Percentage of consumers who say that recommendations from their friends and family are their preferred source for product and service information. (Source: Marketing Leadership Council)

Percentage of consumer purchase decisions primarily influenced by referrals – the number 1 factor. (Source: McKinsey/Thompson Lightstone)

If you consider these statistics in the light of some others on more traditional advertising and marketing, like the fact that it’s 300 times more expensive to reach consumers today than in 1995 (Boston Consulting Group), and that the average person gets hit with 500 or more advertising impressions per day (MarketingProfs), it’s easy to see why consumers rely on recommendations from others to aid them in their purchase decisions.

Bottom line, referral marketing is proven to work better than any other method of marketing or advertising to generate new business. And that’s where ShoutOut comes in.
 

ShoutOut

ShoutOut is an automated referral marketing system that helps turn your customers into your sales force so you can generate new business faster, easier and more cost-effectively. Here’s why you should use ShoutOut:
 

your customers will refer proactively and frequently

Most referrals occur reactively. Your customer will respond to a question or comment that makes her think of you – she gets asked who did her hair color, or a neighbor mentions he needs a deck built for his house. Typically, if your customer has had a great experience with your business, he or she will refer you in these situations.

The key is to get them to refer proactively.

ShoutOut overcomes this challenge by helping you to incentivize them to refer, giving them regular, automated updates on how close they are to earning the incentive, and of course, how much you appreciate their efforts on your behalf. 
 

 

your customers will say what you want them to say about your business 

It’s also important for your customers to talk about your business to its best advantage – deliver your value proposition in the way you want it – when they refer.

ShoutOut helps you to encourage your customers to stay on message when they refer by allowing you to setup a template email for your customers to send to their friends and family under their own email address. Of course, they can still write their own, as well. 


 

you only pay for what you get

Other than a nominal monthly fee, with ShoutOut, you pay only for new business.

Click here  for more details
 

we do the boring administrative work

The main reason referral marketing isn’t used more systematically, particularly by small businesses, is administrative burden.

ShoutOut automates the development of referral campaigns, existing and new customer tracking and reporting almost entirely. Existing customers (we call them Promoters) are linked by a unique identifier to the potential new customers they refer (Prospects). Key this Referral ID into the ShoutOut site when a new customer comes in and you launch
a series of activities and communications to keep your Promoters promoting and get your new customers started, too.

 
we give you detailed reports on your campaigns and best customers

Understanding the return on your investment in marketing is critical. ShoutOut uses information you input on the value of a new customer sale when setting up your campaign and the Referral ID to tell you what you made – from that customer, from that campaign, from campaign runs that year, from that location – you name it. We’ll also tell you how your campaign is working. ShoutOut makes it easy.