A One-stop Guide to Referral Marketing With Strategies

Referral marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to gain loyal customers. This guide breaks down winning strategies and shows how Xoxoday Plum helps you automate, personalize, and scale your referral program with the right rewards.

Written by Neha Surana , 10 Apr 2025

 A brand reaches its pinnacle when it becomes part of everyday language. Think of Google—what began as a search engine is now a verb for searching. The same goes for Band-Aid, Kleenex, and Jacuzzi. That level of cultural adoption is every brand’s dream—success that goes beyond sales to universal recognition. 

But getting there takes time, consistent marketing, and relentless effort. While today’s tools offer many ways to promote your brand, referral marketing remains one of the most powerful—and cost-effective—ways to grow. After all, nothing beats the credibility of a recommendation from a satisfied customer. 

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Let’s take Airbnb for example.

The birth of ‘airbnbing’ was simple—the idea was to get people to stay in a neighborhood flat overnight or to borrow a family’s rollaway bed during travel. With this simple intention in mind, they increased their guest arrivals from just 21000 (in 2009) to a whopping 1+ billion (in 2021). (Source: AirBnB

So how did this born-out-of-necessity business make its entire way to fame? Or perhaps, what made Airbnb a billion-dollar business? 

Any guesses? Well, it's because of a well-planned, well-timed, and well-executed ‘referral marketing program.’ 

Referral marketing is one of the most cost-effective growth channels for a business. Period. 

Untuk membantu anda memanfaatkan sepenuhnya strategi pemasaran ini, kami telah mengumpulkan panduan terperinci yang menerangkan asas-asas pemasaran rujukan, pelajaran untuk belajar dari jenama besar, kesilapan untuk dielakkan, petua untuk membuat program rujukan yang berjaya, dan banyak lagi. 

Apakah pemasaran rujukan? 

Referral marketing is a strategy that leverages loyal customers and advocates to promote a brand within their network in exchange for rewards. It involves using the influence of referrers—whether individuals or influencers—to generate awareness and drive engagement, either through one-to-one recommendations or broader one-to-many outreach, ultimately leading to increased sales and brand trust.  

Bagaimana pemasaran rujukan berfungsi? 

Seseorang merujuk produk atau perkhidmatan anda kepada rakan, keluarga, penonton (dalam hal pemasaran influencer), kenalan, dll. Pengadil membeli item atau perkhidmatan tersebut untuk proses berakhir dengan jayanya. 

Let’s understand referral marketing with a real-life scenario. Let’s assume that you want to buy a brand-new washing machine. Right after exploring some options, you’ll check out all the customer reviews on the internet and might even ask your friend (who bought that product before) to share his/her experiences with the brand. 

Rakan anda kemudian mengesahkan produk tersebut, memberi anda jaminan bahawa ia adalah produk yang hebat, meyakinkan dan memujuk anda untuk membuat pembelian. 

Itu pemasaran rujukan secara ringkas. 

Referral marketing in a nutshell, Picture

 

Pemasaran rujukan mempunyai kesan yang sama seperti dari mulut ke mulut, tetapi satu-satunya perbezaan ialah syarikat memulakan dan menguruskannya. 

This works because consumers tend to trust businesses more after getting a recommendation from another person, especially if it’s someone close.  

Faedah pemasaran rujukan: 10 Sebab ia berkesan 

Referral programs are ideal for businesses as they make existing customers feel valued and encourage them to share the brand with their network.  

Berikut adalah beberapa faedah utama pemasaran rujukan: 

1. Memanfaatkan pengaruh rakan ke rakan  

In the era of consumerism, shoppers seek product advice from individuals who are already on their friends list. Here, referrals WOMM (Word of Mouth Marketing) wields power over a significant slice of the market. Therefore, referral marketing is the only superior tool to change buyers' thoughts and overcome their cynical scorn for salesy outreach. 

2. Meningkatkan kadar pengekalan pelanggan 

To go after a market that is new to your product, there is a need for more marketing money, marketers, and even more effort. The overheads are often sky-high, making brands question if it’s worth at all prioritizing new consumers over existing ones.  

