Referrals are one of the most cost-effective ways to grow a fitness business. They bring in high-trust prospects who often convert faster and stay longer. But for a referral program to work consistently, it needs to be easy to use, visible, clear, and worth acting on for your members.

This blueprint outlines practical steps to set up, run, and optimize a referral program that members actually use with examples of how Perkville and Mariana Tek together make the process seamless.

1. Reward Both Sides
Programs work best when both the referrer and the friend benefit.

Give the friend a discount they can use immediately; often this is your intro offer for new clients.
Ensure the member’s reward reflects the value they’re bringing; avoid rewards so small they don’t motivate repeat referrals.

2. Make Sharing Quick and Simple
If referring takes more than a minute, many members won’t bother. This step is about making it as easy as possible for a member to share your referral offer with their friends.

Place a “Refer a Friend” button in your app’s rewards tab (Perkville + Mariana Tek integration does this automatically).
Include the referral link in your website navigation and member portal.
Use a short, easy-to-type URL such as https://[yourbusiness].perkville.com/referral/. With Perkville, you can also fully brand the URL — for example: https://rewards.[yourbusinessdomain].com/referral/.

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3. Clarify the Reward Trigger
Members should understand when they’ll receive their reward.

State it clearly on your referral page (e.g. “You’ll earn 500 points when your friend attends their first class” or “when they buy a membership”).
We recommend keeping it to one step, but with Perkville you can set up multi-step processes where the client is rewarded when their friend completes milestones like taking their first class and then again when buying a membership.

4. Capture Opt-Ins for Follow-Up Marketing
Make sure you get permission to market to referred prospects.

Perkville’s Agreements feature allows you to capture opt-ins during the referral claim process, keeping your outreach compliant and effective.

5. Send Referral Leads Directly to Your CRM
When a referral is claimed through Perkville + Mariana Tek, Perkville can create a prospect record in Mariana Tek automatically.

Leads flow straight into your automated email or SMS campaigns without staff entering them manually.
Faster follow-up means higher conversion rates.

6. Prompt the Prospect to Use the Offer Online Right Away
The easier you make it to book or buy, the more likely the prospect is to convert.

Perkville can auto-forward prospects to your booking or purchase page immediately after they claim the referral offer.
Consider using a special landing page designed for referred friends — this can improve conversions by tailoring messaging and offers to this warm audience.
Use single-use coupon codes when possible so the discount can’t be abused. Multi-use codes can also work if you restrict them to new customers only.

7. Automate Tracking and Reward Delivery
Perkville automatically tracks referrals and delivers rewards when the chosen trigger is met — whether that’s the referred friend attending their first class, buying a membership, or reaching another milestone.

You choose the trigger that makes the most sense for your business.
Automation reduces staff workload and ensures members get their reward without delays or manual processing.

8. Promote in Your Physical Space
Remind members when they’re on-site and engaged.

Display posters or counter cards with a large QR code linking directly to your referral page.
Clearly explain what the friend gets and what the referring client earns.
Keep messaging concise so members understand the offer quickly.

9. Run Periodic Campaigns to Boost Activity
Even with a solid program, members sometimes need a reason to act now.

Offer seasonal boosts like double points for all referrals in September.
Promote these through email, social media, and in-studio signage to keep the program top of mind.

10. Protect the Integrity of Your Program
Perkville automatically prevents reward abuse so your budget is used for genuine growth.

Blocks existing customers from being referred.
Prevents the same prospect from being referred multiple times by the same person.

11. Track Results and Optimize
You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

Monitor referral volume, conversion rates, and reward costs regularly.
Perkville includes a referral overview and referral details report so you can see exactly what’s working.
Use this data to refine your offers and messaging over time.

Why Studios Use Perkville + Mariana Tek for Referrals

With Perkville integrated into your Mariana Tek app, the “Refer a Friend” option is highlighted in the rewards tab. Members can easily share your referral offer using their phone’s tray, copying their unique URL or via text, every lead can go straight into your Mariana Tek CRM for follow-up, your clients get automatically rewarded when their friends convert and your team can track the results in Perkville.