
As a store gets larger and more popular, running an informal referral program becomes increasingly impossible, and the cost of painstakingly keeping track of referral figures (who referred who, how much did we reward them) increases. This can distract from a business’s core value proposition. You don’t want to be spending time micromanaging your customer referral program, you want to be spending your time building great products.

The campaign became viral because it could connect to the audience emotionally. People could relate to the concept of the video. The idea was original, and the content was enticing without pushing the products. The ad encouraged social conversation and sensitivity around the beauty of a woman. It empowered women, evoking feelings of warmth, joy, and confidence. Empowerment is a powerful tool, which can enhance the brand image of your company. So build an uplifting relationship with your audience.

The ultimate goal of marketers interested in creating successful viral marketing programs is to create viral messages that appeal to individuals with high social networking potential (SNP) and that have a high probability of being presented and spread by these individuals and their competitors in their communications with others in a short period of time.[9]

A 2016 Statista survey reveals that the largest segment of affiliates falls within the 25-54 range. 81.82% of all affiliates work on their side (or main, for some) income in the most active years of their lives. The biggest share, 31.86% are aged 35-44, while nearly 12% of all affiliate marketers are aged 55 and above. In all likelihood, these marketing platforms will see greater adoption rates among elderly, as the technically-savvy young and middle-aged users of today grow older.

Apart from looking for particular niches and individual affiliate offers, it makes sense to consider affiliate networks – aggregators that allow the publishers to manage multiple offers and get commissions from a single place, while removing the hassle for the advertisers of setting up their own programs. Below are some of the most affiliate networks:


Takes advantage of other resources. The most creative viral marketing plans use other resources to get the word out. Affiliate programs, for example, place text or graphic links on other websites. Authors who give away free articles, seek to position their articles on other web pages. A news release can be picked up by hundreds of periodicals and form the basis of articles seen by hundreds of thousands of readers. Now someone else’s newsprint or web page is relaying your marketing message. Someone else’s resources are depleted rather than your own.

If your viral coefficient is higher than 1, every new user you add to your system will add at least 1 other user and so on. Technically, when you have a K-Factor of 1 or greater you have a viral application. The reason this is so desirable is that if you did nothing else to market your product your customer base would continue to grow as long as your K-Factor remained above 1.
The quickest way to get affiliates to promote you is by finding them in your affiliate network. When you sign up for a network as an advertiser, your business information will enter the marketplace so that potential affiliates can find you. This marketplace includes your company info, public commission rates, average earnings per click, and contact information. From your listing, affiliates sign up to work with you directly and enter your application queue for approval.


If video advertising became more action-oriented this past year, it’s in large part due to evolving consumer behavior. UX research we at YouTube carried out in 2018 revealed that, contrary to popular belief, people aren’t always looking for a leaned-back, passive viewing experience. Actually, as we discovered, many video viewers crave something more interactive.
The next step in a referral marketing strategy is to publically market the program. Some businesses place signs in physical stores, typically near the cash registers that invite customers to join the program. A common strategy is to create brochures that customers can take with them, containing information about the referral program, offering consumers a physical reminder of the program.
Referral marketing is a powerful conversion tactic, as people value “realness” and are more apt to try a product or service that’s recommended by a friend or some other trusted source than something they come across via traditional advertising. Referrals can come from friends, influencers, product reviews, news articles, and testimonials. In order to launch a successful referral campaign, brands must offer compelling incentives so customers want to refer others. They must also make the referral process as easy to use as possible. Additionally, brands must treat their referral program as they would a new product launch and educate both customers and employees on how the program works.
Don’t make your customers root around your website searching for a referral link. Or even worse, dig through their email to find out how to log into your portal and see their reward status. The harsh reality is people aren’t going to sign up for your referral program if they don’t know about it, so make sure you’re making it visible and prominent. Remember, the entire purpose of the program is to get people to spread the word about your brand, products and/or services. If signing up to do so is difficult and frustrating, you won’t get the results you’re hoping for.