While it’s something to be debated, marketers are already sitting on a heap of opportunities because referrals can take your value proposition to the uninitiated without costing. 

3. Masa yang lebih pendek untuk memasarkan 

Apabila pemasaran konvensional menghadapi batu penghalang, ia adalah kerana ia mempunyai kurang inersia. Ia tidak mempunyai pujukan untuk wow sebahagian besar pasaran dalam masa yang terhad. Sebaliknya, kempen rujukan boleh dibangunkan dan dilaksanakan dalam masa yang paling kecil kerana ia tidak semestinya melibatkan corong dan rangka kerja yang canggih. 

Apakah kelebihan ini? Pelanggan yang dianggap tidak sesuai untuk persona jualan mungkin dikecualikan daripada kempen ini. Apabila masa tidak sia-sia mengejar pelanggan yang mungkin tidak akan kembali, ia membantu anda meneroka peluang yang lebih menarik. 

4. Meningkatkan kesedaran jenama 

Oleh kerana ia dipanggil pemasaran dari mulut ke mulut, tidak sukar untuk menyedari bahawa orang akan meningkatkan kesedaran jenama dengan bercakap tentang syarikat anda kepada orang lain. Malah peratusan yang tidak akan ditukar masih akan mengetahui tentang perniagaan anda, meneruskan rantaian perbualan. 

5. Lebih banyak penyokong jenama 

Driving customer advocacy is crucial due to utter social distrust of businesses and marketing. Of course, no business will tell you their products are flawed. But having live people vouch for a brand, praising it, and recommending the right items and services are what most potential buyers are looking for. 

6. Lebih Baik CLV (Nilai Sepanjang Hayat Pelanggan) 

Pelanggan yang dirujuk cenderung untuk kembali sementara juga mungkin menjadi rujukan kepada yang lain. Mereka memberikan begitu banyak nilai kepada perniagaan yang secara purata, pengguna yang dirujuk membayar 15 hingga 25% lebih banyak pada transaksi awal mereka. 

7. Mengurangkan CAC (Kos Pemerolehan Pelanggan) 

Pelanggan rujukan biasanya lebih murah untuk perniagaan daripada yang baru. Kos termasuk ganjaran kepada pelanggan sedia ada (yang biasanya dibayar juga), bilangan pekerja yang bekerja pada program ini, serta teknologi rujukan pelanggan. 

8. Mudah untuk memberi insentif kepada tingkah laku rujukan 

Menjejaki rujukan adalah cara yang tidak ternilai untuk melihat apa yang menjadikan mereka mercun. Maklumat yang diperoleh melalui penyelidikan tingkah laku rujukan adalah mencukupi untuk menentukan hamper dan pengalaman yang disesuaikan lebih relevan. Ini akan memberi mereka dorongan untuk menerajui advokasi. 

9. ROI yang lebih tinggi dan perbelanjaan yang lebih rendah 

Menggabungkan pemasaran rujukan dengan ganjaran kesetiaan akan menghasilkan kesan sinergi yang tinggi yang akan mengurangkan kos dan masa overhed. Kerana menyusun dan menjalankan program ganjaran adalah lebih murah daripada menjalankan iklan Facebook atau Google PPC. Pemasaran rujukan telah berulang kali menunjukkan bagaimana cadangan sosial mendorong tindakan pelanggan dengan hanya ganjaran sebagai lobak merah. 

Jenis program pemasaran rujukan 

The beauty of referral marketing is that there are several ways to satisfy consumers, partners, and employees to encourage referral behavior. These are four common methods of referral marketing to increase their revenue. 

1. Rujukan langsung (dari mulut ke mulut) 

Jenis rujukan yang paling optimum yang bergantung pada perniagaan adalah rujukan langsung. Ia melibatkan pengguna yang sangat didorong yang bukan sahaja menyedari produk tetapi juga menghargai kelebihannya. Mereka mampu memujuk rakan sebaya dan sesiapa sahaja dalam genggaman mereka untuk menjadi pengguna baru. 

