Source: https://www.extole.com/resources/ # eBooks, Guides, and Reports Playbooks, best practices, and research to help you plan, launch, and grow referral programs. - [ ![Cover of 2026 Referral Marketing Playbook](https://www.extole.com/images/resources/2026-referral-marketing-playbook.png) Playbook ## 2026 Referral Marketing Playbook Most brands run one referral program and call it a day. The highest-performing brands run three or more. This playbook shows you exactly how. ](https://www.extole.com/resources/2026-referral-marketing-playbook/) - [ ![Cover of 2025 Referral Marketing Best Practices Guide](https://www.extole.com/images/resources/referral-best-practices-guide.jpg) Guide ## 2025 Referral Marketing Best Practices Guide Your current customers are the key to your growth. Turn them into advocates with enticing rewards and engaging programs. ](https://www.extole.com/resources/referral-best-practices-guide/) - [ ![Two shoppers looking at a laptop on the cover of Extole's referral best practices guide for retailers](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/32-referral-marketing-best-practices-for-retailers/featured.jpg) Online guide ## 32 Referral Marketing Best Practices for Retailers Referral is one of the few channels that turns customer engagement into customer acquisition. These 32 best practices show retailers how to build a referral program that advocates and their friends love. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/32-referral-marketing-best-practices-for-retailers/) - [ ![Two people shaking hands across a table on the cover of Extole's referral best practices guide for financial services](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/financial-services-marketing/featured.jpg) Online guide ## Financial Services Marketing: How To Leverage Referrals Your clients are your best advocates. These 40 best practices show financial institutions how to build referral programs that win high-quality customers and outperform competitors. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/financial-services-marketing/) - [ ![A credit union advisor showing a tablet to a smiling couple on the cover of Extole's referral best practices guide for credit unions](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/referral-best-practices-credit-unions/featured.jpg) Online guide ## Power Your Credit Union’s Growth with Our Referral Marketing Best Practices Turn your most valuable members into your greatest ambassadors. These 36 referral marketing best practices show credit unions how to win new members, including younger ones, through digital referral. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/referral-best-practices-credit-unions/) - [ ![Two colleagues talking across a table with laptops on the cover of Extole's referral best practices guide for B2B organizations](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/referral-best-practices-b2b/featured.jpg) Online guide ## Leverage These 30 Referral Best Practices for B2B Companies Referrals are how most B2B purchases begin. These 30 best practices show B2B companies how to expand their audience, build long-term loyalty, and keep marketing costs low with referral. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/referral-best-practices-b2b/) - [ ![A woman unboxing a beauty product in front of a camera on the cover of Extole's Influencer Program Features guide](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/influencer-program/featured.jpg) Online guide ## Make the Most of Social Media With Your Influencer Program Identify your most social media-savvy customers with the biggest following, and activate them for your brand. This guide walks through the Extole Influencer Program features, from the application experience to rewards and reporting. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/influencer-program/) - [ ![A shopper holds a phone showing a QR code beside a store employee with a tablet, on the cover of Extole's QR codes referral marketing guide](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/qr-codes-for-marketing/featured.jpg) Online guide ## QR Codes for Marketing: The Secret Weapon of Referrals QR codes are simple to create and work in nearly any environment, physical or digital. They are also easier to share than a typical referral link. Here is how to use them in your referral program. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/qr-codes-for-marketing/) - [ ![Cover of Forrester Total Economic Impact™ Study of Extole](https://www.extole.com/images/resources/forrester-total-economic-impact-of-extole.jpg) Study ## Forrester Total Economic Impact™ Study of Extole Forrester Consulting quantified the opportunity: $19.1M in incremental revenue over 3 years. ](https://www.extole.com/resources/forrester-total-economic-impact-of-extole/) - [ ![Cover of Extole's Buyer’s Guide for Referral Marketing Platforms, showing three people laughing together over laptops](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/buyers-guide-for-referral-marketing-platforms/featured.jpg) Online guide ## Buyer’s Guide for Referral Marketing Platforms Building or upgrading a referral program can be daunting. This guide gives you a smart framework for evaluating referral technology providers. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/buyers-guide-for-referral-marketing-platforms/) - [ ![Cover of Extole's financial services buyer's guide for referral marketing platforms, showing a man looking at his phone](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/financial-services-buyers-guide-for-referral-marketing-platforms/featured.jpg) Online guide ## Financial Services Buyer’s Guide for Referral Marketing Platforms Building or upgrading a referral program can be daunting. This guide gives financial services marketers a smart framework for evaluating referral technology providers. