When Learners Edge came to Ambassador, nearly two-thirds of its new clients were coming from existing customers. With Ambassador, however, Learners Edge found a partner that could help it take that organic word-of-mouth to the next level.
"We looked at several referral marketing solutions and Ambassador was by far the best. The flexibility and depth of the platform made it incredibly easy to
Katie Skapyak, Marketing Specialist, Learners Edge
When Learners Edge was founded in 2002, its mission was simple: Provide the continuing education coursework, materials, and tools that could help teachers at all levels succeed in the classroom. Today, the Minneapolis-based company has certainly followed through on that mission. Its curriculum now includes 100+ graduate-level courses that have helped tens of thousands of teachers, from all 50 states, advance their careers.
For teachers, the value of Learners Edge is obvious. With access to top-notch graduate courses that can be taken when and where they choose, teachers can now continue their education without breaking the bank or disrupting their busy lives. This value is reflected in the percentage of new customers that come to Learners Edge through referrals: 64%.
The challenge Learners Edge faced, however, was finding a way to truly capitalize on that word-of-mouth at scale.
“Before Ambassador, our referral program was managed offline and it was totally manual,” says Katie Skapyak, a marketing specialist with Learners Edge. “Referral cards would go out with welcome packages for new customers and, a lot of times, they’d get lost or forgotten. It was incredibly difficult to track, promote, and grow the program.”
To fix this, Learners Edge knew it needed to bring its referral program online. Skapyak says the goal was to understand everything about the referral experience (from each customer’s first exposure to the program, to where, when, and how they shared their unique referral link) and leverage technology to optimize that journey. With Ambassador, Skapyak says Learners Edge got that — and much more.
“With Ambassador, we went from struggling to manage our referral program to suddenly having all the tools we needed to simplify and scale it,” Skapyak explains. “Now, it’s super easy to see where and how customers are sharing their referral link. We can immediately fulfill and pay out referral incentives. And the overall experience — for everyone — is just so much better.”
Just two months after launching its refer-a-friend program, Learners Edge is converting nearly 90% of its referrals into new customers and the company has already generated a 2.5x return on its investment in Ambassador. Learners Edge has also noticed a significant jump in social engagement.
“The social growth we’ve seen from launching the referral program is an ancillary benefit, but it’s a very big one,” Skapyak says. “I think it speaks to the dynamic nature of Ambassador’s technology. It’s not just a referral marketing tool — it’s a true platform that can help you manage and improve the entire customer experience.”