You know that one of the highest complements you can receive is a referral from a former client who sees not only the great job but the value of your experience and expertise. Here are five tips to help you harness the power of social referrals; so that you can tap into a new, high-value marketing channel.

1. Make it easy - for clients to share your services with their friends. Include relevant sharing options (email, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.).

2. Promote across channels - Leverage your social media networks,  —Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, etc.—to request referrals and encourage a high participation rate.

3. Increase participation with incentives - Give your referral network a compelling reason to share with their friends. This could be gift cards or charitable donations.

4. Make it personal - Providing a simple, personalized experience for referred friends ensures the highest level of trust and engagement. Ensure that your messages and landing pages are personalized, concise and have a clear call to action.

5. Use a Press Release - and send a Thank you note. Attached is the text of a Thank you note that you can cut and paste and send to former clients, reminding them of the great service that they received from you. Feel free to customize this letter- it can be used with or without a press release.

Social media gives you an enormous opportunity to foster your former clients to create an incredibly powerful marketing channel for referrals. Make sure you have all the success tools you need to make the most of this powerful marketing tool!