It does not need large-scale promotion but rather depends on consumers' faith in their peers who are early adopters. 

2. Rujukan e-mel 

Pemasar telah menggunakan e-mel rujukan selama bertahun-tahun untuk menyasarkan kemungkinan di dalam rangkaian semasa mereka. Mereka melakukan ini dengan mengenal pasti pelanggan yang boleh menjamin jenama dan menghantar e-mel berasaskan ganjaran kepada mereka. E-mel tidak perlu mematuhi piawaian tertentu; sebaliknya, mereka mungkin komunikasi ringkas dan tepat yang meletakkan jenama anda sebagai pemacu nilai dalam rangkaian. 

3. Rujukan daripada ulasan 

Adakah anda tahu bahawa hari ini majoriti keputusan membeli dibuat berdasarkan ulasan? Carian tempatan mengenai produk dan perkhidmatan membantu pembeli memutuskan sama ada jenama itu memenuhi jangkaan mereka. 

Jenama yang mengetahui kepentingan pengurusan reputasi melakukan apa yang diperlukan untuk memastikan mereka mempunyai pendapat yang baik di mata orang ramai. Jenama yang tidak mengambil serius latihan ini berisiko kehilangan bakal pelanggan kepada pesaing mereka. 

4. Rujukan media sosial 

Adakah anda tahu bahawa hari ini majoriti keputusan membeli dibuat berdasarkan ulasan? Carian tempatan mengenai produk dan perkhidmatan membantu pembeli memutuskan sama ada jenama itu memenuhi jangkaan mereka. 

7 Strategi pemasaran rujukan yang boleh mendorong petunjuk berharga 

Sekarang, inilah persoalan besar: Bagaimana membuat program rujukan yang mencipta percikan api dan mendapat api sambil memupuk penglibatan pelanggan. Nah, ia bermula dan berakhir dengan melaksanakan strategi pemasaran rujukan yang betul. Dan di bawah adalah beberapa untuk membuat nota. 

1. Hantar e-mel yang disasarkan dan diperibadikan 

Targeted emails are more relevant to the recipient, increasing the likelihood of taking an action. By tailoring your message to their interests and needs, you can make your referral program more appealing and encourage them to share it with their network. 

2. Sediakan program ganjaran yang hebat 

A strong rewards program can turn customers into brand advocates, driving referrals and conversions when aligned with your goals and audience.  

Ask yourself: Who are your top customers? What rewards would motivate them to refer others? Should both parties be rewarded? Offering the right incentives—like tiered rewards, e-gift cards, or branded swag—can boost participation and reduce hesitation. Starting small and scaling up with bigger rewards helps keep engagement high. 

3. Menawarkan insentif dua sisi 

Ganjaran dua sisi mewujudkan situasi menang-menang bagi kedua-dua pihak. Perujuk menerima ganjaran untuk rujukan mereka, dan orang yang dirujuk menerima ganjaran untuk mencuba produk atau perkhidmatan anda. Ini dapat membantu membina hubungan positif dengan kedua-dua pihak dan meningkatkan kesetiaan kepada perniagaan anda. 

An example of double-sided rewards is Dropbox’s referral program. The company offers both the referrer and the referred person 500 MB of extra storage space on every successful referral. 

Dropbox’s referral program, Picture

 

This creates a win-win situation, as the referrer receives additional storage space for their referral while the referred person receives additional storage space for trying out Dropbox's service.  

4. Masa kempen rujukan anda dengan betul 

Even if you have a terrific marketing plan and the greatest minds executing it, things can still go wrong if your timing is terrible. That’s why finding the precise moments to pitch your referral program in the user journey is important. 

Masa program rujukan anda juga boleh membantu anda menguji dan mengoptimumkan program dari masa ke masa. Dengan melancarkan program pada masa yang berlainan dan menjejaki penyertaan dan kadar rujukan, anda boleh mengenal pasti masa yang paling berkesan untuk program ini dan membuat pelarasan mengikut keperluan. 

