10 user growth cases to analyze the secrets of K12 referrals

Online education has been booming in recent years, and user growth has become the top priority of online education. With countless educational institutions researching ways to increase user growth, the growth methods have basically been finalized as follows: 1. Social fission; 2. Content diversion; 3. Distribution; 4. Referral; 5. Channel cooperation; 6. Delivery and other user growth methods.

What is a referral?

Online education has been booming in recent years, and user growth has become the top priority of online education. With countless educational institutions researching ways to increase user growth, the growth methods have basically been finalized as follows: 1. Social fission; 2. Content diversion; 3. Distribution; 4. Referral; 5. Channel cooperation; 6. Delivery and other user growth methods.

Nowadays, with the cost of acquiring customers getting higher and higher, referrals have become a relatively low-cost way to grow customers, and customer acquisition is relatively accurate and efficient. It is said that the referral rate of Spark Education has reached 82%, and the referral rate of VipKid has reached 70%.

So what is a referral? Generally speaking, online education is about old users bringing in new users, which means relying on introductions from old users to bring in new users. And old users have different definitions: in a narrow sense, they are long-term students, and in a broad sense, they are registered students. In my opinion, the definition of old users can be calculated in a broad sense, so referral systems can be designed for old users of different levels.

Referral operation model

After disassembling the operating models of many online education companies, the author has specially sorted out several major referral models. The following is a simple disassembly

1. Punch in to get class time

Punching in to get class hours refers to setting up a check-in session that utilizes the learning actions of paying users. Paying users need to generate posters and send them to the designated platform to get more class hours. Compared with giving away physical goods, the customer acquisition cost is relatively low, and there is basically no cost for recorded courses, AI courses or large classes.

Applicable to: paying users (generally refers to long-term course users)

Applicable mode: Most suitable for recorded courses, AI courses and large classes

Case introduction:

1. Project Introduction

Dingdong Classroom provides multi-disciplinary AI courses for children aged 2-12. It currently has two major subjects: English and Chinese. It innovatively uses the "real person + AI fun teaching" model to make children fall in love with learning.

2. Referral activities

Activity name: Free classes every month

Event Details:

Share the poster to your Moments every month, take a screenshot and upload it within 24 hours. After passing the review, one lesson will be added to each task, limited to 2 lessons per month.

3. Reusable points:

(1) When posting to Moments, you must clearly specify the posting requirements: the post must be kept for more than 24 hours, cannot be grouped, and cannot be set to private.

(2) You are limited to 2 classes per month. You cannot set a limit on the number of classes you can receive. Otherwise, it will affect your renewal.

(3) Share posters in a variety of ways and generate personalized posters

2. Check in to get a physical item

Checking in to get physical items means using physical incentives to get paying users to post on Moments or designated platforms, and completing tasks will get them fixed physical rewards. For example, you can receive the picture book by posting the course poster or course summary poster to your circle of friends.

Applicable to: paying users (generally refers to long-term course users)

Applicable modes: recorded classes, AI classes, large classes, small classes and one-on-one classes

Case introduction:

1. Project Introduction

Pumpkin Science, a children's science enlightenment brand under Yuanfudao, is aimed at children aged 3-8 and uses AI course mode

2. Referral activities

Post your learning experience of Pumpkin Science works on Xiaohongshu, share your learning stories, @Pumpkin Science and add the topic #Pumpkin Science Leads Babies to Learn Time. After successfully sharing, generate a note sharing picture on Xiaohongshu and send it to the official account for review, and you can get an educational puzzle;

If you collect 20 likes + 10 comments, you will receive a thinking training chess game. If you collect 30 likes + 30 comments, you will receive a science picture book on the mysteries of nature. See the following figure for details:

3. Points that can be copied:

(1) The activity is relatively novel and has expanded new customer acquisition platforms instead of relying on the WeChat ecosystem.

(2) Multi-layer incentives: attracting new members through multiple incentives

(3) The threshold is low and participants can win prizes, so the student participation rate will increase.

3. Check in to get coins and diamonds

Checking in to get gold coins and diamonds means that students can share posters on designated platforms to obtain their own virtual currency. Different platforms have different names for virtual currency, the most common ones are gold coins and diamonds. The common form is also based on the WeChat platform or APP, and combined with its own points mall, users can redeem physical or virtual courses.

