The Loyalty Test: Canva Advertising Campaign Built Around Customers, Referrals & Repeat Orders
An experiment by Mid Connect to understand how existing customers, genuine recommendations, repeat purchases and word-of-mouth can contribute to the growth of our Canva subscription service.
Most businesses spend money trying to find new customers.
They run advertisements. They create social media campaigns. They offer discounts. They work with influencers. They experiment with different marketing strategies.
But there is another question that is often much more interesting:
What happens when your existing customers become the reason new customers discover you?
That question is the idea behind our newest advertising campaign, which we have named “The Loyalty Test.”
The name is intentional.
We are not trying to judge our customers or put anyone under pressure. Instead, we are running a small real-world experiment to understand something very important for our business:
How strong is the relationship between us and our existing customers, and how much can genuine customer satisfaction contribute to our growth?
We want to see how many customers come back, how many purchase again, how many recommend us to a friend, how many purchase something for someone else, and how many simply tell another person about our service because they genuinely found it useful.
This is our attempt to turn customer loyalty into a measurable marketing experiment.
What Exactly Is “The Loyalty Test”?
The Loyalty Test is an advertising and customer-referral experiment that we have started around our Canva subscription service.
Instead of looking only at traditional advertising, we want to explore the potential of customer-to-customer recommendations.
The basic idea is incredibly simple.
You have already purchased from us. You have used our service. You know what the experience is like.
Now, if you genuinely like the service, you can introduce someone else to it.
- A friend
- A family member
- A colleague
- A fellow student
- A freelancer
- A small-business owner
- A content creator
Maybe they need Canva for themselves. Maybe you want to purchase access for someone else. Maybe someone simply asks:
“Where did you get your Canva subscription?”
That's where the referral opportunity begins.
Why Are We Calling It a Test?
Because we genuinely don't know the final result yet.
We're not claiming that every customer will refer someone. We're not claiming that our referral strategy will suddenly create massive growth.
We're testing it.
We want to collect real-world information from our own customer base.
Repeat Orders
How many existing customers come back and purchase again?
Referrals
How many customers introduce someone else to our service?
Additional Purchases
How many customers purchase access for another person?
Word-of-Mouth
How often do customers naturally tell someone about us?
Loyalty Isn't Always About Discounts
When people hear the word "loyalty," they often immediately think about discount coupons.
But loyalty can be much more than that.
Buy Again
A customer returns when they need the service again.
Recommend
A customer tells someone they trust about the service.
Purchase for Others
A customer helps another person access the service.
Give Feedback
A customer shares what they like or what can improve.
In many cases, these actions can be more meaningful than simply clicking on an advertisement.
Why Customer Referrals Matter
Imagine two different situations.
Situation A — Traditional Advertisement
Someone sees an advertisement saying: “Affordable Canva subscription available.”
They don't know who you are. They don't know whether the service is reliable. They don't know what previous customers experienced.
Situation B — Customer Recommendation
“I've already used this service. You can check them out.”
That's a completely different starting point.
The second person isn't discovering the business from zero. They're discovering it through someone they already know.
That's the potential power of word-of-mouth marketing.
A Famous Case Study: Dropbox and Referral Marketing
One of the best-known examples of referral-driven growth comes from Dropbox.
Dropbox introduced a referral program where existing users could invite friends. The incentive was designed so that both the existing user and the person joining could receive additional storage when the referral conditions were met.
Dropbox Referral Growth
According to a presentation by Dropbox co-founder Drew Houston, the company's referral program permanently increased signups by around 60%, and at one point approximately 35% of daily signups came directly from the referral program.
Dropbox also reported that by 2016, 44% of new accounts were being opened when existing users introduced people to Dropbox.
Now, we are obviously not Dropbox.
We're not claiming that our campaign will produce Dropbox-level results. That would be unrealistic.
Instead, we're borrowing the idea behind the case study:
Your existing customers can sometimes become your strongest source of new customers.
And we want to test whether that principle can work for our own Canva service.
What We Are Testing With The Loyalty Test
Our experiment has several different parts.
Test 1: Repeat Purchases
The first thing we want to understand is:
How many customers come back?
If someone buys a Canva subscription from us once and later returns when they need another plan, that's a useful signal.
It suggests that the customer remembers the business and considers returning.
Repeat purchases can tell us something about the long-term value of a customer—not just the value of their first order.
Test 2: Customer Referrals
The second part is straightforward:
Will our customers recommend us to someone else?
Maybe you have a friend who needs Canva. Maybe a colleague is looking for an affordable creative subscription. Maybe someone in your family has started a small business.
If you've had a good experience with us and feel comfortable recommending us, you can introduce them.
Test 3: Buying for Someone Else
Sometimes a customer doesn't need another subscription for themselves. But they might know someone who does.
