A referral message is the message that your existing customers send to their friends, via a referral program. <\/strong><\/p>\r\n It is the first experience potential customers have with your brand. So, it’s your chance to make an impression and close the sale.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n A referral message can be sent via email, social media, or SMS. Existing customers should have the option to send the referral message in the medium that works best for them, and that they would normally use to communicate with friends.<\/p>\r\n The referral message presents the rewards and benefits that a referred lead will receive when they become your new customer. It also encourages the lead to purchase or sign up for your products or services.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n For the best results, the referral message should:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Introduce the lead to your business. <\/strong><\/p>\r\n Share the benefits of becoming a new customer.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Encourage them to take the next step.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Incorporating these key components into your referral message will help you draw in more customers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A referral message is a major factor in whether referred leads become your customers.\u00a0Your messaging is vital for a\u00a0 few specific reasons:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It\u2019s the first impression of your business. <\/strong>This message is the first official interaction new customers have with your brand. It introduces customers to your products, logo, mission and values.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It lets you show what sets you apart. <\/strong>Your referral message is the perfect time to cover points such as:<\/p>\r\n Finally, it\u2019s coming from friends that new leads trust. <\/strong>By asking existing customers to refer their friends,<\/a> you can reach leads who are more likely to sign up and become your new customers. After all, people trust what their friends have to say.<\/p>\r\n When your existing customers do the marketing for you, this increases your ROI. And when a message comes from the peer’s perspective,<\/em> and sounds genuine, it\u2019s even more personal and convincing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Think about how many emails, texts, and other messages a person receives on average. Your referral message must stand out and give referred leads a reason to follow through.<\/p>\r\n A well-crafted referral message can bring in new customers like a magnet. But if your referral message isn’t clear and compelling enough, leads may click away without giving your brand another thought.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Not to worry. These essential points will help you optimize your referral messaging and convert referred leads.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Referred leads want to know what’s in it for them \u2013 and we don’t just mean the intrinsic benefits of your product or service.<\/p>\r\n Give them an incentive<\/a> to sign up or purchase, such as a discount on their first purchase, store credit, or free bonus product.\u00a0<\/strong>For best results, directly tie the incentive back to your brand.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Creating a logo<\/a> that stands out and showing it helps build brand awareness. After all, a lead might not have heard of you before.<\/p>\r\n Your logo is a visual of your brand identity that leads can easily remember. It can help establish a connection without using the written word.<\/p>\r\n Even if the lead doesn’t purchase right now, the logo will help your brand stick in their minds. This may mean that, if they ever need a product or service in your niche later on, your brand will come to mind first.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Since this will be a potential customer\u2019s first interaction with you, you\u2019ll need to explain who you are and what sets you apart.<\/p>\r\n Explain what makes your brand different in a concise, yet effective manner, and entice referred friends to become your customers. Take inspiration from Morning Brew’s referral message below.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Finally, tell your leads what step they should take next with a call-to-action (CTA). This solid way to end your message encourages leads’ involvement.<\/p>\r\n The ideal next step could be visiting your online store, making a purchase, or signing up for a subscription. Whatever it is, make sure your CTA gets them there.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Follow these CTA best practices:<\/p>\r\n The next few elements aren\u2019t necessary for every referral message, but using them in your message can greatly strengthen its effects. Consider adding these elements in order to beef up your messaging and increase its success rate.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n By adding first names to the message, you\u2019re making the interaction more personal. For example: \u201cHey James, your friend Carly sent you this deal.\u201d<\/p>\r\n This simple personalization can increase the likelihood that a reader will open the message, and that they will follow through with signup.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Note that personalization isn\u2019t recommended for social media posts (since they\u2019re usually shared with many friends at once). However, it works extremely well on other mediums, such as email.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Because the message is sent via a friend or family member, writing it from their point of view can add value.<\/p>\r\n From first line to closing, it’s best to make the message seem like the referring customer could have written it for their friends.<\/p>\r\n Consider leaving some room where customers can write their own message from scratch (in addition to the pre-written message you send).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Remember that people trust their peers\u2019 opinions more than messaging that sounds like it comes from your brand. That\u2019s what makes referral marketing so powerful!