Customer referral program ideas
continue to evolve as business is done in different manners than it was when
our parents were young.  This is
definitely a positive change for business owners in today’s digital age. With
an endless list of new ideas and channels to bring referrals in from, it can
simply be a matter of finding the right program for your business. Sometimes it
can be of huge benefit to combine several program ideas into one
custom-tailored strategy for your company.

10 Creative Customer Referral Program Ideas

Coming up with your own customer
referral program ideas is part of the creativity required to grow your business
and brand. This is an area where the most creative ideas shine.

1. Give
away a display type of item with your business’s name or website URL clearly
visible. Display items include calendars, picture frames and other similar
items that are easily viewed by others in proximity to them.

2. Offer
rebates on your highest priced products or services. Encourage the
understanding of how volume discounts at the top-end are being passed down as
savings to the consumer.

3. Create
your own event from a more obscure holiday. Be prepared to not receive
wide-reaching results in your first year of celebration, but repeated
celebrations and planned events will begin to grow a pool of its own referrals.

4. Offer
a free service relevant to your business occasionally. A car wash should offer
a free wax, a child care center can offer a free week for every 20 paid. Get
creative and find a way to benefit your consumers without taking too much from
your own bottom line.

5. Have
gift cards created with your business or company name and URL on them and hand
them out at conferences or events. Networking with other businesses can often
lead to more customer referral program ideas.

6. Go
green. Create recyclable grocer bags or gift boxes that sport your brand logo
to show you are environmentally friendly. As these items are reused or passed
on, they are still passively advertising for you.

7. Have a commonly used item
packaged with your brand logo on them. Whether you choose soap, sunscreen or
even a car air freshener, giving these out to your preferred customers can help
bring in referrals. Be sure to give your preferred customers more than one so
they can pass them around to their friends as well.

8. Offer discounted products or
services that consumers can use on their next visit. Create a coupon or receipt
that is double-printed so that one copy can be given to a friend or family
member to try at the discounted rate.

9. Celebrate a customer
appreciation day where current customers receive benefits on the spot in the
form of gifts or entertainments and prospective customers can receive discounts
for making their first purchases, thereby becoming a current customer for next
year’s appreciation event.

10. Award consumers for sending
you referrals, for catching typos or errors on your website, or anything that
initiates improvement within your business.