The universal goal of every business is to sell its products or services. It can be successfully achieved by implementing various marketing tactics. Nowadays, renowned brands are coming up with innovative promotional ideas to generate more customer referrals. Here are some of those.

75 Promotion Ideas

Email Marketing –

Email Marketing or Email Campaign is a useful tool to keep constant contact with your target audience. This tool is widely used to promote products and services. Create an eye-catching infographic with catchy verbiage that instigates the people and encourages them to purchase and refer.

Delight –

Delight can be of any form – tangible or intangible. Offering individual delights work well in getting referrals. This is also a form of the customer engagement process that keeps up the sales and referral cycle momentum.

Worthy Rewards and Incentives –

You can offer excellent rewards and incentives to your customers. Reward size and type matter the most when you are thinking of proposing something. Having a good quality product/service will lead to various achievements.

Display –

Present your products/services unusually and innovatively. Bring creativity in terms of displaying it. If you have a transparent glass window out front, create an exciting display using mannequins or fun objects.

Discounts –

Once a customer touches a specific parameter, the company must offer discounts on all their purchases. Along with it, promote your brand and create hype for the next sale.

Coupons –

Coupons are in trends. Almost every business gives coupons to their customers. Coupons are probably the most basic and standard way of promoting and helping in getting customer referrals. Coupons can be advertised in marketing collaterals, brochures, ad displays, emails, and high traffic areas.

Free Gifts –

Hand out samples of your product or other gifts branded with your logo. It lets people experience what you have to offer first-hand at a critical location.

Contests –

Contests are a great way to promote your brand and get referrals. This kind of reward often acts as a significant boost to targeted leads and brand association.

Membership Card –

Offer a membership card as a token of acknowledgment after buying from your brand. It is a kind of membership plan, with the help of which customers can enjoy certain privileges.

Vacation –

You can offer a break with your family to your customers. Send a promotional greeting card or e-card for the holidays. We all know that pleasant experiences are always remembered. If the brand can create such unforgettable experiences, then it will impact a great deal.

Unique Selling Proposition –

Emphasize on your brand’s USP, and utilize it to promote and gain referrals.

Payment –

Try to offer easy prices or installment plans. These are simple ideas that make your products more affordable and can be bought without any monetary trouble.

Referral Discount –

You can promote your brand by offering a referral discount or a group discount. These are the kind of values that get people talking and using word-of-mouth marketing. Encourage your customers to recommend to others, and they will do the promotional work for you.

Cross-selling –

If the customers are satisfied with your product, they are more likely to buy from you again and again. Utilize this opportunity to cross-sell a complementary product.

Guarantees –

Offering a guarantee can act as a good promotion step since it inspires the customers and builds confidence in the buyers’ minds.

Free Trial –

As a promotional activity, offer a free trial of your product so that the potential buyers can become more acquainted with it and go for a purchase.

Surprises –

Surprises are like a bolt from the blue, and if it a pleasant one, everyone will adore it. Many innovative promotional tactics can be incorporated to surprise your customers. It increases engagement and also motivates customers to share enough referrals.

Pre-sale Notification –

Notify the customer before a sale starts. Promote it beforehand. It creates a buzz among the target audience and helps in generating enough footfalls. Since it is a sale, word-of-mouth marketing will automatically come into action and thereby generating good referrals.

Gift Cards –

Gift cards act as a great reward because they allow customers to pick up whatever they like instead of being forced upon them. They work even better as a reward when you tailor-make the promotion to suit customers’ requirements.

This means that you need first to understand where your customer is most likely to shop and then provide a gift card of that site/establishment. Providing different options from which a customer can choose can help in this regard.

Special Deals –

Always boost your customers with some special deals. Make them feel it’s primarily meant for them to be loyal to the brand and refer new leads.

Greetings –

There are numerous occasions, namely Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, etc. Do not miss these opportunities to greet your customers and promote your product/service. Arrange something special for them.

Merchandise –

Coffee mugs, tee-shirts, bags, and other merchandise works as an excellent reward for numerous reasons. They are almost always branded, which means that your brand gets free advertising every time they are used. Customers find these products very useful daily and are more likely to associate with your brand positively.

Online Reward –

Online Reward Program is in trend. Send out discount codes or coupons to your existing customers to entice them to do business again. It can be done through email campaigns, social media promotions, SMS, phone, etc.

Banners and Posters –

Keep paper materials that promote sales, offers, and promotions close at hand and use them when you can present. Please place them in public places where people gather.

Brochures –

Specialized brochures are a great place to feature a new product or service, and also it can be distributed to the target audience. It can act as an excellent way to promote and earn customer referrals.

Newsletters –

A newsletter allows you to communicate with prospects regularly. A newsletter is also a medium to inform your customer regarding the latest events and occasions.

Direct mail –

Marketing collaterals like catalogs, brochures, and other materials can be mailed directly to your prospects.

