Referral gifts: how I get copywriting clients with fudgy brownies (yes, I’ll send you some)

For the past few years I’ve been sending rich, delicious brownies as referral gifts to really nice people. It’s one of my very favourite things to do.

Do I order myself a box of brownies at the same time? SURE. But the main reason I love sending brownies as referral gifts is because the nice person who referred me really deserves a treat. I get a kick out of recognising them and thanking them. After all, they’ve made a huge difference to my business.

I’m a big fan of referral gifts and I wish more people sent them. They’re a super positive way to market what you do, support small businesses, have a consistent client pipeline and get yourself some brownies. This blog will answer all your referral gift questions and explain how to get some free brownies yourself.

Want to skip to the bit where I tell you how to get free brownies? Yeah, fair enough.

What are referral gifts?

Referral gifts, programs, or schemes have been around forever. According to Opia, “referral programs use word-of-mouth marketing to cost-effectively acquire new customers”.

In other words, referral gifts are given by a business owner to an existing/ recent customer as a thank you for that existing/ recent customer getting a new customer to work with the business.

Big companies use them all the time. Companies like Sky, and The Co- Operative Bank, and Octopus Energy. You will have seen referral codes promoted by HelloFresh and Monzo.

There are chances all over the place for you to get a gift just for getting a mate to join something are everywhere.

Ultimately, the reason big businesses use them is because referral gifts are an incredibly effective marketing tool.

How do referral gifts work?

There are a bunch of possible variations, but here’s the simplest process.

1. A Lovely Business wants more customers
2. The Lovely Business tells their current customers they’ll get a specific gift if they refer a new customer to buy from the Lovely Business
3. Person A is a customer of the Lovely Business
4. Person A has had such a good experience with Lovely Business they tell Person B all about it
5. Inspired by Person A, Person B then signs up with Lovely Business (so far, so word- of- mouth. The gift part comes next)
6. The Lovely Business is notified Person B is a new customer and they’ve been referred by Person A
7. The Lovely Business then sends Person A the gift they were promised.
8. Everyone is happy. The end.

Sounds delightfully easy, right? It is!

There are a couple of key points which I should point out though. First of all, the Lovely Business needs to deliver the exact the gift they said they would. The trust between the business and Person A would be ruined if a ‘coffee- lovers gift basket’ was promised but a small packet of instant coffee was delivered. Or if Person A expected 50% off the service cost forever, but they actually only got 50% off for a month. While referral gifts are inherently positive and all about growing a business while spreading some joy, any miscommunications or unmet expectations will result on the customer feeling cheated or misled.

Another important point is the Lovely Business needs to have a sure fire way of tracking which new customer was referred by which original customer. There are various ways to possibly do this, such as unique referral codes, or specific links, or simply by asking the new customer “who referred you?”.

Why small businesses should take advantage of referral gifts

Referral gifts are a really good marketing method. I’ve got a whole bunch of copywriting clients through word- of- mouth referrals over the years. A personal recommendation is so, so persuasive. I want more people to talk about me and what I do. And, I want to reward them for doing it. For a relatively low investment, I get to spread some love to new clients, old clients, and a lush UK small business. Introducing a referral gift process into your small business is a gorgeous way to grow your biz, reach new audiences, and set up your client pipeline.

TL:DR: referral gifts are great.

There are a bunch of super valid reasons small business owners might not make use of referral gifts. It can take a bit of effort to organising and source the gift. Promoting your referral gift system takes time, and you’re already really chuffing busy.

There might also be a little reluctance to launch a referral gift process because it might seem a little corporate. There are lots of big businesses who market in that way, and it could feel a bit icky. But, my take is that if big businesses are doing something it’s usually a good idea to follow their lead. Just make sure you send a referral gift you love and it feels authentic to you and your brand.

Depending on your business, here are some ways you might make a referral gift system work for you:

• Reward Person A with a digital download when Person B joins your newsletter email list
• Reward Person A with extra drinks tokens if they bring Person B to your event
• Reward Person A with 10% off their manicure when Person B has had their first manicure
• Reward Person A with 50% off their subscription when Person B signs up and uses Person A’s unique referral code
• Reward Person A with a box of fudgy brownies through their letterbox when Person B mentions their name and signs up for any copywriting project (cough *hint* cough)

How to choose your small business referral gift

This is the fun part! It’s like shopping… kinda!

When choosing your referral gift, I recommend starting off by exploring letterbox gifts. There are so many to choose from, like Bloom & Wild, or Treatbox, or the brilliantly named Letterbox Gifts (an SEO dream!). You can be sure the referral gift will arrive safely since it can be popped through a door, easy peasy.

