Small-dollar to high-dollar decisions can be made with a simple mention of a business or product online. Whether you tag a friend who owns a business that you know offers whatever is being asked, or give a recommendation for a product or service that you use, the value in sharing is gold for both the person you are tagging and you! Below are 15 tips for giving and getting the most out of social media business referrals.

10 Tips for Giving Business Referrals

1. Make it as easy as possible for the person to contact the business you are referring. Use the @ symbol and tag the person or business page you are referring.

2. Help your referral look professional. If you’ve used the business before, say something positive about them with the tag.

3. Remember that most engagement on social media is on mobile devices. Short, sweet and to the point referrals are best. Don’t forget a phone number that they can click on if you have it!

4. Add a brief business experience if possible. If you use their product, tell them about your experience. Have you used their business for 10 years? Say that!

5. Be as quick as possible to respond. The higher up the list, the better chance they have to be seen and researched.

6. When in doubt, refer in the manner they asked. Facebook -> Facebook Business Page link. LinkedIn -> LinkedIn Profile (Personal or Business). Text -> Phone number and a website link. Email -> Email address and all of the contact information you can offer for their own preference.

7. Not sure, but you want to put a name out there? “@username can you help them out?”

8. Get to know the others in your group. This will help both of you want to refer business to each other in the future.

9. Keep your contact information relevant. If you are in a networking/business group, make sure you have an easy list of contact information so that you can easily share a referral.

10. It is ok to recommend yourself. If the request makes sense, introduce yourself and open the door for conversation.

5 Tips for When You Are Referred

1. Make sure you publicly thank the recommendation you received and introduce yourself. A simple, “Thanks, {@person who tagged you}. Hi, {@person asking for referral}. I’d be happy to help you out! I’ll PM you to chat!

2. Make sure others know your preferred method of contact. This method should showcase your business so when someone clicks on it, they can see what they want right away.

3. Make sure all of your online brands are up to date and easy to navigate. There’s nothing worse than sharing a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in a year.

4. Find ways to reward your loyal referrers and return the favor. It takes two to tango! If you can’t offer a reward, a simple private message thanking them is perfect and personal. You never know what opening up that communication door will bring!

5. Make sure you have up-to-date and good reviews. Over 90% of purchasing decisions are based on reviews.

Want More Social Media Networking Tips?

Our goal is to help you feel more confident in your marketing efforts. We want to refer YOU! Contact us to talk about a marketing strategy built for your business and not a cookie-cutter plan built for your industry or business size.