Let’s say you came into work tomorrow, opened your marketing analytics dashboard (better yet, a referral program dashboard), and saw that an Instagram influencer campaign had driven 20x ROI for your fashion eCommerce brand. Or maybe you’re the Head of Marketing for a B2B business and found that a partner webinar had driven 1,000 qualified leads and 200 new customers with an average lifetime value of $5,000. How would you react?

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.

There are many reasons to adopt a customer referral program for your business. It’s cost effective, builds trust between customers and your brand, provides a strong ROI…you get the idea.

Having worked with thousands of clients all over the globe as well as powering thousands of B2C referral programs and millions of new sales, we've heard almost every question possible from brand marketers. We understand the intricacies of running a referral program, and are always happy to lend a helping hand to marketers that want to leverage this customer acquisition channel.

Zaps. The word itself ignites a spark, especially if it's referencing a way to simplify your marketing workload. If you're a busy marketer looking for a way to optimize your referral marketing workflow, keep reading for how to automate tasks so you can focus your time and energy on what matters most.