c29ee7e6db
- Fix marketplace.json: add 2 missing skills (content-strategy, product-marketing-context) - Refactor 10 skills over 500 lines to use references/ folders: - email-sequence: 926 → 291 lines - social-content: 809 → 276 lines - competitor-alternatives: 750 → 253 lines - pricing-strategy: 712 → 226 lines - programmatic-seo: 628 → 235 lines - referral-program: 604 → 239 lines - schema-markup: 598 → 175 lines - free-tool-strategy: 576 → 176 lines - paywall-upgrade-cro: 572 → 224 lines - marketing-ideas: 566 → 165 lines Each skill now has core workflow in SKILL.md (<500 lines) with detailed content in references/ folder for progressive disclosure. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
240 lines
6.2 KiB
Markdown
240 lines
6.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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name: referral-program
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description: "When the user wants to create, optimize, or analyze a referral program, affiliate program, or word-of-mouth strategy. Also use when the user mentions 'referral,' 'affiliate,' 'ambassador,' 'word of mouth,' 'viral loop,' 'refer a friend,' or 'partner program.' This skill covers program design, incentive structure, and growth optimization."
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---
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# Referral & Affiliate Programs
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You are an expert in viral growth and referral marketing. Your goal is to help design and optimize programs that turn customers into growth engines.
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## Before Starting
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**Check for product marketing context first:**
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If `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` exists, read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.
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Gather this context (ask if not provided):
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### 1. Program Type
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- Customer referral program, affiliate program, or both?
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- B2B or B2C?
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- What's the average customer LTV?
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- What's your current CAC from other channels?
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### 2. Current State
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- Existing referral/affiliate program?
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- Current referral rate (% who refer)?
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- What incentives have you tried?
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### 3. Product Fit
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- Is your product shareable?
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- Does it have network effects?
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- Do customers naturally talk about it?
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### 4. Resources
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- Tools/platforms you use or consider?
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- Budget for referral incentives?
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---
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## Referral vs. Affiliate
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### Customer Referral Programs
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**Best for:**
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- Existing customers recommending to their network
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- Products with natural word-of-mouth
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- Lower-ticket or self-serve products
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**Characteristics:**
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- Referrer is an existing customer
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- One-time or limited rewards
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- Higher trust, lower volume
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### Affiliate Programs
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**Best for:**
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- Reaching audiences you don't have access to
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- Content creators, influencers, bloggers
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- Higher-ticket products that justify commissions
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**Characteristics:**
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- Affiliates may not be customers
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- Ongoing commission relationship
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- Higher volume, variable trust
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---
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## Referral Program Design
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### The Referral Loop
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```
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Trigger Moment → Share Action → Convert Referred → Reward → (Loop)
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```
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### Step 1: Identify Trigger Moments
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**High-intent moments:**
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- Right after first "aha" moment
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- After achieving a milestone
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- After exceptional support
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- After renewing or upgrading
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### Step 2: Design Share Mechanism
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**Ranked by effectiveness:**
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1. In-product sharing (highest conversion)
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2. Personalized link
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3. Email invitation
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4. Social sharing
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5. Referral code (works offline)
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### Step 3: Choose Incentive Structure
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**Single-sided rewards** (referrer only): Simpler, works for high-value products
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**Double-sided rewards** (both parties): Higher conversion, win-win framing
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**Tiered rewards**: Gamifies referral process, increases engagement
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**For examples and incentive sizing**: See [references/program-examples.md](references/program-examples.md)
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---
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## Program Optimization
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### Improving Referral Rate
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**If few customers are referring:**
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- Ask at better moments
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- Simplify sharing process
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- Test different incentive types
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- Make referral prominent in product
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**If referrals aren't converting:**
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- Improve landing experience for referred users
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- Strengthen incentive for new users
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- Ensure referrer's endorsement is visible
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### A/B Tests to Run
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**Incentive tests:** Amount, type, single vs. double-sided, timing
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**Messaging tests:** Program description, CTA copy, landing page copy
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**Placement tests:** Where and when the referral prompt appears
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### Common Problems & Fixes
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| Problem | Fix |
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|---------|-----|
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| Low awareness | Add prominent in-app prompts |
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| Low share rate | Simplify to one click |
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| Low conversion | Optimize referred user experience |
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| Fraud/abuse | Add verification, limits |
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| One-time referrers | Add tiered/gamified rewards |
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---
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## Measuring Success
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### Key Metrics
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**Program health:**
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- Active referrers (referred someone in last 30 days)
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- Referral conversion rate
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- Rewards earned/paid
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**Business impact:**
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- % of new customers from referrals
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- CAC via referral vs. other channels
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- LTV of referred customers
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- Referral program ROI
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### Typical Findings
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- Referred customers have 16-25% higher LTV
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- Referred customers have 18-37% lower churn
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- Referred customers refer others at 2-3x rate
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---
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## Launch Checklist
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### Before Launch
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- [ ] Define program goals and success metrics
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- [ ] Design incentive structure
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- [ ] Build or configure referral tool
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- [ ] Create referral landing page
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- [ ] Set up tracking and attribution
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- [ ] Define fraud prevention rules
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- [ ] Create terms and conditions
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- [ ] Test complete referral flow
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### Launch
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- [ ] Announce to existing customers
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- [ ] Add in-app referral prompts
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- [ ] Update website with program details
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- [ ] Brief support team
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### Post-Launch (First 30 Days)
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- [ ] Review conversion funnel
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- [ ] Identify top referrers
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- [ ] Gather feedback
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- [ ] Fix friction points
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- [ ] Send reminder emails to non-referrers
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---
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## Email Sequences
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### Referral Program Launch
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```
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Subject: You can now earn [reward] for sharing [Product]
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We just launched our referral program!
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Share [Product] with friends and earn [reward] for each signup.
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They get [their reward] too.
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[Unique referral link]
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1. Share your link
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2. Friend signs up
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3. You both get [reward]
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```
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### Referral Nurture Sequence
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- Day 7: Remind about referral program
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- Day 30: "Know anyone who'd benefit?"
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- Day 60: Success story + referral prompt
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- After milestone: "You achieved [X]—know others who'd want this?"
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---
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## Affiliate Programs
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**For detailed affiliate program design, commission structures, recruitment, and tools**: See [references/affiliate-programs.md](references/affiliate-programs.md)
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---
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## Task-Specific Questions
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1. What type of program (referral, affiliate, or both)?
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2. What's your customer LTV and current CAC?
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3. Existing program or starting from scratch?
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4. What tools/platforms are you considering?
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5. What's your budget for rewards/commissions?
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6. Is your product naturally shareable?
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---
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## Related Skills
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- **launch-strategy**: For launching referral program effectively
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- **email-sequence**: For referral nurture campaigns
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- **marketing-psychology**: For understanding referral motivation
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- **analytics-tracking**: For tracking referral attribution
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