged your customer base will be.<\/span><\/p>\n
![\"Build](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Program-Link-Builder.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nReferral software also offers the option to share through email, social media, and other popular messaging platforms \u2013 ways that customers normally share cool and exciting things with their friends. In just one or two clicks, program members can easily share their referral link with their friends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Plus, Referral Rock lets you choose any incentives that will best motivate your target audience, for maximum engagement. This includes more advanced referral reward structures, including tiered, multi-step, referral contests and more.<\/span><\/p>\n
Here’s more on how Referral Rock helps keep program members engaged ><\/a><\/p>\n
3. You can automate promotions<\/b><\/h2>\n
Brands with the most successful referral programs make sure to <\/span>promote their programs<\/span><\/a> consistently, on multiple channels. Thankfully, referral software makes promotion a snap. Referral Rock lets you set up automated emails to promote your program at repeating intervals (say, every month). Or, you can show your referral program to a customer right after they make a purchase, with a targeted email sent at just the right time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
4. Sharing is easier<\/b><\/h2>\n
Referral software gives customers several different ways to instantly share your brand, including email and popular social media platforms. And every customer gets a unique referral link that\u2019s easy to copy and share anywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n
You can even create <\/span>referral message templates<\/span><\/a> for customers to send to their referrals right away. Customers don\u2019t need to think of what to say \u2013 you\u2019ve done the work for them, and all they need to do is share.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0Simplify sharing even more with Referral Rock \u2013 you can let new and existing members access their portal with popular social logins like Google and Facebook, so they don’t need to enter a password. This makes it even easier for customers to spread the word about your brand and <\/span>bring in more leads<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
5. The setup is simplified<\/b><\/h2>\n
Referral Rock referral software makes it easy to build your dedicated referral program page and set up your rewards based on your needs. Use our easy program builder to create the best experience for your customers, including ready-made share messages, a branded member portal, and a destination for referrals to land. Launch your program in days, not months, and watch the shares roll in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
And once you build a <\/span>referral landing page<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s easy to share your program everywhere. Add links in your social media bios. Mention the program in your email signatures. Talk about it in your newsletter. Any type of communication with your customers has potential to also promote your referral program.<\/span><\/p>\n
6. Easy tracking<\/b><\/h2>\n
A big benefit of using referral software is streamlining processes and reducing paper and clutter. No more written referral codes or referral forms flying around, and no more worries that a paper could get lost or a name isn\u2019t entered. Instead, every referral gets tracked via unique referral links, and automatically gets tied back to the person who made the referral. Anyone in your company can log in and instantly see all updated referral data right on the software platform.<\/span><\/p>\n
7. Members stay in the know<\/b><\/h2>\n
With referral software, your members get their own personalized dashboard that lets them track their referrals at a glance. They can instantly check on every referral they\u2019ve made, see when those referrals become customers, and track the rewards they\u2019ve earned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
![\"My](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/My-Referrals-section-of-portal.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nReferral Rock\u2019s Monthly Summary emails are another awesome way to keep members engaged and in the know. These share a personalized overview of each member’s activity every month, including referrals they\u2019ve made, new customers they\u2019ve created, and rewards they\u2019ve earned. Keeping members in the loop this way also keeps your program top of mind, making members more likely to keep sharing.<\/span><\/p>\n
8. Your program can truly reflect your brand<\/b><\/h2>\n
It\u2019s easy to add your logo, brand colors, and any other branded images to your program \u2013 if you use referral software. With Referral Rock’s library of <\/span>pre-built templates<\/span><\/a>, you can change any text and images, or even go as far as overriding styles with your own custom CSS.<\/span><\/p>\n
Referral software allows you to do so many things so your branding is seen throughout the experience.<\/span><\/p>\n
9. Increased ROI<\/b><\/h2>\n
With <\/span>83% of people<\/span><\/a> trusting recommendations from people they know, referral marketing has become one of the most credible forms of advertising. And since they trust their friend\u2019s recommendation, referred customers are more likely to buy from you, stick with your business, and continue generating sales by referring their own peers.<\/span><\/p>\n
Referral software lets you leverage this trust effectively, by keeping customers engaged and making sure their entire referral experience is smooth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Plus, referral programs are cost-effective and low-risk. Pay just once for referral software, and after that, you\u2019ll only pay when referrals become new customers. It makes sense to invest in referral software and tap into the power of your customers\u2019 recommendations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
10. Acts as free advertising<\/b><\/h2>\n
Whenever and wherever someone mentions your referral program, it acts as an advertisement for your business.<\/span><\/p>\n
Imagine having 20 loyal customers sharing their referral links across social media, where all their friends and followers can see it. Those 20 people just put your business in front of the eyes of hundreds of people, all because referral software made it easy for them to share their referral links directly on social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
You\u2019re easily able to measure the impact of that link sharing, because software monitors those links and tracks all of the referrals for you. Plus, with Referral Rock referral software, you\u2019ll know exactly how much brand awareness they\u2019ve generated thanks to our referral visit tracking.<\/span><\/p>\n
Plus, that type of positive promotion helps increase your brand awareness and <\/span>social currency<\/span><\/a> in the market.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
11. Boosts virality<\/b><\/h2>\n
As mentioned in the last benefit, referral programs give you the opportunity to advertise your brand. Between your promotions and your customers’ word of mouth, you have a massive potential to grow and <\/span>go viral<\/span><\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n
Referral software boosts that growth even further, offering ready-made templates, <\/span>referral messaging<\/span><\/a>, and more channels to promote your program in a few clicks.<\/span><\/p>\n
You can also leverage virality by focusing on customers who started buying from you because of your referral program. Get them to share with their own friends, and you\u2019ve created a continuous cycle of sharing<\/span><\/p>\n
Referral Rock lets you automatically email referred customers, and ask them to join your referral program right after their first purchase \u2013 this feeds the program in a viral loop.<\/span><\/p>\n
12. Automates payouts<\/b><\/h2>\n
Referral software takes away a lot of the hassle that comes with running a referral program.<\/span><\/p>\n
One major benefit is <\/span>reward automation.<\/span><\/a> Rewarding your customers right away is crucial to your program. After all, rewards are a big reason people join in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n
Instead of manually tracking every movement and sending rewards when a referral comes in, this can happen automatically using referral software.<\/span><\/p>\n
Participants will instantly receive their earned rewards, without you having to do a thing. This keeps your customers happy, and sets you free to focus on more important things.<\/span><\/p>\n
Many types of referral software only handle simple \u201cgive one, get one\u201d rewards, but Referral Rock gives you the most flexibility in paying out, managing, and automating rewards.<\/span><\/p>\n
You can trigger rewards based on status updates in your CRM, e-commerce platform, or other system of record. This is especially useful if you want to give rewards for qualified leads as well as converted referrals, or give out bigger rewards the more referrals someone makes!<\/span><\/p>\n