The marketing industry is shifting toward a customer-centric, solution-seeking, data-driven model and marketers are encouraged to follow suit. Marketers have to know how to crunch numbers, spot trends, spark interest, make changes, and make connections - all while surpassing the competition.

So, I have a confession to make. A year ago, I had no clue “referral marketing” was anything but a buzzword. I certainly didn’t know referral marketing software existed. Sure, I understood the value of referrals (I’ve been a marketer for many years — it’s hard not to understand the value of organic word-of-mouth). But referral marketing? In my experience, referrals weren’t truly optimizable or scalable — two core characteristics of any modern marketing strategy.

The marketing industry is filled with more tactics to consider than you can count and a host of strategic solutions positioned to address challenging pain points. Every once in awhile, the opportunity arises to hone in on a persistently untapped channel to create a new marketing category.

Marketing changes every day. Just a few years a ago, a flashy street-side sign advertising your company’s name and location was enough to attract new business. Even a print ad in the Sunday paper was sure to remind your closest prospective customers to stop by your brick-and-mortar store. Over the last few years, marketing - along with its platforms, audiences, and capabilities - has advanced.

Just like every other component of marketing, a referral program requires a well-planned strategy to meet and exceed goals. Strategic thinking becomes increasingly important when it comes to one often overlooked aspect of referral programs — developing an incentive structure.

We had such a great response to our recent epic referral email rundown that we had to do another one. This time, we dug into our own customer archives to share emails that are expertly optimized to drive referrals.