Pro tip-Ideally, the right time to ask for referrals is when customers make a purchase, which then follows with a nice, thank you message.

Alternatively, try pitching referrals to customers when they make regular purchases or engage positively with your brand (subscribing to your newsletter, sharing your products on social platforms, etc.) 

5. Make the participation process seamless 

Adakah anda suka laman web yang tergantung atau tersekat semasa menuntut ganjaran anda? Atau laman web yang cepat, lancar, dan menjauhkan anda daripada proses manual, biasa untuk menuntut ganjaran rujukan anda? Jawapannya jelas, bukan? 

Sebaliknya, program rujukan anda tidak sepatutnya menambah timbunan tugas yang sudah ada pada pasukan anda setiap hari. Bayangkan, semak dan luluskan pemenang ganjaran satu persatu? Itulah sebabnya penting untuk memastikan keseluruhan proses mudah dan intuitif. 

6. Leverage templates to design your referral landing page 

Apabila pengguna mengklik pada pautan rujukan, dia diarahkan ke halaman arahan rujukan yang menggariskan segala-galanya mengenai program ini. Halaman pendaratan membolehkan pengguna pergi ke butiran lanjut seperti terma &syarat, ganjaran yang ditawarkan, faedah, dan sebagainya. 

Oleh itu, mengekalkannya tersendiri dan menarik adalah penting. Halaman ini mesti bertujuan untuk memujuk pelawat dalam mendaftar untuk program rujukan anda, membantu mereka menjadi perujuk atau penyokong jenama. 

7. Promote the program on social media 

Mempromosikan program rujukan anda di media sosial adalah kaedah terbaik untuk menjangkau khalayak yang lebih luas dan meningkatkan penyertaan dalam program ini. Buat siaran media sosial yang menyerlahkan faedah utama program rujukan anda. 

Gunakan visual yang menarik dan kapsyen yang menarik untuk menarik perhatian pengikut anda dan galakkan mereka untuk mengambil bahagian. Juga, gunakan hashtag yang berkaitan dalam siaran media sosial anda untuk meningkatkan penglihatan. 

📙Tip: Partner with influencers in your industry to promote your referral program. This could involve offering them special rewards or incentives for participating in the program and sharing it with their followers. Or you can even run targeted social ads to specific audiences. This helps increase awareness of your program and drive more referrals. 

8. Use chatbots to get the word out 

Chatbots boleh menghantar peringatan atau jemputan automatik untuk memastikan pelanggan anda mengetahui program rujukan anda sambil menggalakkan mereka merujuk rakan mereka. 

Chatbots dengan mudah boleh membincangkan faedah program rujukan anda yang boleh diterima oleh penyokong jenama. Tidak seperti e-mel rujukan dan iklan laman web, bot memastikan perkara mudah. Sifat perbualan mereka membolehkan mereka memasarkan dengan cara yang mudah dan tidak mengganggu. 

📙Tip: Use gamification techniques in chatbots, such as offering badges or points for successful referrals, to incentivize customers to participate in the program. This can increase customer engagement and make the referral process more fun and rewarding. 

How to create a referral marketing program? 

Now that you know the importance of referrals and what a powerful tool referral marketing programs are, how can you create a successful one yourself? Here’s the simple three-step process to create a rewards-driven referral program

1. Identify your happy and satisfied customers

This can be done in a number of ways, but the most effective method is by creating customer surveys. The Net Promoter Score survey is the best way to find the Promoters in your existing customers - people who are highly likely to recommend you to their friends and family.  

But you can also use other survey methodologies such as Customer Satisfaction Surveys to find your best advocates. 

2. Cultivate and invest in your advocates 

Once you’ve selected those promoters and advocates from your existing customers, it’s time to put in the work to truly delight them. It’s about more than just ensuring you’re meeting their expectations - you need to exceed them at every step of the customer experience.  

Delight them whenever you can. And do all of this before you ask them for anything so they have a completely positive view - stepping straight into a give-to-get scenario will turn them off because it feels too immediately transactional. 

