It may be one of the oldest marketing tricks in the book, but using client referrals can really do wonders for a business — that is if done right.
A client’s simple remark about a digital marketing agency could easily bring new leads that have a higher probability to turn into sales since these people already have more confidence in the business knowing that someone they trust has tried it.
A client referral is especially valuable for digital marketing agencies that rely a lot on results and word-of-mouth to build their credibility. With digital marketing being such a highly competitive market, getting more client referrals means you’re getting a competitive advantage without going over your marketing budget.
How important are high-quality client referrals to a digital marketing agency
As a digital marketing agency, there’s a lot that a good client referral can do for your business. For one, it gives you targeted leads that would otherwise be difficult to gather if you’re using other forms of marketing.
Since your business is promoted from a more personal perspective, there’s a higher chance that the lead will act on the promotion. This means that you’re getting warm leads without going through the hassle of studying the behaviour of consumers or using a lot of tools to target leads.
High-quality client referrals also make it easier for you to build a customer relationship based on trust, which is very important for a digital marketing agency. Due to the high number of businesses offering the same service, having that trust will eliminate any hesitation that new clients usually feel when they know nothing about an agency. This way, you won’t have to overly promote your services since that recommendation will help convince them to give your agency a try.
A client referral is also one of the easiest ways to help your business go viral. When more people talk about your digital marketing agency, it’s easy for new customers to notice you. It’s also easier for you to convince them to take advantage of your services.
Word-of-mouth is still the most effective marketing strategy in the book, and the best part is, you won’t even need to spend anything for it. You just need to be good at what you do and employ some tricks to allow you to get excellent client referrals.
How to get more client referrals
Now that you know the importance of getting high-quality client referrals, here are some tips to help you get more for your digital marketing agency:
Offer more than what’s expected.
This should come naturally for any business, but the truth is, not a lot of agencies go above and beyond for their clients. Word-of-mouth is a powerful, yet free, marketing tool that will propel more client referrals, but you have to earn your existing clients’ loyalty for them to really talk about your business.
The first and most important step to doing that is to make sure that they’re delighted. Your clients already expect you to deliver results based on their goals, but taking it a step further by sharing them in your own blog or promoting them on your own social media accounts will make them feel that you really value them. It won’t take long for them to start referring you to their colleagues.
Start a referral reward programme.
Although you’re offering excellent service to your clients, they may still need some motivation to refer you to their partners. Starting a referral reward programme is a great step towards showing appreciation to your clients’ loyalty and rewarding them for talking about your agency.
If you think this strategy doesn’t have any benefits, Dropbox got 4 million new clients within just 15 months from starting its referral programme. Try to design a programme that’s easy to understand and clearly explains what your clients will get if they refer someone new to your business.
You should also be creative with your rewards. Something as simple as catering lunch or dinner for your client’s team or giving them corporate gifts will really motivate them to talk about your business more.
The technique is simple: spend a little on the strategy by giving a certain percentage to existing clients who can bring in several new prospects who will also sign up for the services or buy your products.
Make your content more visible.
Successful client referrals are not only limited to your existing customer base. You can also take advantage of possible referrals from new leads by making sure that you’re distributing your content in the right places.
A study revealed that the average buyer engages with 10 pieces of sources before deciding on a purchase. This means that those new leads are likely to consume a lot of your content before becoming one of your clients. By adding an easy referral link to your content, you will have the opportunity to increase your client referrals even from new leads. It will also allow you to build your network further through your content and resources.
Get high-quality client referrals with the help of the experts
Don’t be afraid to experiment and learn from the experiences of other digital marketing agencies that built their network through high-quality client referrals.
Start with excellent customer service by making sure that you’re going above and beyond your clients’ expectations, delivering consistent results, keeping them tabs of their progress, and showing them that you’re grateful for their service. Then, build on that credibility further by creating and sharing useful content, starting a referral reward programme, and just making yourself more visible as a digital marketing agency.
