How to get referrals online for adventure activities

Every business loves customer referrals, it’s a fact—and this is one of the top reasons why online referral marketing is a popular strategy for promoting adventure activities. In short, online referral marketing is a digital strategy that encourages customers to share referrals online that will drive new customers to a business.   

Building a referral-based business is necessary for success, and the 2021 Nielsen Trust in Advertising study supports this as it revealed 88% of respondents most trust recommendations from people they know. So for adventure businesses to grow, they need creative ways to get referrals.  

But the big question is: How to get referrals online? 

Well, we can let you in on a little secret, it is possible. Here’s our three top tips to help increase your customer online referrals. 

Time to dive in.

Provide a great customer experience (with photos and videos)

The traditional way to gain referrals from your customers is by simply providing them with a fantastic adventure-filled experience, and hoping they go and tell their friends and family about it. Sounds easy, right? 

But how do you make sure your customers never forget their experience? Well, here at Fotaflo, we highly recommend providing your customers with free (yes, free) photos and videos of that incredible experience. In 2023, taking photos and videos of a thrilling personal event is a must for many customers as it eternalizes a precious moment in time. So, why not elevate an already fantastic customer experience by capturing these magical moments and sharing them with your clients?

This works when one of your employees snaps some brilliant action shots and videos of your clients having the time of their lives. You then send these photos and videos by email or SMS to your customers as a thank you for choosing your business. To simplify and speed up this process you can use the Fotaflo to ensure the right photos and videos always reach the right guests. 

Through these emails and text messages your customers can then view their photos and videos from your website. You can also encourage them to share their photos and videos via email and social media—so all their friends and family (and distant acquaintances) can see what your adventure business is all about! 

This way, photos and videos of your customers' exciting exploits, loving your adventure can reach a wider audience. When it comes to building a referral-based business, exposure should be a top priority. 

Embrace email marketing

Nowadays, when a customer makes a booking, they usually have to provide an email address—which is worth more than gold in marketing. So, think about using these emails to send customers photos and videos of their action-packed experience. However, be certain to get explicit consent from your customers that state they agree to receive emails from your business. 


The key to this strategy is that customers can forward their photo and video album to their own contacts, helping to further refer your business. 

Your adventure marketing emails can also include a simple call to action (CTA) to inspire customers to inform others about your business by sharing their photos and videos. For example, you could add a CTA like ‘know someone who’d love to give this a try? Share your photos and videos with family and friends!’ Your customers are bound to know others who’d love to try the adventure experience you’re promoting. 

This strategy requires little effort to acquire customer referrals, as your customers will already have their loved ones and colleagues’ emails. Again, this simple technique means your emails with photos and videos of happy guests will now have a much wider reach, increasing referrals for your adventure business. 

Leverage the power of social media

In 2022, the average global internet user spent almost two and a half hours a day on social media—while slightly worrying, this does mean it’s the perfect place to get referrals online. 

So, after your customers have had a fantastic time, get staff members to politely ask them to review and share photos of your business on social media. Having QR codes printed at reception is a helpful way to take customers directly to your top social media channels. 

Capturing guests’ favorite moments is a big win since 93% of consumers said online reviews impacted their shopping choices. Therefore, by simply approaching your happy customers and asking them for a quick favor, you can increase the number of good reviews for your adventure business. The final bonus is that you can then share these through all your social media channels to spread the happy word with no added cost. 

Use a photo delivery and referral platform like Fotaflo

Fotaflo is a game-changer for any adventure businesses' referral marketing needs. That’s because it enables businesses to effortlessly capture and distribute photos and videos to customers that will increase online referrals. 

By providing customers with photos and videos of their experiences, Fotaflo significantly increases the likelihood of them sharing positive recommendations online. This is done through customizable sharing pages, which allow customers to easily promote their experiences with your adventure business across social media, email and review websites. 

In addition, through referral tracking and incentivization features, Fotaflo empowers adventure businesses to reward and encourage the customers with the most successful referrals, maximizing the effectiveness of their referral marketing strategy. 

Fotaflo truly amplifies the power of photos and videos in driving customer acquisition through online referrals.

With a bit of planning, and some clever strategies, building a referral-based business could be your answer to more customers for your adventure business. 

Follow the link if you want to try your hand at referral marketing centered around photos and videos, and discover how Fotaflo’s innovative photo-sharing platform could revolutionize your adventure business. You won’t regret it!