One common mistake brands make when designing customer journeys is not recognizing that there are different types of customers. Referred customers are different from traditional customers. They enter your brand’s ecosystem with a pre-existing level of trust, having been primed by the recommendation of someone they know. This distinction makes them more valuable in terms of lifetime value and retention, yet many brands fail to design a customer journey that nurtures and strengthens that trust.
By creating a unique, personalized customer journey for referred customers, businesses can capitalize on the power of social proof, build deeper relationships, and drive higher conversions. Here’s how to design a journey that maximizes the impact of your referral program:
- Personalize their experience
- Design a unique landing page for referrals
- Keep the referral offer the main focus
- Reward actions beyond the first purchase
- Celebrate and reward the advocate
1. Personalize their Unique Customer Experience from the Start
Referrals are not cold leads—their path to purchase begins at a different starting point than most customers, and their touchpoints, motivations, and rewards throughout the journey will look different from a traditional customer’s.
Leveraging personalization in all your communication is a great way to acknowledge the special connection a referred customer has with your brand, and make them more likely to convert on key events. Brands looking to optimize their referral customer journeys should implement these personalization tactics:
- Personalizing welcome messages: Personalizing promotional emails can improve unique open rates by 29% and unique click throughs by 41%. Greet referred customers by referencing their friend who made the referral. A simple “Welcome! [Friend’s Name] thought you’d love our brand!” adds a human touch. Alternatively, let advocates write their own referral messages to give the email a familiar tone.
- Using data for powerful customization: Get deeper with personalization by using customers’ data, preferences, and history to generate custom copy and CTAs, shown to drive 42% higher conversion rates than generic messaging.
- Sending out special “thank you” emails: 60% of consumers believe personal appreciation messages should be delivered directly to advocates and their referred friends following a purchase. Continuing to show appreciation to your most loyal customers is a great way to keep them engaged, and to encourage repeat purchases.
2. Improve the Referred Customer Experience with a Dedicated Landing Page
A referred customer’s journey often begins with a click on a referral link. Instead of directing them to a generic homepage, brands should create a referral-specific landing page that:
- Acknowledges their special status as a referred friend. Continually reminding referrals that they’ve been guided to your site by the recommendation of a friend will motivate them to continue on their referral journey.
- Clearly displays the referral incentive, whether it’s a discount, free trial, or bonus. Testing shows that when an offer is clearly displayed in promotional copy above the CTA it results in a 304% conversion lift. Make sure referrals are aware of any guidelines surrounding the promotion so they can be sure they meet the qualifying criteria.
- Offers a smooth onboarding experience, reinforcing trust and excitement. Customer engagement best practices show that the shorter the time between a referral visiting your site and successfully making a purchase, the higher your conversion rates will be. Don’t add too many obstacles that make it hard for your referred customer to use their discount.
- Includes social proof, such as testimonials or user-generated content from existing customers who were referred.
In addition to these suggestions, feel free to test out other strategies with your landing page design and copy. A/B testing is key to maximizing the success of your referral program; you may discover an unexpected strategy to boost your conversion rate. You can even test out which page you direct customers to–a product page, for example, might convert more than a homepage. Keep iterating to find what works best for your brand, while keeping these referral best practices in mind.
3. Keep the Referral Offer the Main Focus
At this point in the customer journey, the referral offer is very important, so make sure it is prominent. Avoid overwhelming referred customers with unrelated pop-ups, welcome discounts, or seasonal promotions that might distract from the referral incentive.
Instead, ensure:
- The referral discount or reward is the centerpiece of their user experience. Do not advertise any external promotions currently running–and better still, make sure the referral offer is competitive with other offers. If the customer sees that they could be getting the same discount as a regular first-time customer, it diminishes the exclusivity of the referral reward.
- The checkout process clearly applies their reward without additional steps. As part of the referral onboarding process, checkout should be as smooth as possible, free of unnecessary obstacles that might discourage purchases. Track your “customer effort score” (CES) to keep tabs on how easy it is for customers to make purchases, and refine the experience where necessary.
- There is transparency about how they can claim and redeem their referral incentive. Being clear about the qualifying criteria for a reward minimizes the risk of WISMR requests (“where is my reward?”) and makes it easier for referrals to share with qualified friends in their own network.
4. Consider Other Actions to Reward During the Customer Journey (Aside from Purchases)
Not every referred customer will convert immediately, but that doesn’t mean their journey should end. Brands can keep referred friends engaged by offering incentives for various micro-actions, such as:
- Signing up for an email list. Opting prospects in to your email list can be as impactful as a purchase–it captures valuable customer information, and gives you the opportunity to market to them, priming them for future purchases. Offer a percentage off their first purchase to customers who sign up to receive marketing emails.
- Engaging with content, like watching a demo, following on social media, or sharing the brand with friends. Just because a referred customer isn’t immediately primed for purchase doesn’t mean that they aren’t willing to share your content, or even refer your brand to friends who are more likely to purchase.
- Leaving reviews or sharing their experience post-purchase. Social proof doesn’t just come from referrals, it can also come from the testimonial of happy customers on a product page or on the homepage. Offer additional rewards to referrals who write reviews after purchasing–this not only strengthens credibility but also creates a cycle of trust that attracts even more customers.
Don’t be afraid to reward early and often in the customer journey. By doing so, you are nurturing a relationship with a customer who will likely spend more down the line, and encourage others to do so as well. By expanding the scope of referral rewards beyond just the initial purchase, brands foster ongoing engagement and advocacy.
5. Close the Customer Journey Loop by Celebrating the Advocate
Curating the experience of referred customers is important, but be sure to keep advocates top of mind, as well. One of the best ways to reinforce a referral program is by making advocates feel valued so they remain motivated to share with friends. Keep them engaged by:
- Providing real-time updates about their referral success. Keep advocates in the loop by updating them when their referred friend clicks on their link, makes a purchase, or shares.
- Sending a thank-you message when their referral signs up or purchases. Personalized messages aren’t just effective for referred customers, they should also be sent to advocates to let them know that their referral was successful! Also consider a ‘give-get’ reward program that incentivizes both sides to strengthen relationships and drive more referrals.
- Offering additional incentives for continued referrals, turning them into repeat advocates. Consider a tiered rewards system that offers greater rewards the more successful referrals an advocate makes. With Extole’s new “Reward bank” feature, allow customers to accumulate “points” and redeem them for gift cards, prepaid cards, store credit, and more.
Conclusion: A Strategic Approach to Referral Customer Journeys
Designing a high-converting referral journey requires intentional strategy. By recognizing referred customers as unique, offering a tailored experience, and reinforcing their trust with thoughtful engagement, brands can unlock the full potential of their referral programs.
With a well-designed referral journey, brands can turn referred customers into long-term advocates, boosting both acquisition and retention while maximizing customer lifetime value. The key is to make referred customers feel special, valued, and excited to engage with your brand—just as their referring friend intended.
Discover more expert tips on designing customer journeys that convert in our 2025 Referral Best Practices Guide.