Family
A customer may arrange access for another family member.
Team
A freelancer or business owner may need access for another person.
Friends
Someone may want to help a friend get started.
Creators
A creator may recommend the service to another creator.
These are different from traditional repeat purchases. The original customer isn't necessarily consuming the product again. They're helping someone else access it.
Test 4: Natural Word-of-Mouth
Not every referral will happen through a formal referral link.
Sometimes it's much simpler.
Someone asks: “Where did you get this?”
And you answer:
“I bought it from this service.”
That's word-of-mouth.
It may happen through WhatsApp, Instagram, a group conversation, between freelancers, or between business owners.
We want to see how much of this natural recommendation happens around our service.
We Don't Want Fake Loyalty
This is probably the most important part of our campaign.
The Loyalty Test is not about forcing customers to refer us.
We don't want someone recommending our service just because they feel pressured.
If you genuinely like the service, tell someone.
If you don't, that's okay too.
In fact, honest feedback is valuable.
A referral should ideally happen because a customer believes: “This could actually be useful for this person.”
Our Goal Is to Learn, Not Just Sell
At first glance, this campaign may look like another promotional campaign. But there's a bigger purpose behind it.
We're trying to understand our customers.
Do customers return?
Understanding repeat-purchase behaviour.
Do customers recommend us?
Measuring genuine customer advocacy.
Do customers purchase for others?
Understanding additional customer-driven purchases.
What drives referrals?
Learning what makes customers comfortable recommending us.
That's why we're treating this as a case study of our own customer behaviour.
The Customer Becomes Part of the Marketing
Traditional advertising usually works like this:
But referral marketing can look different:
The existing customer becomes part of the journey.
The Loyalty Test Is Also a Test of Our Own Business
We're not only testing customer loyalty.
We're testing ourselves.
Because if we want customers to recommend us, we have to give them a reason to recommend us.
Good Communication
Keep customers informed and communicate clearly.
Clear Pricing
Make pricing and plan information easy to understand.
Reliable Service
Focus on a consistent customer experience.
Transparent Terms
Clearly communicate access conditions and applicable terms.
Earn the recommendation before asking for it.
Canva Subscription: The Service Behind the Loyalty Test
Our main focus in this campaign is our Canva subscription service.
Canva is widely used by creators, freelancers, students, businesses, marketers, social media managers, educators, and designers.
Instagram Posts
Create social media creatives and promotional content.
Presentations
Build professional slides for work, education and business.
YouTube Thumbnails
Create visual content for creators and channels.
Marketing Graphics
Create posters, banners and promotional materials.
Digital Invitations
Create event and celebration designs.
Brand Content
Build consistent visual content for businesses and creators.
Our Canva Subscription Options
We provide different subscription-duration options designed around different customer requirements.
The exact access method, duration, account arrangement, features, eligibility, and terms can vary by offer, so customers should always check the specific details before purchasing.
Our service is separate from Canva itself. Customers should review the applicable terms and conditions of both the service and Canva before purchasing.
Why Affordable Canva Access Can Be Useful
For someone who uses Canva regularly, having access to the features they need can make their creative workflow easier.
Freelancers
Use Canva for client projects and creative work.
Small Businesses
Create social media and marketing materials.
Content Creators
Create thumbnails, posts and promotional graphics.
Students
Use design tools for presentations and projects.
How the Referral Idea Could Work
We're currently exploring a referral structure around the Loyalty Test.
You are an existing customer
You have already purchased or are currently purchasing from us.
You know someone who might need Canva
You tell them about our service.
They become a customer
They purchase through the applicable referral process.
Your referral is recorded
We can then measure how many new customers are coming through existing customers.
Depending on the final referral structure we introduce, eligible customers may receive a referral benefit.
The exact reward, eligibility requirements, duration, and conditions will be communicated separately as the program develops.
Why We Are Starting Small
We don't want to launch an unnecessarily complicated referral system.
Can our existing customers help us reach new customers?
That's the question.
If the answer is yes, we can improve the program. If something isn't working, we'll change it. If customers prefer a different type of reward, we'll listen.
And if customers don't find the program useful, that's valuable information too.
Can You Help Us?
This is where the Loyalty Test becomes a community effort.
If you have already purchased from us and genuinely like our service, you can help us by introducing someone who may need it.
You don't have to spam people. You don't have to send messages to random strangers. You don't have to convince anyone.
Simply think:
“Do I know someone who could actually use this?”
If yes, tell them about us.
Who Could You Refer?
A Friend
Perhaps your friend is learning graphic design or needs Canva.
A Family Member
Perhaps someone in your family runs a small business.
A Freelancer
A freelancer may use Canva regularly for client projects.
