How to Increase Website Traffic with Referral Marketing
February 19, 2023 /
Are you feeling frustrated by the lack of traffic to your website? You’ve put so much work into creating a website that really highlights what your business is all about, but it feels like no one cares. I get it. I know exactly how that feels. But, luckily, there are several options for increasing traffic to your website. The one I’ll focus on here is using referral marketing to increase website traffic.
This powerful strategy leverages the power of word-of-mouth. It taps into the trust and influence that people have with their friends and family. And when you know how to leverage this, you can drive more traffic to your website and grow your business because your fans become your marketing department.
Here are some proven strategies for increasing website traffic through referral marketing:
Motivate your customers to spread the word with incentives.
One of the most effective ways to get your customers to refer others to your website is by offering incentives. This could be anything from discounts to free products. When customers know they’ll receive a reward for their referral, they’re more likely to take action.
So, you need to choose the right incentives. They need to be something that is valuable to your clients and will motivate them to take action. Some incentives that I’ve seen work are discounts, a free product, or a donation to a charity they care about. The more valuable your clients view the incentive to be, the more likely they’ll spread the word about your business.
You may also want to consider offering a reward for each referral with a special prize for the person who makes the most referrals to your website.
You’ll also want to track and analyze the results you get with each incentive you offer. That way you’ll know which incentives did and didn’t work.
Make it effortless for your customers to refer your business.
Your clients are busy. And when they love the services and products you provide, of course, they want to spread the word about your business.
However, they need to it be easy because the last thing they need is to feel like it’s a hassle to help you out. That’s why getting them to refer others to your website needs to feel effortless.
So, you’ll want to start with clear instructions. Make sure your clients know exactly what they need to do to refer someone. That means creating a very simple, step-by-step process that contains all the information your clients need to make a referral to your website.
The key bit of information you’ll want to include in the process you create is a link to your website. And if you can, make it a referral link. A referral link not only makes it easy for your clients to share your website URL, but it makes it easier for you to keep track of who’s providing referrals. It also makes it easy for you to track the results of your referral marketing campaign to drive traffic to your website.
Foster a real connection with your brand.
To get customers to refer others to your website, you need to have a solid emotional connection with them. This means providing products or services that are so high-quality that they exceed their expectations, offering customer support that makes them feel valued and heard, and ensuring that your website is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
When people feel a strong connection to a brand, they’re more likely to refer others to it. And you can create lifelong advocates for your business by meeting and exceeding your clients’ needs.
How do you increase website traffic referrals by creating a connection with your clients? You’ll want to focus on these 5 things:
1. Quality
2. Transparency & honesty
3. Customer service
4. Interact with your clients
5. Consistently deliver on your promises
It’s these 5 things, done exceptionally well, that will endear your clients to your business. And then they’ll rush to share their experiences with their friends and family.
Not sure if your brand is living up to your expectations? Then you’ll want to read this to know how your brand is perceived by your clients.
Create content that people want to share.
Another way to drive referrals to your website is by creating content that inspires people to share. This could be anything from blog posts to infographics, videos, or social media posts. When you create content that resonates with your customers, they’re more likely to share it with their friends and family. By tapping into the power of emotional connection, you’re making it easy for your customers to spread the word and drive more traffic to your website.
To connect emotionally with your clients, you first need to know who they are. And I don’t mean their names. I mean who they are as people. Who are they really? What are their interests and dreams? It’s by truly understanding your audience that you can create content that speaks to them. And when your content makes them feel understood, they’re more likely to share it.
Next, you need to tell a compelling story. Whether you’re sharing a personal story, a case study, or a company story, make sure it’s compelling and resonates with your ideal clients.
And then there’s how it looks. Appearances really do matter when it comes to content. Because like it or not, the better your content looks, the more likely it is to be shared in a positive context. (Of course, it’s possible to have content go viral that looks like crap, but that’s usually because people are laughing at it and that’s not necessarily good for growing your business.)
People also need to feel that the content provides value before they’ll share it. When it’s easy for someone to see how sharing your content can help to elevate their status or express their thoughts, it’s a lot easier for them to share it.
And when you create shareable content, you’ll want to make it easy for others to share and even link to it so that your website traffic referrals increase as a result.
Here’s an example of one of our recent sharable posts on Instagram:
Put social media to good use.
Social media is a powerful tool for referral marketing and connecting with others. Encourage your clients to share your content and promote your brand on their social media profiles. Consider running social media contests or campaigns that reward clients for their referrals.
As with creating shareable content, the first step to connecting with your clients and potential clients on social media is to know who they are.
What are their interests, values, and pain points?
What type of content do they already engage with on social media?
It’s likely they engage with visual stories because social media is a visual experience. You’ll want to be sure to use high-quality images and videos to complement your text. You’ll also want to make sure your content is visually appealing and easy to understand. The more visually appealing it is, the more likely your clients and ideal clients will engage with it.
You’ll also want to be authentic. Don’t try to present a false image of your brand or message. Let your brand’s personality shine through. The more authentic you are, the more likely your clients and ideal clients will connect with your message and take action.
And having them take action is exactly what you want. When they take action, it increases the likelihood that their referral will increase traffic to your site.
Referral marketing can be a game-changer when it comes to increasing website traffic. You must first cater to your clients’ needs. Let them know how much you really care about them. Then, when you put any of these 5 strategies into place, your clients will be happy to refer others to your website.
Need help with generating website traffic referrals? Schedule a consultation to discuss your goals with one of our experts.
