Referrals are not a marketing strategy

Ahem... (Clears throat...)

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...Referrals are not a marketing strategy.

I probably wrote that one sentence in half a dozen different ways just to see how it felt. How it sounded. I wanted it to land the right way.

I’m not being contrarian for the sake of clickbait. I’m saying it because too many good companies stay invisible to the people they serve—and they don’t even realize it.

That thought hit me last week during a conversation with a CEO I’m working with.

We were in the final stages of positioning their new newsletter when she asked: “Since most of our new business comes from referrals, shouldn’t we position the newsletter to the referrers, since that’s where our business comes from?”

We went back and forth for a few minutes. She thought I didn’t understand what she meant.

“No no,” she said, “what I’m saying is—the people who refer business to us already know all this stuff. So shouldn’t we be covering different topics in the newsletter?”

That’s when I took a more direct tact.

“Most of your new business comes from referrals because you’re not marketing directly to your audience at all,” I told her. “Your blog and social presence function more like PR—announcements, appearances, company updates. This newsletter is your chance to change that. To speak directly to the people you now only reach through referrals. To build an audience you actually own.”

That’s when it clicked and all came together.

After the call, I kept thinking about it. I should’ve seen it earlier.

Referrals, in and of themselves, are obviously a good thing. But when they represent the majority of new business, that’s not a strength—it’s a signal that your marketing is either not working or non-existent.

At some point, that has to catch up with you.

70% of your new business coming from referrals? Not the flex you think it is.

Here’s why:

• You’re outsourcing trust. Your brand is only as credible as the person referring you. Not only that, but you’re not necessarily the one they (prospect) trust. It’s the referrer who holds the key.
• You don’t own your audience. You rely on others to get in front of the people you want to reach.
• You’re vulnerable to change. Referrals are unpredictable, and so is your pipeline.
• You’re invisible to the people who need you. Because all the conversations about you happen in backchannels.

The alternative is visibility you control. Trust you earn directly.

You don’t have to wait to be whispered about in backchannels. You can show up—consistently, with substance and intention.

That’s all a Content Brand really is. Not a fancy label—just a habit of showing up, in public, on purpose.

• It lets people get to know you before they need you. Most referrals only happen at the moment of need. A Content Brand builds familiarity and credibility in advance—so when the need arises, you’re already known.
• It shows your thinking, not just your services. Trust isn’t just about what you do, but how you think. Content gives people repeated exposure to your ideas, approach, and values—helping them trust your judgment before they ever hire you.
• It creates visibility in the open, not just behind closed doors. Referrals happen in 1:1 conversations. Content builds trust in public. That visibility compounds.
• It makes you discoverable by the people who don’t know to ask for you yet. You can’t be referred if you’re not in someone’s network. Content expands your surface area beyond word of mouth.
• It earns trust with many, not just a few. Referrals rely on individual relationships. A Content Brand lets hundreds—or thousands—of people build a relationship with your brand on their own terms.

Referrals are great. But when they represent the majority of new business, that means you have an opportunity in front of you to better speak to and communicate directly with your audience.

More than words

“You can’t just wait for people to need your product. You have to give them a reason to care before they do. There’s only going to be so many people interested in the niche thing your product solves. At some point, you have to align yourself with a bigger idea—something that speaks to a broader audience, not just buyers.” — Natalie Marcotullio, Navattic

Natalie shared this with me on a recent episode of Louder Than Words and I've been thinking about it ever since.

We were talking about the Buyer First report, which Navattic has published with Chili Piper for three years running. It’s ungated. It’s not optimized for lead gen. And it’s not built around a thinly veiled product pitch.

It’s built around a belief: that modern SaaS companies need to meet buyers where they are, not where your funnel starts. The report tackles a problem bigger than Navattic’s offering –– being buyer first –– which is exactly why people pay attention.

That’s the part most brands skip. They create content to describe what they do, not what they stand for.

But when you align yourself with an idea bigger than your product—and show up consistently around it—you become memorable to more than just buyers. You become relevant to a whole category of people who might become buyers.

And when they do? They already trust you.

You can listen to our full conversation on the latest episode of LTW here.