Applicable to: paying users (generally refers to long-term course users)

Applicable modes: recorded classes, AI classes, large classes, small classes and one-on-one classes

Case introduction:

1. Project Introduction

Zebra AI Class, a children's enlightenment brand under Yuanfudao, is an intelligent education platform that provides multi-disciplinary online learning for children aged 2-8. It currently has AI course products in multiple subjects such as English, mathematics, and Chinese.

2. Referral activities

Activity name: Share every month to get Zebra Coins

Activity details: Share the poster to your Moments (keep it for more than 2 hours) and upload a screenshot to earn 500 Zebra coins (only for system course users)

3. Replicable points

(1) Only system courses are allowed to participate, giving system course users a sense of superiority and privilege

(2) Open up the points mall to encourage old students to share

(3) Requirements for sharing posters

4. Free Classes

Free courses means that old students can get specific courses by giving courses to friends. By using virtual courses as a profit point, the users obtained are relatively accurate.

Applicable to: registered users, trial course users or paying users

Applicable modes: recorded classes, AI classes, large classes, small classes and one-on-one classes

Case introduction:

1. Project Introduction

VIPKID is an institution that focuses on online English teaching for children aged 3-15, providing one-on-one teaching by "pure" North American foreign teachers. We only use high-quality North American foreign teachers, international teaching materials, a pure English environment, and an immersive learning experience; through 1-on-1 online video teaching methods, we help children learn and master English more effectively.

In addition to the one-on-one live courses, vipkid currently also has large-class courses (Dami Online School) and AI courses (vipkid Enlightenment)

2. Referral activities

Activity name: 56 free quality open courses

Event details: In this event, you will be rewarded with 1 open class for inviting 1 friend, and you can get up to 56 open classes. In addition, friends have more benefits, including 1 live class + 4 open classes or energy stones.

In order to achieve better results, new users will be directly guided to receive more courses after receiving the courses, and directly jump to the group buying page, thus connecting the free courses with the group buying.

3. Replicable points

(1) Provide supplementary courses for free, which reduces the customer acquisition cost for one-on-one live classes

(2) Adopt a reciprocal mechanism, where both the inviting party and the invited party can obtain benefits

(3) VIPKid’s free class activity is also linked to group buying, and the exchange is linked

(4) The referral process is easy to operate. Click to share the gift package with friends and you can jump directly to WeChat.

5. Invitation to receive class time

Invited class hours means that if old students want to get more class hours, they need to invite friends to try out the courses, with the actual effect of the trial as the standard, rather than simply posting on Moments. By using virtual courses as a profit point, the users acquired are relatively accurate.

Applicable to: registered users, trial course users or paying users

Applicable modes: recorded classes, AI classes, large classes, small classes and one-on-one classes

Case introduction:

1. Project Introduction

Spark Education is an online children's education platform in the K12 field, focusing on online education enlightenment and thinking training for children aged 3-12. Through online live interactive methods and courses independently developed by a team with front-line teaching and research experience, it cultivates students' core basic abilities such as thinking ability and concentration, and truly improves core basic abilities such as thinking ability and concentration through interactive practice.

Spark Education currently has three subjects: Chinese, mathematics and English, with small classes as the main focus and AI courses as the auxiliary.

2. Referral activities

Activity name: December gift season, draw a new iPad Air set

Event Details:

1. During the event, copy the invitation message, generate and share a personalized poster according to the time of each task, and you will get 1 crystal ball;

2. [First benefit] During the event period, new course users who complete the weekly task for the first time (upload a poster and pass the review) can get a crystal ball;

3. [Recall Benefits] Old users who completed the weekly task before September can get a crystal ball if they complete one weekly task during the event (upload a poster and pass the review);

4. During the event, you can get 1 crystal ball for every friend you invite to register and successfully complete a valid live broadcast system course trial. A maximum of 10 crystal balls can be obtained.

5. During the event, you can get extra rewards by completing mysterious tasks. Each user can only get one reward during the mysterious task period. The rules of the mysterious task are based on the rules in the floating pop-up window on the event page.

6. December invitation welfare month: From December 1 to December 31, for every friend you invite to register and successfully complete a valid live system course trial, you can receive [3-9 years old children's mind map light course] + [Starlight learning electronic materials] for free. After completing the task, the light course + electronic learning materials can be viewed in [Parent-side app-Message-Spark Activity];

If the friends you invite register and successfully complete the valid live system course trial course during the period of 12.1-12.31, they can receive [Mind Map Light Course for Children Aged 3-9] + [Starlight Learning Electronic Materials] for free, which can be viewed in [Parent App-Message-Spark Event].