Whether you go letterbox or… err, bigger box, here are some important things to consider as you search for your referral gift.

• Is the referral gift joyful, positive, or ‘a treat’?
  Something like brownies, or a gift for stationery, or voucher for a coffee at a local coffee shop.
• Is the referral gift practical, useful, or convenient?
  Something like money off their next month’s subscription, or a gorgeous tote bag, or really good travel mug.
• Is the referral gift unique, luxurious, or valuable?
  Cash in their wallet because they’ve saved money is perhaps most “valuable” but your gift could also be your time or expertise. A call with you, or a free digital workbook.
• Is the referral gift on brand for your business?
  It’s a bit icky to promote yourself as a sustainable or ethical and then have an Amazon gift card as your referral gift. Consider what you and your business really stands for and keep the gift in line with your values. For example, the referral gift brownies I send are vegan, ethical, and from a UK small business. 
• Would you be happy to receive the referral gift?
  Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and think about how you’d feel if you opened it.

I encourage you to choose the referral gift of your dreams, but there are some potential perils. I would not be doing my duty as a referral gift advocate if I didn’t give you these three nuggets of wisdom:

Tip one: make sure the referral gift really is a gift
It’s not a really a gift if the receiver has to spend their money to get it. So, if you give a 30% discount for your ecommerce shop, while it is very generous, your customer has to make a purchase to get their rewarded. That’s not cool. They’ve already got you another customer. They’ve already done the hard work. For me, a real gift is a standalone thing which they can enjoy immediately. The only exception is if you’d like to reward a subscriber. Giving them money off their monthly subscription is a nice gift indeed.

Tip two: you’re saying thank you, not trying to sell
The marketing has already happened- you’ve got a new customer. Don’t now use the referral gift as another marketing opportunity by sending “gifts” covered in your branding. There is maaaaaaybe an exception to this if your branding is beautiful or iconic. You could maybe give “branded” referral gifts if its incredibly subtly, like the gift is in your brand colours or you’ve included a tiny logo. But, you are skirting the line there. The referral gift is all about celebrating your customer and genuinely, sincerely thanking them. Focus on that first.

Tip three: consider dietary requirements and if the person drinks alcohol
This is so, so important. If you are sending a consumable treat as a referral gift, you absolutely must ask the receiver about their dietary requirements. Firstly, there’s no point in sending something they don’t like or can’t eat because they’re vegan or only eat halal. It’s a waste of your time and money, and your customer can’t enjoy the gift they deserve.

Much more seriously, posting an edible referral gift to a customer which contains an allergen is really dangerous. Some allergies are airborne. Someone who has a nut allergy could be triggered simply by being in the presence of nuts. It’s not worth risking someone’s health.

Similarly, sending alcohol as a referral gift is not a good idea. Even though I absolutely love a negroni or an espresso martini, and these cute, single serve cocktails could easily be posted, I would never, ever send one. Not even the low alcohol ones. Simply, I do not know the recipient’s relationship with alcohol, or if there is a medical reason for them to avoid alcohol, or what their religious beliefs might be. If someone was in recovery from alcohol addiction, posting them alcohol would be incredibly dangerous and insensitive. I also no not expect my clients to disclose any of this information to me, so I wouldn’t even ask “is it ok if I send you a referral gift with alcohol in?”. It’s just a big no- no for me.

For me, brownies are the ultimate safe referral gift. They could be given to a neighbour or kids or frozen til the next time guests come round.

How you can get free brownies from me right now (almost)

I really want to send you some brownies. So, I make it as easy as possible for you to get them. All you’ve got to do is tell people in your small business network about me. Or tell your pals. Or tell someone who is looking for a copywriter to refresh or rework their website copy you know of a great Bristolian gal…

When the person you tell enquires with me, they’ll probably use the contact form on my website. It says, “how did you hear from me” and they can select “word- of- mouth”. In the discovery call I’m going to ask who told them about me and they’ll say it was YOU. I’ll write down your name and surround it with love hearts and highlight it with a lilac highlighter.

Then, I’ll email you. It’ll say THANK YOU SO MUCH for recommending me! If the person you sent my way goes ahead with the project (AKA: signs the contract and pays the deposit) then I’ll be back in touch for your for your dietary requirements and postal address.

I then SPRINT to Cake or Death and order you some tasty, fudgy brownies. They’ll be with you in a couple of days. And, if officially don’t have to share them because they’re ALL YOURS.

That’s it- just tell people about this copywriter called Bonnie and how I write website copy and long-form SEO blogs for small business owners and agencies and you’re on your way to deliciousness.