Calendars–

Give a calendar or a diary in the new year to your customers who are purchasing from you. Create a promotional calendar featuring your products/services and other information about your company.

Commercial –

Create a commercial to produce an advertisement to air on the radio, TV, cable, etc.

Loyalty Scheme –

For instance, if you sell a high-volume item with a low-value (drinks, candy packs), give customers a card that will be stamped with every purchase. Once they reach the target number, they will qualify for a free one. Many such loyalty schemes can be implemented.

Website –

In this world of the internet, more and more consumers use the internet to search for products/services.

Your business will gain credibility by having a website and promoting your brand through it. A website enables your customers well informed about the latest launches of product/services, announcements, events, etc.

It also offers other benefits like – always accessible via the internet, helps in targeting a broader market, and even reaches out to the whole world, a valuable medium to showcase your work, and much more.

Online Advertisement –

Buy banner advertising on websites that target your specific market. These are mainly 3rd party portals which are popular and draw high traffic. One popular idea is to include a fun question in your ad and offers a discount or deal if the user gets it right.

Customer Reward Program –

Introducing a lucrative customer reward program act as a secret sauce in getting referrals. Your customers must be aware of such programs, and you must keep promoting so that your customers can take full advantage of it.

Print Media –

Publish an Ad in the newspaper or magazine. Book an Ad space in a periodical to appeal to a specialized audience.

Affiliate Marketing –

There is immense scope in affiliate marketing, which you can try. In affiliate marketing, the brand generally partners with such organizations interested in promoting and selling your product/service.

For affiliate marketers, the primary condition for promoting your brand is monetary-motivation, which occurs at the B2B level. In simple terms, Affiliate marketing is more of a partnership than a relationship.

Video Marketing –

Video marketing can be used to build customer rapport and promote your brand, services, and products. Business organizations make videos about products/services and share lots of information related to those.

It can be a discussion of the features, user guide, benefits, etc. It certainly helps a brand in terms of sharing the required information that your probable customers are looking for.

Marketing Channels –

You often market your product/service through various marketing channels. Not necessarily every channel would work for your brand.

You need to test each channel and conclude the right one, yielding maximum and profitable responses. Based on your findings, you will further optimize and concentrate on the marketing strategy, specifically on those channels.

Referral Bonus –

Referral Bonus is one of the best working strategies every brand is implementing to increase its sales and get more customer referrals. When a customer buys something from your store, offer them a free credit as a coupon for their next purchase. Thus, you are well connected now and force the user to buy something within a period.

Promote in Social Media –

Social media is a perfect platform for promoting your brand. You can share articles, blog posts, and client-related achievements. Think about how you describe yourself and what you do.

Think about your brand when you post. You should also follow people in your industry and jump into relevant conversations by using trending hashtags or those most popular in your industry.

Testimonials –

Promoting credible testimonials are a great way to build confidence in the mind of prospective customers. Ask your customers to tell their experience with your brand and incorporate these testimonials into your campaign.

Flash Sale –

Flash Sale is one of the top strategies and best practices used by various brands. The essence of a Flash Sale is that it’s an element of surprise for your customers and clients.

Someone says – It’s an “act now and you’ll be rewarded if you do” scenario. With this, you are engaging your customers to do something they didn’t plan on doing, and you’re also going to reward them for taking this action.

Loyalty Program –

Implement and introduce a loyalty program and make the customers aware. Please give them a reason to recommend you to friends by offering discounts and gifts in return for every new customer they introduce to your business.

Promotional Partner –

This is a useful hack to quickly expanding your reach. Try to find out a more significant player to work with. This gives a boost to the promotion and helps the brand to get recognized.

Unique Posts –

Promotion can be done using some individual posts which talk about the last chance offer. If you send the most urgent and high-priority messaging through all the channels and tell people it’s their last chance to make a purchase; you will always achieve your maximum exposure and engagement.

Digital Marketing – 

Digital Marketing is the key to helping your business grow. Building a website to uplift your online brand, promoting your product/services via online channels, and making your brand visible on online forums are potent ways of digital marketing strategies. It can help you connect with new customers, generate leads, and sell your products/services more efficiently.

Jingle –

Compose a wow and catchy tune that can draw people’s attention and register in their hearts and brain. Promote your brand with this jingle Radio, TV, or Youtube advertising.

Sponsorship –

Sponsorship often works as a promotional strategy and helps gain popularity and recognition for a brand.

Outdoor Advertising–

Billboards or Hoardings can direct people to your business. Outdoor promotion is equally essential for customer referrals.

Voice mail –

Your voice mail message is a great marketing opportunity to offer special discounts or mention new products.

T-shirts –

You can create a custom t-shirt with your company logo printed on them. Distribute them to your staff to wear, and they’ll passively promote your company everywhere they go.

