A referral program is a powerful way to boost your conference attendance, generate word-of-mouth, and reward your loyal customers. But how can you design a referral program that benefits both existing and new conference registrants? In this article, we will share some tips and best practices to help you create a referral program that works for your conference.
Before you launch your referral program, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure it. Do you want to increase the number of registrants, the revenue, or the retention rate? How will you track the referrals, the conversions, and the rewards? You can use tools like Google Analytics, Eventbrite, or ReferralCandy to set up your referral tracking and reporting system.
The next step is to decide what kind of rewards and incentives you will offer to your existing and new conference registrants. You can choose from different types of rewards, such as discounts, free tickets, upgrades, vouchers, or swag. The key is to make sure that your rewards are valuable, relevant, and easy to redeem. You can also segment your rewards based on the number or quality of referrals, or create tiers or levels to encourage more referrals.
There are lots of ways you can use rewards and incentives to boost registrations. Giveaways are always a big attraction - especially for events that are free to attend, but exclusive discounts are always valuable as well for paid events. Perhaps its a flash sale on Black Friday or an exclusive discount for brining your team. Whats key is being clear on what the reward/incentive is, and the timeline for when people can use it.
Once you have your rewards and incentives ready, you need to promote your referral program to your existing and potential conference registrants. You can use various channels and methods to spread the word, such as email, social media, website, blog, podcast, or webinar. You can also create a dedicated landing page for your referral program, where you can explain the benefits, the rules, and the steps to join. You can also use testimonials, case studies, or social proof to showcase the success of your referral program.
Another important aspect of your referral program is to make it easy and fun for your existing and new conference registrants to refer others. You can do this by providing them with simple and convenient tools, such as referral links, codes, buttons, or widgets. You can also gamify your referral program by adding elements like points, badges, leaderboards, or challenges. You can also personalize your referral program by using names, images, or messages that resonate with your audience.
The last step is to communicate and follow up with your existing and new conference registrants throughout your referral program. You can use email, SMS, or push notifications to remind them of their rewards, update them on their progress, thank them for their referrals, or ask them for feedback. You can also use surveys, polls, or interviews to collect data and insights on your referral program. You can use this information to improve your referral program, optimize your conversion rate, and increase your customer satisfaction.
All sounds very good, however the personal touch, a phone call from one human to another will always cut through and put your above chatbots and AI software