Prizes for the lucky draw:

(1) New iPad Air + Apple Watch (valued at ¥9,198)

(2) Disney Castle Lego Building Blocks (valued at RMB 799)

(3) Three Little Dolls Family (valued at ¥186)

(4) DK 2021 calendar (valued at ¥139)

(5) Cube Monkey Greeting Card + Sticker (Valued at ¥18)

(6) 66 Spark Coins

3. Points that can be copied

(1) Combination of multiple referral modes: invite students to get class hours, win prizes through wheel-turning, and get coins through sharing

(2) Tiered incentives, low threshold, high user interest

(3) Two-way incentives: not only do the inviters receive more benefits, but the invitees also receive more benefits.

(4) The activity is simple and clear, and each benefit is introduced clearly.

6. Invite to earn commissions and tuition fees

Inviting friends to earn commissions or tuition fees means that you can get commissions by inviting friends to purchase trial courses or system courses, and the commissions can be withdrawn in time. Currently, it is generally aimed at promoting trial classes or system courses, and payment is based on results. However, some organizations will also give a small commission for simply sharing on WeChat Moments. Commissions may be more attractive to students than physical items. After all, there are not many physical items to choose from, but commissions can buy a lot of things.

Applicable to: registered users, trial course users or paying users

Applicable modes: recorded classes, AI classes, large classes, small classes and one-on-one classes

Case introduction:

1. Project Introduction

Gaotu Classroom is a brand under GSX, an online education institution focusing on K12 for primary and secondary schools. It adopts the online live broadcast dual-teacher model of "teachers teaching + dual-teacher tutoring" and strictly selects teachers! Comprehensive training for primary, middle and high school students

2. Referral activities

Activity Name: Invite friends to get cash back

Activity details: Old users (users who purchase courses) can get two gifts by generating a 19-yuan trial course poster and inviting friends to purchase courses:

First gift: +3 yuan for first login; +5 yuan for sharing posters; +10 yuan for each successful friend invited. You can withdraw cash when the amount reaches 9 yuan.

Double gifts: If you invite 2 people, you will get a smart thermos cup; if you invite 3 people, you will get a convenient juicer; if you invite 5 people, you will get a multi-function steaming, cooking and frying pot; if you invite 8 people, you will get a Xiaomi hair dryer.

3. Points that can be copied:

(1) Multiple rewards are superimposed, including not only cash but also physical rewards, which can greatly stimulate the interest of old users

(2) The commission is set very cleverly. If you simply share, you can only get 8 yuan, and you cannot withdraw cash. You can only withdraw 9 yuan after selling it.

(3) The invitation strategy is clear and concise

7. Invite to get diamonds and gold coins

Inviting friends to get diamonds or gold coins means that old users can get the virtual currency (diamonds or gold coins) of the course platform by inviting friends to purchase trial courses or system courses. The virtual currency can be exchanged for courses or physical items.

Applicable to: registered users, trial course users or paying users

Applicable modes: recorded classes, AI classes, large classes, small classes and one-on-one classes

Case introduction:

1. Project Introduction

Zuoyebang is committed to providing learning tutoring services for primary and secondary school students across the country at all stages of their studies. As of now, the number of Zuoyebang users has exceeded 300 million, making it a leading brand in online education for primary and secondary schools.

Zuoyebang has independently developed more than 10 learning tools, including photo search, Zuoyebang lesson, one-on-one tutoring, ancient Chinese text assistant, composition search, etc.

In Zuoyebang, students can get the analysis steps and answers to difficult questions by taking photos or speaking.

You can interact with teachers through the live classroom of Zuoyebang. You can quickly find your weak points in knowledge and practice to supplement them accurately.

You can watch live courses and learn interactively on your mobile phone;

You can also connect with teachers online to get one-on-one answers to your questions; after studying, you can also communicate with students of the same age across the country and discuss interesting things in your study and life.

2. Referral activities

Activity name: Recruitment of top students, invite friends, and exchange for generous gifts

Activity details: All users of Zuoyebang live class can generate a 49 yuan poster and invite friends to buy the course to get a gift card. The gift card can be exchanged for 18 kinds of physical rewards of different values.

3. Points that can be copied

(1) Tiered rewards are adopted and optional, which motivates old users more

(2) The promotion of free Meow Meow Machine for beginners can increase user click-through rate

(3) Using a gift card incentive system is less expensive than cash because purchasing physical goods in bulk is relatively cheap.