3. Encourage them to recommend your business

Now we get to the ask - it’s time to request that customers join your referral marketing program. You can make this request while offering a variety of rewards, either as a thank you for joining, a reward for a referral, or a combination.  

The rewards you offer when you ask customers to refer you can vary depending on the specifics of your program. But there are plenty of software options out there on the market that make this process simple and streamlined, like Plum. 

Referral rewards program best practices 

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to referral rewards depending on your customers, what motivates them, and your industry. Still, following best practices can help your program succeed and support business growth. 

1. Make sharing simple 

Your referral program could have the most incredible awards ever available to your advocates and still fail for one simple reason - the way you ask customers to share their referrals is too complicated.  

Even your most dedicated advocates have lots of other things to do in their lives. They’re not going to spend an hour - or even 20 minutes - just figuring out how to send a referral to a friend. They’ll give up and move on to something else. 

2. Add a customer loyalty program 

One great way to reward customers is to make them feel valued and appreciated for being loyal to your company. A customer loyalty program is the perfect way to do this. Customers who feel recognized and appreciated are more likely to recommend and refer friends and family to your business. 

Sephora is a good example of a retailer that rewards their best customers well. With every purchase, their Beauty Insiders can earn points and redeem them for different levels of rewards, from small gifts to full-size beauty products to exceptional brand experiences.  

3. Think like a customer 

Referral marketing programs are so effective for growing businesses that it’s easy to just focus on how they will benefit from creating a referral system. But that’s the opposite of what referral incentives are really all about - you need to think first about what your loyal customers and advocates actually want and respond to.  

You shouldn’t guess or assume that you already know. Instead, try conducting customer surveys to see what they value most and testing your program options as you launch. 

4. Use referral rewards software 

Managing a referral rewards program through your own marketing team is very time-consuming. Finding the right partner or the perfect referral rewards software to help you deliver those referral rewards the right way is a good investment of your marketing dollars to make your program as effective as possible.  

Look for one that integrates effortlessly with your existing referral tools to make your rewards system simple. And don’t forget to select a system that lets you reward brand advocates for more than simply purchases, but for referrals and shout-outs on social media channels as well. 

Petua untuk membina program pemasaran rujukan yang berjaya 

Berikut adalah beberapa petua untuk menjadikan program pemasaran rujukan anda berfungsi seperti enjin minyak yang baik: 

  • Offer a valuable incentive: The reward you offer must be valuable enough to motivate your customers to refer their friends. Make sure to give something that your customers actually want and can use. 
  • Make it easy to participate: The referral process should be easy and straightforward. Your customers should be able to refer their friends with just a few clicks or taps. 
  • Personalize your invitations: Personalized invitations can be more effective in motivating customers to refer their friends. Segment customers based on demography while giving a glimpse of what they will get as a reward if they referred someone. 
  • Use multiple channels to promote your program: Promote your referral program through various channels, such as email, social media, and your website. This can increase the visibility of your program, helping your brand reach a wider audience. 
  • Provide real-time feedback: Keep your customers informed about the status of their referrals. Let them know when their friends have signed up or made a purchase. This can increase their engagement and motivation to participate in the program. 
  • Measure and optimize: Monitor the performance of your referral program and track metrics such as referral rate, conversion rate, and customer lifetime value. Use this data to optimize your program and make improvements. 
  • Time your referral requests strategically: Timing is important in referral marketing. Make sure you request referrals at the right time. 

Pemikiran akhir 

Referral marketing isn’t just a growth tactic—it’s a trust-driven strategy that turns your happiest customers into your most powerful advocates. Referred customers are not only more loyal but also more valuable in the long run, all while reducing your acquisition costs compared to traditional marketing efforts. 

But to make referrals truly work, you need more than just a good strategy—you need great execution. That means a product worth sharing, standout customer service, and a reward system that motivates people to spread the word. 

If you’re looking for a simple, powerful way to set up your referral rewards program software, look no further than Plum. It offers everything you need to turn your customers into your brand ambassadors with the right rewards. 
Want to learn more? 
 
Book your demo today. 

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