We want to install some kind of growth hack referral model to our new project similar to groupon - online ecommerce web where users group together and get huge discounts if the goal is reached. Our products are Fashion clothes. We can offer 70% off retail prices.
Our thoughts:
1) Let users register with Facebook only.
2) We make a very simple way to invite facebook friends to our website. (don't know how to make it super simple yet)
3) We give a referral link to the user and he can share it for 10% discounted products with his friends.
4) if the user's invited friends buy, we give him additional 10% discount or $30 in cash to spend.
Any experienced growth hackers here?
Expertise: I currently run a high performing referral channel with several million invites every year.
As you build out your growth strategy it’s important to identify the main “macro” conversion. This is an action that you need users to take to make the product successful.
In your case, the product goal is - get multiple people to commit to buying a single product. On the other side of this, your customer’s goal is - to get a deep discount on a product.
On the surface it would seem that the more comprehensive way to get users to invite others to your service is to get them to go in on buying a product together. This would mean that you want to build your growth features around sharing product pages.
However, one might consider that while friends and family might be buying same offer for things like food, activities and experiences, they might not be willing to buy the exact same shoes, dress or pants.
That said, you seem to be on the right track with the referral link plan. The key to getting people to invite others is to clearly showcase the functionality and benefits.
a) Triggers - you need multiple placements from which to invoke the invite flow.
Product page to display -10% price with CTA to share ("Get this product for 10% by inviting friends)
Home page (“Make your next purchase 10% by getting your friends to sign up and buy”)
Emails promoting the program.
b) Landing page that clearly explains the program (“Get $30 to spend when your friends join and buy”)
c) 2-sided benefits, consider clearly offering something to the invitee other than your great group buying prices (“Invite your friends and you both get 10% off your next purchase")
On the technical level for Facebook sharing you might want to consider Messenger vs. Wall Posts. While you might think that you’re getting more reach with a wall post, consider that Facebook algorithm is not very kind and your shared post might not get seen much. Direct messages on the other hand are user-to-user. They have a very high likelihood of getting opened and lead to much better clickthrough.
This might be quite a bit to build on your own and you might want to experiment with a service like Extole. I haven’t used them myself, but I’ve recently reviewed their offering and it seems like a good way to get a new referral program started.
Lastly, don’t discount email invites. They still perform really well in terms of engagement and can be fairly simple to set up with a mailer and a well optimized template.
Most important - figure out what kind of numbers work for you. It’s easy to get a referral program get out of hand in terms of cost if you’re finding that your payback period is of significant length.
Feel free to schedule a call if you would like to discuss further.
Unfortunately, I only see marketing/sales gimmicks and not any growth hacking DNA in what you are doing.
Just because I get a discount, in this day and age, is not enough for me to try you.
What kind of customers do you have. I mean specifically. Fashion clothes...for whom? Babies? Teens? Men in Executive positions?
What do THEY WANT? What do THEY DO?
Do they like to party? then encouraging fashion show parties at home would bring great word of mouth via tastemakers.
What makes your clothes so special (besides offering 70% off retail). Is the only they care about is money? if so, they probably are not really "fashion" people...they are "discount" people. Which means you must address them differently.
Can you get celebrity endorsements? Can someone win a date with one? Can you make someone into a celebrity? Do they aspire to be actors or models? can you get someone in a show or on a set?
What is your content strategy? Do you have a fashion how to show that gathers the interest of your target while selling your clothing?
To growth hack is simple. Ask your customers what they want..do it.
I am happy to help you map out a strategy. Set up a call with me to build a growth hacking map.
I have experience with direct to consumer growth, referral growth and WOM for startups and large corps.
Your plan makes sense but I think you could test a few key elements to identify the most effective approach for your goal.
Is your primary goal to get more people to view the site through referrals or is the goal to drive more people to complete the purchase of products?
- Do you have the ability to give a product as the goal? EG. A one size accessory for referring 3 friends? A tangible product may work better than a discount in this case.
- I have found that giving users a big discount/offer to give to friends is most effective especially when you want them to share Fashion.
- You can create a feedback loop to confirm if the offer is correct or if there is something else preventing referrals.
- Do you have cart technology on your site? If you do there are a number of plugins that can help you test and manage this type of hack to avoid the potential hurdle of facebook sign up.
I think I probably need a few more details to be really useful on this question. I'm happy to chat if you'd like to arrange a call.
Traditionally, growth hacking describes how online services and tech start-ups gain new users. With a relentless focus on growth, you can develop and run tests, campaigns, and programs that drive more online sales. Follow these easy tips, and you will quickly find the best strategies and channels for scaling your online business:
1. Highlight What Customers Think
Customers love hearing from other buyers about their experience with a product before making a purchase. It makes them feel confident about their shopping decision since they can't handle and examine the online good in-person. Use a tool, such as Yotpo, to add reviews and testimonials to your online store.
2. Write Guest Posts
If your company blog is mainly reaching loyal buyers, writing guest posts on outside blogs can be the key to reaching new customers. By writing a guest post on a blog with a similar audience, you can reach plenty of new buyers who are most likely interested in your brand.
3. A/B Test Your Product Pages
Running A/B tests is one of the most common growth hacks. Through trial and error, you quickly identify what is growing your business and what is hurting it. You can also check out these mobile testing ideas from A/B testing tool, Taplytics, if your online store has an app.
4. Request Shares with Order Confirmations
An easy way to do this is to include a message on order confirmation pages and emails that encourages buyers to share their purchase on Facebook or Twitter. Here are a few strategies for prompting your buyers to share their purchases and spread the word about your business. With more customers sharing their purchases, your brand will be visible to a large number of potential buyers.
5. Send Social Engagement Ask Cards
The more buyers become used to these requests, the less likely they'll notice and respond to them. Customers are excited and happy when their packages arrive, so it's the perfect moment to encourage them to snap a photo and tag your business on Facebook or Twitter.
6. The Personalized Homepage
Personalizing your online store's homepage is a great way to provide buyers that specialized shopping experience. Showing buyers exactly what they're interested in, your homepage will drive customers to make purchases.
7. Set Up a Referral Program
An older, yet still effective growth hack is setting up a referral system. The benefits of launching a program that rewards customers for sending new business are twofold.
8. Cross-Sell and Upsell
Showing excited customers how they can increase the value of their order will push them to make a more expensive purchase.
9. Show How Customers Are Shopping
Motivating buyers to shop with social proof can be more than collecting reviews and testimonials. You can also drive shoppers to make more purchases by actually showing what other customers are doing on your online store. By showing live notifications about purchases and customer support assistance, you are providing online buyers proof of how successful and helpful your business is. Retargeting ads are especially powerful because they highlight the items that buyers are interested in. Seeing exactly what they were hoping to buy, buyers feel driven to return to your store and complete their purchase.
10. Create Urgency to Fuel Sales
By playing into people's desire to be included, you encourage your buyers to make more purchases. An easy way to take advantage of buyer FOMO is to create a sense of urgency on product pages. A/B testing can help you determine the best ways of creating urgency on your product pages. Use an experimentation tool, like Taplytics, to start setting up and tracking your product page A/B tests.
11. Offer Content Upgrades
Content upgrades are additional resources, such as an e-book, within a blog post. With this contact info, you can add the reader to your email campaigns, nurture them through your sales funnel, and eventually convert them into customers.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
