Why Earned Growth is Your Path to Profitability: 5 Key Takeaways From Our Webinar

Get four takeaways from our webinar with NPS creator Fred Reichheld and Bloomreach CMO Amanda Cole

We recently sat down with the ‘high priest of loyalty’ and NPS creator Fred Reichheld, Amanda Cole (CMO at Bloomreach), Mention Me Founder Andy Cockburn, and our own Chief Growth Officer Darren Loveday, to unpack one big question:

What’s the secret to lasting, profitable growth?

The answer: Earned Growth — a groundbreaking metric rooted in loyalty, referrals and customer experience, linking customer happiness with lasting performance.

Here’s what we learnt and why this metric matters for every growth-focused brand.

What is Earned Growth and why does it matter?

Earned Growth tells you how fast you’ll grow each year without spending on sales or marketing. Traditional marketing often focuses on bought growth (promotions, discounts, and paid campaigns), which is expensive, unreliable and rarely leads to long-term profits.

Instead, Earned Growth rewards brands that treat their customers so well that they come back and bring friends.

Fred nailed it:

“Companies win when they treat customers so well they come back for more and bring their friends…that’s the definition of profitable growth.”

Darren shared how Mention Me tracks Earned Growth for 60+ brands, and why referred customers consistently outperform others:

“Referral is the most authentic form of acquisition — customer-first growth starts with advocacy.”

The garden metaphor you won’t forget

Fred used a brilliant garden metaphor to explain short vs long-term growth:

“Most companies are obsessed with ephemerals — quick wins that fade fast. But what you need are perennials — loyal customers who keep coming back, and help you grow like compound interest.”

The future of marketing belongs to brands that plant and care for perennials.

Takeaway #1: Personalisation must build loyalty, not just clicks

Amanda made one thing clear: true personalisation isn’t just swapping “Dear Sir” for “Dear Amanda”. It’s about building real relationships with customers over time.

She explained:

“In a human relationship, you remember details. You pick up where you left off. Brands should do the same.”

Bloomreach is using AI and data to help brands create personalised experiences at scale. And when done right, this kind of personalisation becomes a powerful driver of loyalty, referrals and lifetime value.

Real-world example: Brompton Bikes

• Tracking referrals (and finding referred customers are 78% more valuable)
• Using community riders as influencers and advocates
• Personalising post-purchase journeys with Bloomreach
• Turning loyal customers into a sustainable growth engine

Darren summed it up:

“They’re not just selling bikes — they’re building a movement. That movement fuels impressive earned growth.”

Takeaway #2: Why you need to rethink KPIs

Amanda and Fred both pointed out a key challenge: most marketers are still incentivised by short-term results. KPIs are tied to revenue spikes, not long-term brand building.

But this is changing.

Fred challenged marketers to shift their goals, using our favourite garden analogy from earlier:

“You’re being rewarded for gathering ephemerals. Change your KPI to nurturing perennials. You’ll create more value — and be more valuable.”

Amanda added:

“If you’re thinking, ‘I can’t change my KPIs’ — you absolutely can. Dig into the data. Build your case. Involve finance. That’s how you win buy-in and drive lasting change.”

Takeaway #3: Where is marketing headed next?

Amanda believes automation and AI will dramatically shift the role of marketing.

In her words:

“Marketing, as we know it today, will disappear. What will remain are business builders — people who understand the customer, the product, and the data, and use that to drive advocacy.”

Earned Growth will be the metric that separates brands people use from brands they love.

Fred agreed:

“Referrals will be the heartbeat of sustainable growth. It’s the chain reaction that transforms customers into your most powerful acquisition channel.”

Takeaway #4: Where do you start on the path to profitable growth?

You don’t need to reinvent your whole marketing machine overnight. But if you want to build earned growth into your strategy, here's your first step:

1. Start tracking referral and retention
If you’re not already measuring how many new customers come from referrals, start now. Same goes for tracking customer retention and lifetime value.

2. Understand why people refer
What do your customers love about your brand? Capture that insight. Then build campaigns, experiences, and journeys around it.

3. Align your KPIs with long-term impact
Measure what matters. That means not just acquisition volume, but quality — conversion rates, lifetime value, and referral likelihood.

4. Get buy-in across your business
Marketing can’t drive Earned Growth alone. You need finance, data, customer experience and product onboard too. Show them the numbers. Make the case.

Fred’s closing advice brought it home:

“The brands of the future will be built on trust. Trust earns loyalty. Loyalty drives referral. And referrals drive growth. Full stop.”

Ready to put Earned Growth into action?

Mention Me is the world’s leading referral platform. We can help you turn happy customers  into passionate advocates that drive long-term, organic growth. 

Get in touch today via your Mention Me rep or contact us using this form.

Watch the full webinar on-demand here.