A Business Owner
A small business may need Canva for social media and marketing.
What Will We Learn From The Loyalty Test?
At the end of the campaign, we hope to have something more valuable than just a list of new orders.
We hope to have data.
Repeat Customer Rate
How many customers purchased again?
Referral Rate
How many customers brought another customer?
Customer-to-Customer Growth
How many new customers originated from existing customers?
Second-Purchase Behaviour
How many customers returned for another purchase?
Gift / Additional Purchase Behaviour
How many purchases were made for another person?
Referral Conversion
How many referred people actually became customers?
This Is Our Small Business Case Study
Many large companies spend enormous amounts of money testing different marketing strategies.
We want to do something similar on a smaller scale.
What happens if we put our existing customers at the centre of the campaign?
That's our experiment.
That's our Loyalty Test.
And you're part of it.
We Don't Know the Result Yet
And we're okay with that.
Maybe referrals will be extremely successful. Maybe repeat orders will surprise us. Maybe customers will introduce more people than we expected.
Maybe customers will prefer buying for friends. Or maybe we'll discover that customers prefer a completely different approach.
Whatever happens, we'll learn.
Because a genuine experiment doesn't begin with a guaranteed result. It begins with a question.
“How much can customer loyalty contribute to the growth of our Canva service?”
From Customer to Community
There's something special about a business growing through people who have already experienced it.
This doesn't mean every customer has to refer someone. It doesn't mean every referral will become a purchase. And it certainly doesn't mean customers owe us anything.
Instead, we're simply creating an opportunity for people who genuinely like our service to share it.
Why We Believe This Experiment Is Worth Trying
The internet has made advertising easier. But it has also made customers more cautious.
People see advertisements everywhere:
- YouTube
- Websites
- Search results
- Apps
But when someone they trust recommends something, the conversation can feel different.
We're not trying to replace advertising. We're trying to understand whether customer advocacy can become another part of our advertising strategy.
And that's exactly why we've given this experiment a name:
The Loyalty Test.
Want to Become Part of the Loyalty Test?
If you've already purchased from us, you're already part of the experiment.
If you're currently using our service, you can continue using it normally.
And if you genuinely think someone else could benefit from our Canva subscription service, you can introduce them to us.
No Pressure
Recommend us only when you genuinely think the service could help someone.
No Random Spam
There's no need to send unwanted messages to people.
Genuine Recommendation
Share the service naturally with people who may need it.
Be Part of the Experiment
Help us understand whether customer advocacy can drive growth.
Our Message to Existing Customers
To everyone who has already purchased from us:
Thank you.
Every order tells us that someone trusted our service enough to try it.
Every repeat order tells us that someone decided to come back.
And every genuine referral tells us that someone felt comfortable enough to recommend us.
That's valuable.
Rather than simply saying:
“Buy from us.”
We're trying something different:
“If you like what we do, help us introduce it to someone
who might genuinely need it.”
And let's see what happens.
The Loyalty Test Starts With One Customer
A referral doesn't have to begin with hundreds of people.
It can begin with one.
One customer tells one friend.
That friend tells someone else.
Another customer returns.
Someone purchases for a family member.
A freelancer recommends us to another freelancer.
A small business owner shares our service with another business owner.
Tiny actions can add up.
We're not promising the same results as larger companies. We're simply asking:
Could a smaller version of that idea work for us?
That's what we're here to find out.
Final Word: Help Us Test Loyalty
The Loyalty Test isn't just another discount campaign.
It's our attempt to understand our customers better.
Repeat Purchases
Understanding whether customers return.
Referrals
Measuring customer-driven discovery.
Word-of-Mouth
Understanding natural recommendations.
Customer Loyalty
Learning how customer relationships contribute to growth.
If you've already purchased from us and had a positive experience, you can become part of this experiment simply by recommending us when you genuinely believe someone could benefit.
No pressure. No forced sharing. No random spam.
Just a simple idea:
If you like it, tell someone who might need it.
That's our Loyalty Test.
And perhaps the most interesting part is that we don't know the result yet.
We're going to find out together.
Looking for an Affordable Canva Subscription?
If you're looking for an affordable Canva subscription option, explore our available plans and choose the duration that matches your needs.
The exact access method, duration, account arrangement, features, eligibility and terms can vary by offer. Please review the specific product details before purchasing.
Get Canva at an Affordable Rate ↗Your Recommendation Could Be Our Next Customer.
If you already use our service and genuinely believe someone else could benefit from it, introduce them to Mid Connect.
And if you're looking for an affordable Canva subscription, explore our current plans and choose the option that fits your needs.
Visit Mid Connect — Affordable Canva Plans ↗Check the current plan, duration, access method and applicable terms before purchasing.