How We Created a Customer Referral Program
An easy, reliable, system to retain and grow a customer base. that was the goal. That’s where this all began.
Marketing effectively for a summer camp means working in advance. The camp’s administrative staff rely on early registration data to get a head start on securing quality counselors for the summer. Quality counselors have a direct impact on whether campers come back year after year. Returning families typically account for 80% of the registrations for our client, an established, suburban camp that hosts over 1,600 campers, ages 3-16, for 8 weeks every summer.
An easy, reliable, system to retain and grow a customer base
Marketing effectively for a summer camp means working in advance. The camp’s administrative staff rely on early registration data to get a head start on securing quality counselors for the summer. Quality counselors have a direct impact on whether campers come back year after year. Returning families typically account for 80% of the registrations for our client, an established, suburban camp that hosts over 1,600 campers, ages 3-16, for 8 weeks every summer.
In addition to the pre-registration discount that current families can lock in at the end of the summer camp season, we needed a way to keep these families engaged during the off-season and make it easy for them to recruit new families within their network.
The Challenge
The program needed to move from paper flyers to an online system.
It had to be a win-win situation – something in it for everyone involved.
The program information had to be easy to find and convenient to share.
The registrar needed track referrals and tie them back to the right family.
The Solution
Created landing page for website and digital campaigns with a clear explanation
of the program.
Utilized HubSpot automation to assign referral codes and notify the registrar.
Set up a favorable incentive for both referring families and new families.
Each year we welcome new campers who discovered Summer at Sandy Spring through a friend or family. We understand that word-of-mouth is our best advertising, and to show our appreciation for helping us spread the word, we offer financial incentives – one for our referring family, and one for our new, referred family.
How the program works
All families registered for the 2022 summer camp season can participate in our referral program.
Once you’ve registered for the 2022 summer camp season, apply for a unique referral code, that you can share with your friend and family network.
When your friend or family registers using your referral code, you will receive $25 in camp credit,
and the family you referred will receive 10% off their total registration cost.
The 10% discount cannot be combined with any additional offers.
The Family Referral Program discount applies to new camp families. Newly registered siblings of current camp families do not apply.
We needed to provide the parents of campers with a convenient way to refer their friends to the summer camp. This organization had always offered a discount for new registrants but wanted to add an incentive for the families making referrals. The solution had to be easy for the camp registrar to track so whenever one of the new families responded to the referral and registered their children, they could be given a discount and the referring family could be given their reward.
We implemented a digital solution, one that began with an explanation of the method and the incentive. Then, we set up a landing page on the camp’s website that allowed families to apply for a unique code, one that could be shared with their network of friends through text messaging, email, or social media.
Each year we welcome new campers who discovered our camp through a friend or family. We understand that word-of-mouth is our best advertising and to show our appreciation for helping us spread the word, we offer financial incentives – one for our referring family, and one for our new, referred family.
You don’t create unforgettable spaces all over the world with a single design tool. Our expertise in drawing people together is as broad as it is deep. It draws from a variety of disciplines, each one contributing to the bigger picture and sustainable growth. More than 3,000 projects fill our portfolio, but it’s the millions of people who experience them who matter most. We’ve grouped our work into five categories: places, venues, spaces, experiences and events.
How it works
All families registered for the current summer camp season can participate in our referral program.
Once you’ve registered for the current summer camp season, apply for a unique referral code, that you can share with your friend and family network.
When your friend or family registers using your referral code, you will receive $25 in camp credit, and the family you referred will receive 10% off their total registration cost.
The 10% discount cannot be combined with any additional offers. The Family Referral Program discount applies to new camp families. Newly registered siblings of current camp families do not apply.
A form that kicked off the automation:
This system served three purposes
It verified the contact’s email address.
It helped grow the camp’s email list.
It created a way for the camp to auto-generate a unique code for each family with no effort.
At the same time, the camp registrar received an email notification:
REFERRAL CODE ASSIGNED
The following contact has applied for the camp referral program: Diane Jennings
Their referral code is: 11470245
From there, the camp registrar could track any registrations that used that specific code for a 10% discount back to Diane (in this example), so she would receive a $25 camp credit.
Easy and convenient
There was no limit on how often a family could submit the form to get their code in the event they forgot it and having it automated allowed the family to immediately, and easily, share out their code on social media. There was also no cap on the number of times someone could use a family’s referral code providing additional incentive to share and share often.
A campaign was developed around the Family Referral Program and promoted via e-blasts and social media. Finally, the system assets could easily be updated year after year without any interruption to the families who participated.
The system verified the contact’s email address, helped grow the camp’s email list,
and offered a way for the camp to auto-generate a unique code for each family with no effort.
