Getting Referrals!

Everyone hates the thought of getting referrals. It reminds people of oily haired used car salesmen. The reality is however that you can build up hundreds of referrals without speaking to anyone. Many methods are free and some cost money but can be well worth it.

As with all online ventures, there are sharks and scam artists waiting for the uninformed newbie.

These are what I fell are the top ways to get referrals. Feel free to add on if you know of others!

1 - FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Many people are afraid to approach their family and friends to sign up for online programs for a few reasons. They feel embarassed that they are involved in them in the first place. They are afraid deep down that it might be a scam and don't want others they know involved. They are afraid of being ridiculed or laughed at.

The reality is that many friends and family are already involved and would love to help you out as well. You would be surprised how many people enjoy clicking on links and reading emails and completing surveys even if it is only for pennies.

I use my email contact lists and usually just send a friendly email telling a little about the program and how much you may make. If they join, great. If they don't, no harm, no foul.

2 - FREE CLASSIFIED MESSAGE BOARDS

There are many free classified sites out there with pretty decent traffic. The trick to getting referrals from them is writing a good ad and posting it as often as the site will allow. The more you refresh an ad, the more referrals you will get.

Sites like Craigslist , Backpage and Kijiji are great places to start as they have the highest traffic.

I usually keep a Word document with all of my ads ready to go. Then when I find a free site, I post. Before you know it, you have posted to hundreds of sites and the referrals start to click.

It takes some time and organization at first, but if you track where your referrals are coming from, you quickly know where the best posts are.

3 - PAID ADVERTISEMENTS

I am not a big fan of Pay Per Click advertising if you are a small player. It almost always cost more to advertise than you get in referral returns.

Also, sites that sell opt-in email campaigns also tend to be a waste of money. I have found with online programs, the best places to advertise are through other online programs. For example, a site like Take The Internet Back sends out an email that you write targeted to the type of program you are promoting, for a decent price. I have received many referrals using sites like these. Remember it is quality, not quantity that matters in these types of campaigns.

4 - MESSAGE BOARDS

There are many sites out there that specialize in online opportunities. Again, the key is refreshing your post often and having a catchy ad. You can take a look at WAHM to see an example of this.

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The key to getting referrals is exposure. It is ultimately a numbers game, but one you can definitely win. With a moderate effort, you should be able to get between 200 and 500 referrals for any program within six months.