Campaign IdeaCustomer Segmentation
VIP Loyalty Recognition
Reward your top-spending clients with exclusive perks, a VIP card, or loyalty tier to increase retention and word-of-mouth referrals.
EmailIn-StoreSocial MediaDirect Mail
5 stepsRead more
Campaign IdeaCustomer SegmentationFree & Open Source
Referral Champions
Ask your top 20 clients by visit count for referrals, turning your most loyal advocates into your best marketing channel.
EmailIn-StoreSocial MediaDirect Mail
Quick Answer
A Referral Champions campaign asks your most loyal clients (ranked by visit count) for word-of-mouth referrals. Your most frequent visitors are already advocates; they just need a nudge and a simple mechanism to refer friends. Referral marketing costs almost nothing and converts at 3-5x the rate of paid advertising for local service businesses.
The Problem
You spend money on advertising to attract strangers while your most loyal clients, who already love what you do, have never been asked to refer their friends. Word-of-mouth is the most powerful marketing channel for local pet businesses, but most owners leave it entirely to chance.
The Strategy
Identify your top 20 clients by visit count and personally ask them for referrals. Give them something tangible to share (a referral card, a unique link, or a simple "mention my name" system). Reward both the referrer and the new client to create a virtuous cycle.
Data Insight
Rank your clients by total appointment count. Your top 20 visitors are your most reliable advocates, typically averaging 10+ visits.
How to Execute
Step-by-step guide to running a Referral Champions campaign
1
Identify your advocates
Rank clients by total appointment count. Your top 20 are your referral champions. They already love you; they just need to be asked.
2
Create a referral mechanism
Keep it simple: a referral card they can hand to friends, a shareable link, or simply "tell them to mention your name." Complex programmes with codes and tracking often fail because they are too much effort.
3
Ask personally
Do not send a mass email. Ask each champion individually: "Sarah, you have been coming to us for over a year and we are so grateful. If you know anyone who might enjoy our service, we would love for you to send them our way."
4
Reward both sides
Give the referrer a free add-on or discount on their next visit. Give the new client a welcome discount. Both feel valued.
5
Track and thank
When a referral comes through, send a genuine thank-you to the referrer. Public recognition (with permission) on social media amplifies the behaviour.
AI-Powered Prompts
Copy these ready-to-use prompts into ChatGPT or Canva to instantly generate marketing assets for this idea. Just replace the placeholders with your business details.
ChatGPT Prompt
Paste into ChatGPT for marketing assets
You are a marketing expert for "{businessName}". Create a referral programme campaign targeting our top 20 clients by visit count. Include: 1) Personal referral request email 2) Referral card copy (physical card) 3) Social media post celebrating referrals 4) Thank-you message for successful referrals. British English. Brand colour: {brandColour}, font: {fontFamily}.Canva Design Brief
Paste into Canva Magic Design
Create a referral card and social media graphics for "{businessName}". Referral card: business card size, "Refer a friend" with space for referrer name. Social post: celebrating word-of-mouth. Brand colour: {brandColour}, font: {fontFamily}. Professional, warm aesthetic.Suggested Formats
Business Card (90x55mm)Instagram Post (1080x1080)Instagram Story (1080x1920)
Replace {businessName}, {brandColour}, and {fontFamily} with your actual business details for the best results.
Do this inside Petboost
Petboost ranks your top clients instantly
- Clients ranked by visit count in the Marketing Ideas tab
- One-tap personalised referral request email
- Self-service booking link makes it easy for referred friends to book
- Track new client acquisition sources over time
- Automated welcome emails for referred clients set the right first impression
This idea is yours to use however you like. Petboost simply makes it faster with real-time data and intelligent customer segmentation.