Birds of a feather flock together, or so they say. People with the same tastes, opinions, beliefs, interest, preferences and wants tend to stick together and help each other out. The “birds of a feather” principle is at the core of what makes referral marketing so successful. People trust their kindred spirits and are much more likely to make a purchase or join an organization if they see how much it has benefited a friend or family member with similar needs or desires.

Recently, we published a few blogs in our demographics and referral behavior series. In general, the results indicated that birds of a feather do indeed stick together. Our series was based off the results of some Google Consumer surveys we ran. For example, we asked a couple of questions about purchases made because of referrals or recommendations from friends or family members:

1. Have you ever referred a friend to a product or service that they have subsequently purchased?
2. Have you ever purchased something based on the recommendation of a friend or family member?

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