The Value of a Referral

It is fascinating to watch the Internet evolve. Back in 1998 when G.1440 first started out, many businesses believed that just having a website was enough. Online billboards is what some people called them, however most business leaders soon realized that a placeholder wasn’t going to drive business. They realized that your website is a reflection of your business, and that prospects make conscious (and sub-conscious) decisions about your business when they visit your site.

Mobile Internet usage, not surprisingly, continues to increase and yesterday I read a statistic that crystallized just how important “being mobile” is.

According to Nielsen, According to Nielsen, 57% of people won't recommend a company with a poorly designed mobile site.

of people won’t recommend a company with a poorly designed mobile site.

This is truly a staggering figure when you consider that over 90% of the people on the planet have a smartphone and visit websites every day from that device.

The importance of a referral cannot be overstated

People buy products and services based on reference. Reference is key as it provides guidance from those whose opinions you trust, and that have experience you don’t.

Asking those around you for guidance helps save time and money. A long (long) time ago, real-time communication used to keep you alive in guiding you to avoid a certain area or to run from a predator. Today, the connection fulfills different needs, but is still critical. For this reason, humans have always had, and always will have, a fundamental need to connect and communicate.

Now back to the modern day. Think about the common thread inherent in social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. You guessed it – quick and easy connections and referrals. We have all read FB posts from our friends asking for guidance regarding dentists, florists, etc.

Whether formal or informal, your customers are driving your business up or down based on their opinions of your products and services.

Every company needs to understand that brand resonance, market share growth and revenue growth are driven in part from referrals and customer opinion.

The bottom line is that a good experience for your customer is critical and that experience now starts with your mobile presence.

You have to get the mobile experience right and giving a prospect a miniaturized version of your desktop site no longer will cut the mustard.

~ Larry

Larry Fiorino founded G.1440 way back in 1998. His background is technology and finance. He spends most of his non-work time with his family, loves to watch sporting events with friends and family or work on a project around the house. Larry also volunteers his time mentoring young entrepreneurs in Baltimore.