Get more value from your client relationships and generate a flood of those delightful, “easy” referrals
Most professional services firms are too focussed on delivering your core service and winning new clients via a sales pipeline to focus on the growth of your existing client relationships. This is a significant untapped source of value for many.
Referral generation campaigns are specifically designed to exceed your current clients’ expectations, so they are more likely to:
- Stay a client
- Be receptive to spending more with you, when offered
- Talk about their positive experiences to their own network
- Generate more positive sales conversations with potential clients
When should you implement a referral generation campaign?
Referral generation campaigns are useful when you’re seeking a higher volume of easier-to-close leads, even if you’re not executing any other online lead generation campaigns.
They’re are also useful when the nature of your engagement is cyclical and involves periods of absence or irrelevance.
For example:
- Mortgage brokers are only relevant during their service period, and often fall redundant after settlement
- Taxation accountants can only really communicate during key ATO events (BAS etc.) or planning milestones
- Financial planners can only really communicate during planning/review periods or when they are obliged to by legislation
What are some examples of referral generation campaigns, and where do they fit into a broader digital strategy?
Examples of client nurturing and referral generation campaigns include:
- Regular email communications to your current and past clients
- Regular SMS communications to your current and past clients
- Physical mailouts to current and past clients
This type of campaign is one of the key moving parts of a broader email-centric digital strategy, and usually involves:
- An email marketing platform. This could be Keap, or Active Campaign, or PipeDrive, or similar.
- Educational messaging. And messaging you can’t drum up via AI.
- Messaging that demonstrates proof of your expertise. This is a great tool for setting you apart from your competitors.
- Messaging that demonstrates the “likeable” components of your business. Remember, we do business with those we like and trust.
- Messaging that helps your clients send business your way. You must ask for the sale, and make it easy for potential clients to find you.
How To Get A Referral Generation Campaign For Your Business
Planning and creating a client nurturing and referral generation campaign isn’t an easy task. If you’d like help strategising and creating an effective client nurturing and referral generation campaign for your business, request a consultation.
