It can be argued that word of mouth among friends and family generates more purchases than any other marketing effort, meaning that a company can get by without spending heavily on advertising.
It’s undeniable that in today’s digital age, millions of online reviews written by different types of users have replaced word-of-mouth comments, and their impact on the brand’s or product’s reputation grows continuously. That’s why encouraging good user feedback is crucial for your brand’s growth.
Best Ways to Ask for Feedback
There are two types of customer feedback. Requested feedback—or the responses we receive after contacting or surveying our customers, and spontaneous feedback—the reviews and comments customers leave on their own accord and any public mentions (positive or negative) we may receive from them.
Email Surveys
One effective method of measuring user satisfaction is to conduct an online survey and send it out via email. And the best way to grow your email list is to use an email pop up form on your website. Once you’ve gathered the emails, you can send them a survey after they’ve made a purchase, and ask them about every step of their buyer’s journey and shopping experience, online or in-store. However, to inspire your website visitors and customers to tell you their opinion send them the survey immediately after their interaction with your brand.
To get a good response rate from your customers, design your surveys so that they take little time and effort on their part to complete. If you need to conduct a lengthier survey, you should consider offering incentives or motivation if they see them through to the end, such as freebies, special offers, free downloads, discounts, etc.
Social Media Surveys
Social networks are great for measuring customer interest in different topics, answering questions about products and services, and identifying issues. Regular use will yield useful insights that will help you steer projects in the right direction and ensure that you’re always speaking to your ideal customers. You can use social media accounts to improve your products, your content, your customer service, your marketing efforts, and so on.
Online Reviews
You already know that reviews are helpful for people who are considering whether to buy your products or services. When making a purchase, consumers today want to find out more about other buyers’ experiences. This is why you must pay close attention to online reviews and comments.
The Benefits of Asking for Feedback
Requesting, organizing, and analyzing customer feedback is a time- and labor-intensive process that demands your full attention. Now that you know the most efficient methods to get customer feedback let’s talk about its value.
In short, the most important benefit from feedback is that you will gain insight into your strengths and areas where you can improve. Moreover, a good user experience is the best advertisement. You can use customer praise in the form of testimonials to spread the word about your business.
Nobody knows if your goals have been achieved better than your current and former customers. By getting first-hand information, you can find out if consumers actually need what you’re selling, and how well their opinion aligns with your expectations.
Your customer’s opinions will help you figure out what features of your products or services are most appreciated. This way you will be able to learn more about your customers and grow your customer base. Additionally, they will help you stand out from your competitors. A customer’s complaint or praise can shed light on what they value most and what you need to work on. All of this data is gold, as it can be used to directly engage potential customers via your website and other online channels.
Customer feedback analysis can help you identify trends, as well as identify the changes you can make to improve your results. You will be able to better understand their concerns and their doubts about your company. Knowing what customers think about you is also a great way to learn whether you are satisfying all key expectations of your clientele. You can use this information to pinpoint problem areas and prioritize solutions.
It’s a sure bet that your happy customers will spread the word about you. Everyone wants to feel like their thoughts and feelings matter. To increase brand loyalty and word-of-mouth advertising, demonstrate to consumers that you value their feedback and input by acting on it.
Conclusion
Every manager or business owner wishes to learn whether their offerings truly satisfy customers’ needs. Whether you are wondering if they’re satisfied with your website, your products, or your customer service, asking for feedback is one of the most effective ways to not only evaluate your brand reputation but also identify where you excel and what are your weak spots, and, ultimately improve.