Online Forum –

Forums are generally open platforms where people discuss and share their views. Participating in online forums can be a significant activity to give and receive customer referrals.

Referral Program Promotion –

Without a planned promotional strategy for your referral program, it isn’t easy to reach out to the target audience and get enough referrals. Make sure to have banners displayed prominently throughout the site and on the homepage.

You can also promote your referral program at key touchpoints such as right after making a purchase. Other effective touchpoints are order confirmation pages and purchase confirmation emails.

Staying in touch –

Always maintain regular and proper communication with the customers. Engage with them as much as you can.

A lot depends on calling customers, sending emails, informing, and asking them at a time when they are most likely to read your messages. The best way to get your customers talking about you is to ask for feedback about their purchase experience and the product.

Strategy –

Position yourself uniquely in front of your target demographic. Without a planned promotional system for your brand, it isn’t easy to reach out to the target audience.

Make sure to advertise through various media and also have banners displayed prominently. You can even promote your brand at key touchpoints such as right after your customers have made a purchase, conducting a survey, etc.

Inform and Educate –

Sometimes, a communication gap exists between the customers and the business. To bridge the gap and aggressively promote your product/service, it is essential to inform and educate your customers regarding announcements and company news.

Deliver Benefits –

Your customers are interested in getting benefits. Always connect with them and discuss the benefits of your product/service. The more you impose it in their mind, the more you will get referrals.

Customer Status –

For your loyal customers, who spend thousands of dollars buying the product/service, you could establish a “VIP” status that gives them privileged access to various benefits, special deals, announcements, or even trials of new products/service before anyone else.

Online Reward –

Send out discount codes or coupons to your customers to entice them to do business again. It can be done through email campaigns, social media promotions, SMS, phone, etc.

Make Purchase Memorable –

Offer something to a customer in the form of gifts or benefits and try to make every purchase memorable. Thank them for visiting your store and also promote your loyalty programs to them.

Advocates – 

Brand Advocates play an essential role in positioning a brand. Promoting through them is an intelligent step to gain customer referrals.

Do Things Differently –

Don’t be a cliche. Always brainstorm to be innovative in terms of promoting your brand. It brings freshness and also helps in standing out from what your competitors are doing.

Spot Rewards –

The main objective of such a program is to reward a consumer for frequent patronage, and that’s why entry-level perks like a free drink, Chocolate samples, free Wi-Fi, etc. work well.

Keep Customers Guessing –

Customers will come back for the possibility of a discount. Give unadvertised discounts during its weekdays or happy hours. Customers don’t know exactly what will be on sale or when, but they will come in to see what’s on special.

Talk to the Press –

Reaching out to the media about your product and engage with your customers through them is a great idea.

Demonstration –

Demo your product for free at a related store or event.

Donation –

Volunteering or donating ensures people will hear about your business. You can volunteer as part of a non-profit organization or offer your product or service to an event or fundraiser.

Business Forum –

Create a business forum and participate in that to promote your product/service.

Press Release –

A press release is a great way to mark the occasion of new products/services and promotions.

Trade Shows –

Trade shows and other events are a great place to meet potential prospects. It’s a welcoming platform to promote your brand.

Comment on Online Forums –

Post comments on Internet forums related to your industry. Valuable and informative comments can help attract appreciative prospects.

Flash mob–

This is a fun promotional stunt that people love. Organize volunteers to do a dance or other activity in a popular area at a specific time. Consider having someone videotape it and then upload it to Youtube.

Free Consultations –

Free consultations are a great way to showcase your expertise and get more clients. Consulting can be on your service or product and let the people how it can benefit them.

Business Partnerships –

Form a bond with other small businesses in different industries. A mutually beneficial partnership lets you cross-promote and target the same market together.

Go Green –

Make your products or services eco-friendly. Advertise your environmentally safe practices, and people will respect you more for it.

Business Award Competitions –

If you win, you get a badge on your website and many more sales. Even if you don’t win, you can still get lots of publicity if you place high enough and broadcast your participation.

Search Engine Marketing –

It is a great way to promote via search engines like Google, Bing. Etc. This enables you to reach out to a broad set of audiences with search engine advertisements.

Keeping the businesses’ needs and pain points in mind, NextBee has developed a methodology that aims to improve referral programs.

The application of this methodology is to ensure that every participant is approached in a way that leads to increased conversion of referrals and leads. Known as the PACE Methodology, it covers the following aspects:

Personal – Building personal relationships through the active collaboration for increased positivity in responses.

Adaptive – Adaptive to the needs and expectations of individual customers and target groups.

IT controlled – Strategy and design that incorporates analyzed data to promote effective response.

Exciting – Ensuring that the customers find your program thrilling and exciting, to reduce monotony and improve response.

For a complete referral process re-engineering and a new implementation of a referral program, NextBee is the perfect option at your disposal. Feel free to contact us at 1-800-547-1618