A Simple Referrals Widget - RefBoost
Here are some ideas for writing a blog post in which you share details about your startup with a community of entrepreneurs:
RefBoost is a simple widget to help spread the word. The idea came from a customer that wanted to give away discounts to visitors in exchange of them sharing their website.
RefBoost mission is to make it easier for visitors to get a better deal in exchange of sharing a product/service/website.
There are other solutions out there, but are costly and much more complicated to setup, this widget do one thing and one thing only. It's a popup widget anyone can use to include emails from friends and get a discount coupon after.
Being simple it's it advantage.
I've learned about how to validate emails:
- Not disposable, not from a free emails provider
- Valid Format
- Valid domain (up and running)
- Not a role account (for example no-reply@)
I'm not sure if it will be enough, any visitor could use fake emails anyway, that could only be solved by having to approve any deal-process, in that case the visitor that is referring friends would not receive the discount coupon automatically, it has to wait until every friend has:
a- opened the email (easy if you include the typical hidden pixel)
b- the owner of the widget has approved the "deal". (this would make things less simple)
I just finished the MVP, and I'm ready to start alpha-testing.
Building widgets is fun and interesting, include it like any other external javascript. You are not really including a js, the js is generated from the back using the customized settings. You need to obfuscate the js and the css, you need to be sure you are not using CSS or JS that could mess with the website where it will show up.
You will have to fix cross domain issues and security related, as others will be including a file hosted on your server, under your domain, under a different one.
I did not do any private dashboard with a login, well there is a private area to define settings, but there is no user/password. I solved it buy just sending a link when you sign up, there is no login, just a link to private customizer (a sha1 hash link refboost.com/customizer?id:8hikij23h409fd89fds...
If you check it https://refboost.com (it's live in the main site as a demo), what tweaks or changes would it need so you use it in your website?
I want to make it FREE with branding, or paid without branding + leads export.
Haven't started marketing or telling anyone outside of indie hackers, would love to get some feedback from you, even if it's a "cease & desist" feedback.
If you are interested in knowing more about the architecture you need behind a widget like this I could write more about it.
Increase your traffic and sales by giving away discounts to visitors that share your website for FREE, with RefBoost, try it now https://refboost.com