<\/p>\r\n Capitalize on this level of trust by letting your customer tell the story, not by directly pitching to new shoppers as the brand. Let the value of friends\u2019 insights work in your favor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n According to 3M Corporation, people process images a staggering 60,000 times faster<\/a> than text-based content. <\/strong><\/p>\r\n So, it’s best to catch leads’ attention with visuals that explore your offer. <\/strong>People don\u2019t want to be bombarded with information, but when you can incorporate it into a fun visual, it will be much better received.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The faster you can catch a consumer\u2019s eye, the better chance they’ll sign up.<\/p>\r\n Check out how Omsom uses eye-catching visuals in their referral message email, including to show off meals a new customer can make with Omsom products.<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Seeking more inspiration? Take a look at these examples for a glimpse at top brands’ referral marketing campaigns<\/a> and successful referral message templates.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n EveryPlate\u2019s referral message template includes many of the elements we mentioned above.<\/p>\r\n Mattress brand Casper has also mastered the referral message essentials.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We love record subscription club Vinyl Me, Please’s commitment to authenticity.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Your referral message is the first impression your brand will have with newly referred leads.<\/p>\r\n It\u2019s important to get it right by telling them what you do, who you are, and why they should become your customer. Other key elements include your logo, a CTA, and of course, a clear list of what they\u2019ll get for joining the reward program.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As we’ve covered, there are several elements to creating an effective referral message. Nailing them all can draw in more customers faster, and grow your increased revenue.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Learn more about referral messaging, and all the other elements that go into a referral program, in this comprehensive article<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Or, check out these other related resources:<\/p>\r\n Learn best practices for referral messages, and how you can use these messages to gain quality leads and achieve better business growth. Plus, get inspired by proven referral messaging examples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17626,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[459,358],"tags":[477,450,451],"class_list":["post-17825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-referral-marketing","category-referral-programs","tag-referral-message","tag-referral-program","tag-referral-program-guide"],"modified_by":"Jess Huhn","meta_box":{"headline":"","offer_text":"","sharing_incentive":"","friend_reward":"","program_info":"","terms_link":"","promotion_image":false,"landing_page_image":false,"invite_page_image":false,"social_share_image":false,"email_share_image":false,"twitter_share_image":false,"social_message_image":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17825"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18791,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17825\/revisions\/18791"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is the purpose of a referral message?<\/h3>\r\n
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Why do you need a <\/strong>referral message?<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n
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How do you write a referral message? The 4 main <\/strong>elements<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n
1. The <\/strong>referral<\/strong>\u00a0offer: What\u2019s in it for them?<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"your](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/your-friend-gave-you-airbnb-credit-1024x595.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n2. Your company logo: Show them who you are<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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![\"moo](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/moomessage-572x1024.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n3. The value of your business: Why should they become your customer?<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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![\"morning](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/morning-brew-smart-friends-2-1024x509.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n4. The call-to-action (CTA): What do you want them to do next?<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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![\"lime](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/limecrime-532x1024.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n3 best practices for writing a <\/strong>referral message<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
1. Include both friends\u2019 names<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
2. Make the message sound like it\u2019s coming from a peer<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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3. Include eye-catching visuals<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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![\"omsom](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/omsom-referral-email-375x1024.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\nReferral messaging<\/strong>\u00a0examples<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
EveryPlate<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n
![\"EveryPlate](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Screen-Shot-2021-03-29-at-1.44.51-PM.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n![\"EveryPlate](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Screen-Shot-2021-03-29-at-1.45.00-PM-777x1024.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Casper<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n
![\"Casper](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Screen-Shot-2021-03-29-at-1.44.40-PM-651x1024.png\" "\\"\\"")
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Vinyl Me, Please<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n
![\"Vinyl](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/rms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Screen-Shot-2021-03-29-at-1.44.26-PM-1024x924.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Wrapping up<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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