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/financial-services-buyers-guide-for-referral-marketing-platforms/) - [ ![Cover of Extole's guide to refer-a-friend programs for financial services, showing a hand tapping a smartphone](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/how-finserv-leaders-design-refer-a-friend/featured.jpg) Online guide ## How Leading Financial Services Marketers Design Refer-a-Friend Learn from financial services leaders how to design a referral program that customers find, love, and share, based on Extole's work with marketing and technology teams. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/how-finserv-leaders-design-refer-a-friend/) - [ ![Cover of The Essential Referral Email Guide, showing a woman with a laptop on a staircase](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/essential-referral-email-guide/featured.jpg) Online guide ## The Essential Referral Email Guide Email is the most common way for customers to recommend your brand to their friends. See how the best refer-a-friend programs use it, from the first share to the reward. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/essential-referral-email-guide/) - [ ![Cover of How to Promote Your Referral Program: A Few Hot Tips, with the Extole logo on a black background](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/how-to-promote-your-referral-program/featured.jpg) Online guide ## How to Promote Your Referral Program: A Few Hot Tips A practical guide to where, when, and how to promote your referral program to scale acquisition, with real-world examples from companies in different industries. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/how-to-promote-your-referral-program/) - [ ![Cover of the Extole Encyclopedia of Referral Marketing, showing an open book on a red background](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/encyclopedia-of-referral-marketing/featured.jpg) Online guide ## Encyclopedia of Referral Marketing Master refer-a-friend programs with the definitive source for concepts, terms, acronyms, and use cases. Referrals from A to Z. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-referral-marketing/) - [ ![Cover of Fact vs. Fiction: 5 Referral Marketing Myths, with line drawings of two animals using phones](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/5-referral-marketing-myths/featured.jpg) Online guide ## Fact vs. Fiction: 5 Referral Marketing Myths Referrals are the acquisition marketing channel for the next decade. They attract new customers to brands, but many people still don't understand how or why. Here are five common myths and the facts behind them. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/5-referral-marketing-myths/) - [ ![First page of the Extole ePaper Why We Share, How to Tap into the Consumer Psyche to Drive Social Advocacy](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/why-we-share-tap-into-consumer-psyche/featured.jpg) Online guide ## Why We Share: How to Tap into the Consumer Psyche The rise of social media has changed how consumers share content and ideas. Brands need to understand what motivates advocacy. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/why-we-share-tap-into-consumer-psyche/) - [ ![Cover of Gigaom Research Report: Workhorses and Dark Horses](https://www.extole.com/images/resources/gigaom-digital-tactics-for-customer-acquisition.png) Research report ## Gigaom Research Report: Workhorses and Dark Horses Digital tactics for customer acquisition. Gigaom Research surveyed 300 U.S. digital marketers to learn what works. ](https://www.extole.com/resources/gigaom-digital-tactics-for-customer-acquisition/) - [ ![Cover of Extole's 2014 retail survey report, Perfect for You: How Referrals and Other Top Channels Drive Retail Revenue](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/how-referrals-and-top-channels-drive-retail-revenue/featured.jpg) Online guide ## Retail Survey: How Referrals and Other Top Channels Drive Retail Revenue Retailers' digital marketing budgets are increasing. A nationwide Extole survey of retail marketers shows where the money is going and which channels deliver. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/how-referrals-and-top-channels-drive-retail-revenue/) - [ ![Cover of Internet Retailer Report: Getting Personal](https://www.extole.com/images/resources/internet-retailer-report-getting-personal.png) Report ## Internet Retailer Report: Getting Personal Retailers’ digital marketing budgets are soaring. Get your advocates talking with referrals. ](https://www.extole.com/resources/internet-retailer-report-getting-personal/) - [ ![Cover of the Extole report Retailers Who Care About Loyalty Choose Referral Marketing](https://www.extole.com/images/guides/retailers-who-care-about-loyalty-choose-referral-marketing/featured.jpg) Online guide ## Retailers Who Care About Loyalty Choose Referral Marketing Loyalty plus referrals is a positive connection. Extole surveyed over 300 retail marketers in 2014 to find out why retailers with loyalty programs use referral marketing about twice as much as those without. Read online → ](https://www.extole.com/resources/retailers-who-care-about-loyalty-choose-referral-marketing/) ## Extole unlocks the full potential of your offer, loyalty, and referral programs. Find out how. [Request a Demo](https://www.extole.com/demo/) [Take a Tour](https://www.extole.com/platform-tour/)