8. Wheel of Fortune

The wheel draw refers to a reward that uses a draw to motivate students to invite their friends. The draw must be supported by a grand prize + multiple rewards. The grand prize is usually an iPad or a half-year course.

Applicable to: registered users, trial class users or paying users

Applicable modes: recorded classes, AI classes, large classes, small classes and one-on-one classes

Case introduction:

1. Project Introduction

Pea Thinking focuses on mathematical thinking training for children aged 3-10, in the form of live classes in small classes of 1 to 4 or 6. Currently, Pea Thinking has expanded to the AI ​​class model and merged with Magic Ears.

2. Referral activities

Activity name: Free draw to win 60 live classes

Event details: Paid students (system courses) can participate in the lucky draw by inviting friends to register, and can win up to 60 live class hours. In addition, you can get pea coins as a step-by-step reward.

Invited students can receive 1 trial class and 8 high-quality recorded classes on logical thinking and reasoning

3. Points that can be copied:

(1) The rewards are rich and attractive. Live classes are very attractive to students of system courses.

(2) Low threshold, invitations can not only earn Wandou coins but also allow participants to participate in the lucky draw

(3) The welfare arrangement for the invitees is good, with 8 classes to create attraction

9. Bargain and get it for free

Bargaining for free means using free courses or physical items as a profit point. Old students need to ask friends to help bargain. Pinduoduo is very good at this. It is rarely used in education, but bargaining for free can take into account both increasing fans and registrations.

Applicable to: registered users, trial course users or paying users

Applicable modes: recorded classes, AI classes, large classes, small classes and one-on-one classes

Case introduction:

1. Project Introduction

VIPKID is an institution that focuses on online English teaching for children aged 3-15, providing one-on-one teaching by "pure" North American foreign teachers. We only use high-quality North American foreign teachers, international teaching materials, a pure English environment, and an immersive learning experience; through 1-on-1 online video teaching methods, we help children learn and master English more effectively.

In addition to the one-on-one live courses, vipkid currently also has large-class courses (Dami Online School) and AI courses (vipkid Enlightenment)

2. Referral activities

Activity Name :

Activity Description:

Enter the event page through the official account

Select the item you like, click the "Bargain for 0 Yuan" button, and generate a personal poster

Share the poster with friends, friends circle or WeChat group

Scan the QR code on WeChat and follow the public account to get a discount

If you bargain down to 0 yuan, you can take the product and the course with it.

3. Points that can be copied

(1) There are many products involved, and users are more motivated. The number of SKUs to be bargained must be large.

(2) This activity has the effect of attracting new users and registering them

(3) The process is relatively simple. After generating the poster, let the user follow the official account

10. Group Buying

Group buying is a way of online enrollment that utilizes group buying discounts. That is, old users can get the courses and physical objects they want for free or at a low price through group buying. At present, in order to make enrollment more refined, educational institutions have been studying group buying to attract traffic, and vipkid and Zhangmen have done relatively well.

In fact, unlocking it for 1 yuan or getting it for free by forming a team are both forms of group buying.

Applicable to: registered users, trial course users or paying users

Applicable modes: recorded classes, AI classes, large classes, small classes and one-on-one classes

Case introduction:

1. Project Introduction

Zhangmen 1-on-1 focuses on 1-on-1 tutoring in all subjects for primary and junior high schools. Zhangmen 1-on-1 is a well-known brand of online one-on-one education for primary and secondary schools in China. We focus on providing high-quality one-to-one customized online education services for children aged 4-18, including full-subject education and comprehensive quality education.

2. Referral activities

Activity name: Get 4 free copies of Brain Training

Event details: Get all 4 volumes of "Super Brain Training" for free. Click to join a group now and invite 3 friends to join the group. All 4 people can get a paper book for free. New users can also take a 1-on-1 course.

3. Reusable points

(1) Clear process

(2) This activity is based on the mobile phone number obtained. New users will receive a text message reminder immediately after participating in the activity, indicating that they have successfully received a course.

(3) Physical customer acquisition has lower costs and is easier to obtain more accurate information than direct fission.

Summarize

Each of these 10 referral models in online education can be studied in more depth, but here we will only give a simple analysis.

In addition, the effect will be better if these 10 referral models are combined with each other, for example: share to get coins + invite to get coins + roulette wheel for lucky draw. The plan is just like referral model 5. Spark Thinking combines several referral models, and it is said that the conversion rate has reached 82%.

Author: Terracotta Warriors Still Waiting for You

Source: Terracotta Horses Still Waiting for You