Refer-A-Friend campaigns can be tricky territory. The basic premise of a Refer-A-Friend campaign is that a contact is signing up a friend to receive something from your company. The reality is, though, that the contact could be barking up the wrong tree and that friend will want nothing to do with your company.
Let’s be very clear: just because someone gives you the email address of their friend does not mean you have permission to email them whenever you want, as often as you like. You need permission from the friend - straight from the horse’s mouth, if you will.
Here are my suggestions for setting up the most effective (and ethical) email touches once a “friend” has been referred:
1. Set up a triggered email to the friend right after the sign-up that comes from Your Company Name.
2. Use personalization (the referrer’s name) in the subject line to make the message (and the referral) straightforward. Example: Kristen Gregory recommended our triathlon clothing and training tips
3. Consider allowing referrers to include a personal message submitted via your form to explain why they are making this referral. Example: Kristen Gregory wants you to know: “John, this company has the best products ever. I’ve been using them for years.”
4. With or without the above message from the referrer, make it very clear who you are, what you’d like to start sending and why the friend should care.
5. Provide a link for the friend to confirm in order to get onto your mailing list. (Ultimately, you’ll be setting up your original form as a double-opt-in, with the original contact signing up the friend and the friend confirming that they want to get your email.)
6. Once they confirm interest, trigger a welcome message to be sent immediately, welcoming them into your community. (If you have a way of rewarding the original contact for successfully referring a friend, this is a good time to trigger that reward.)
7. If the friend does not confirm their interest, let them go. Don’t risk your reputation by continuing to email and creating complaints.
What do you think of these tips?
The most debatable could be that of the “From Name.” I have seen campaigns (such as Mars Chocolate) where the initial message comes from the referrer and not the company. I think it’s possible that this tactic could garner more opens as the name is more familiar, but not all ESPs enable dynamic from names. Plus, I think it’s ultimately more transparent coming from the real sender.
Let me know your opinion!
Kristen Gregory
Email Marketing Specialist at Bronto
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