Referral Tracking

By creavio Team April 10, 2026 1 views

Referral Tracking

Knowing where your clients come from is one of the most valuable pieces of data in your business. If 40% of your bookings come from Instagram and 5% from wedding directories, you know exactly where to invest your marketing time and money.

Setting Up Referral Sources

Go to CRM → Settings → Referral Sources to define your list. Common sources for photographers include:

  • Instagram
  • Google Search
  • Word of mouth
  • The Knot / WeddingWire
  • Venue referral
  • Past client referral
  • Pinterest
  • Other photographer

You can add, rename, or remove sources at any time. Keep the list specific enough to be useful but not so long that it becomes overwhelming.

Capturing Referral Data

There are several ways to capture how a client found you:

  1. Contact form — add a "How did you hear about us?" dropdown to your website's contact form
  2. Questionnaire — include the question in your booking questionnaire
  3. Manual entry — select the referral source on the client's profile when you create it
  4. Automatic UTM tracking — creavio reads UTM parameters from your website URLs and maps them to referral sources

Referral Reports

Navigate to CRM → Reports → Referrals to see your data. The report shows:

  • Number of clients per referral source
  • Conversion rate from inquiry to booking per source
  • Total revenue generated per source
  • Average booking value per source

This tells you not just where clients come from, but which sources produce the highest-value clients. A venue that sends you three $5,000 weddings is worth more than a directory that sends twenty $500 mini sessions.

Client-to-Client Referrals

When a past client refers someone new, link them. On the new client's profile, select "Past client referral" as the source and choose the referring client from the dropdown. This builds a referral chain you can use to thank your best advocates — consider a referral credit or thank-you gift for clients who send consistent business your way.

Making Decisions with Data

Review your referral report quarterly. Cut sources that cost money but don't convert. Double down on what works. If Google Search is your top source, invest in SEO. If word of mouth leads, invest in client experience. Let the data drive the decision.