In almost every industry, referrals are the gold standard of customer acquisition. Research has repeatedly shown that referred leads close faster, buy more, and stay longer — all with significantly less effort and at a much lower CPA than non-referred prospects. A University of Pennsylvania study[1] found that referred customers are more loyal and profitable — by a 16% margin — than their non-referred counterparts.

Word-of-mouth marketing has been impacting businesses for as long as commerce has been around. Especially today, with the prevalence of social media and mobile technology, a brand’s products and services - and value - are a reflection of what customers have to say about them. This is why, now more than ever, it is crucial for marketers to understand and harness the power of authentic relationships through word-of-mouth marketing strategies.

Digital marketing changes at the drop of dime, and as digitally connected brands, we are expected to anticipate those changes just as fast, if not sooner. If your brand is guilty of taking on the “all-adoptive” mentality, you may see that staying on top of the latest trend might negatively impact your bottom line, and eat up many of your resources. Now more than ever, it is crucial for marketers to understand the difference between a marketing fad and a marketing staple.

Diversity |diˈvərsitē, dī-| noun: a range of different things. How do you consume content? Do you prefer reading? Listening? Watching? In today’s digital world, it’s more important than ever to have something for everyone. Whether that’s a blog, eBook, infographic, video, case study, or podcast, your prospects have different preferences for their journey through the sales funnel. So, how do you turn your content marketing plan into a well-oiled, diverse machine?

We’ve come a long way from the belief that the same brand messaging should be present on every channel, but today’s marketers must consider ways to seamlessly and cohesively reach customers wherever they are. In our tech-crazed world, it’s easy to confuse multichannel marketing with multi-platform marketing that fills email inboxes, appears on social media feeds and entangles customers into your brand as they trek through the worldwide web. Although email campaigns, social media outreach and ...

If you take a look at the personalities that big brands are scouting to become brand ambassadors, the lineup starts to look a lot like the red carpet for last night's 88th Academy Awards. Think Chris Hemsworth for TAG Heuer, Rihanna for Puma, Chiara Ferragni (of The Blonde Salad fame) for Pantene, and Drake for the Toronto Raptors. These well-known names and faces have a ready army of fans and have achieved a high-level status across several social circles. Companies are starting to leverage ...

So your referral program is up and running and just like we suggested, you've enrolled your loyal customers. But what about everyone else? Don’t quite know where to start? Well, let's start by thinking of when and how to ask for referrals.