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Have you ever surveyed your customers only to be disappointed with the results?
It wasn’t that the feedback said something you didn’t like about your brand, but it was more likely to be because it said nothing at all.
You want to learn more about customer behavior. You can use the information to improve your marketing.
The survey was a complete waste of your time.
Here’s the thing: If you don’t listen to your customers, then you are missing out on a huge opportunity to grow.
If you do them correctly, surveys are simple and inexpensive. They also allow you to collect a wealth of valuable customer information. If you don’t, then they are a waste of your time and that of your customers.
You don’t need to be concerned about this outcome. Your surveys won’t be affected by these three mistakes anymore.
Survey Mistake No. 1: You haven’t set a specific goal for your survey
Do not just conduct a questionnaire for the sake of conducting a questionnaire. Assign it a purpose that is clearly defined.
Jennifer Havice, a messaging strategist, says that there are many questions you can ask your customers and prospects. The best way to narrow down your options is to understand your end goal.
Ask yourself, “What do you want to know from your customers?”
Would you like to develop a more powerful persona for your customers?
Do you want to know how your customers speak?
Do you need to understand the Customer Journey better?
You want to know what customers think about your proposed changes.
What obstacles prevent you from making purchases?
Do you want to know what your customers think about your brand name?
It’s crucial to define the purpose of your survey.
You cannot take action on the information you gather if you do not.
Your overall question, or what you’re trying to learn from your customers, will determine your survey questions.
Don’t assume that all questions must be multiple-choice. Surveys can be a great way to capture both qualitative and quantitative feedback.
You may even want to create a survey with only qualitative open-ended questions. These responses will give you the most detailed and richest insights into your customers’ minds.
Survey Mistake – You don’t have time to dig into lengthy responses
Make Time
Or don’t. You (and your business) are at risk.
The long-form answers will give you more information about your customer than guesswork ever could.
You can rest assured that not all responses will be long essays. With time, however, you will start to celebrate those that are. They usually have unique and compelling language and stories that you can use in your marketing to boost conversions.
You will waste time combing through these long responses without analyzing them and then taking action.
What do you want to know from the responses?
You’re looking for patterns and trends, as well as unique words.
Imagine, for example, that several customers mentioned in their responses to a survey that they would have benefited from an additional consultation. It’s then time to add one to your package.
Maybe a few people say they gained more confidence in you when they learned you were from a corporate background. It’s time to emphasize this in your messages.
I recently wrote a tagline for a customer that included a word she disliked but kept appearing in her survey responses. I was convinced that it was worthwhile to use this word because her prospects would be able to relate since they had already used it.
The patterns and themes you notice in your survey can help you better understand what you need to do to increase customer satisfaction and attract more customers.
It is always worth the time spent to find out.
Survey Mistake – Your survey is boring to your customers
Your customers will not bother to fill out your survey if it is boring and long. They won’t bother with it.
You have to show them that you care.
Survey your respondents and not yourself.
People love to talk about their own lives. According to research, when people are allowed to talk about themselves, they feel the same feelings of pleasure as with food or sex.
You might wonder, “How can I use this information to improve my business?” If all my customers say is about them, how will I learn anything?
Don’t worry. You’ll get plenty of valuable insights from your customers to benefit your business.
You won’t receive a detailed answer to a question like “How has this product/service improved your life?”
Alan Klement, go-to-market, product growth, and growth specialist, says that these questions become “very abstract for the customer” because they try to combine all of their experiences to provide an answer. Klement also states that the answers that you receive will be average.
Ask questions that evoke emotional responses while remaining focused on the customer’s experience.
What was your reaction when you experienced [name of specific problem/pain]?
What was the moment you realized that you needed a solution for X?
What did you tell them if you spoke to other people about your decision to purchase [X]?
You may think you must ask many questions to obtain useful information.
No, it’s not so.
Joanna Wiebe of Copyhackers captures customer data using a survey.
“What was going on in your life that brought you to [buy / download/book/choose] [product/service] today?”
This question can help you understand why customers choose you over your competitors and their goals.
That’s right. All you need is one simple question to get all the valuable insight.
There’s nothing to stop you from adding more questions.
You have nothing to lose by using surveys. Done right
You need to do market research if you want your business to grow. You can use surveys.
They’re easy. These are easy to implement and make sense for businesses at all stages of growth. They’ll be worth the time now that you understand how to avoid these three mistakes.
Listen to your customers by conducting surveys. You will be amazed at the difference.
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