Getting feedback from customers can be a little bit more complicated than just deciding what you want to know. It’s critical to engage your customers with thoughtful questions whether their responses are positive or negative.
Here are some tips on how to create a winning marketing survey, whether you’re planning on using it pre- or post-project.
- The best surveys are created and interpreted with the specific audience in mind. For example, surveying first-time customers with no previous experience with you might affect their responses. Likewise, a repeat customer with a long history would report something else to you. Know your audience and tailor your questions for them.
- Sometimes writing good questions is all about borrowing words from your customers’ mouths. That’s why putting them in survey questions is so important. In the end, it’s never about the product itself but what it will mean to someone. Incorporating their language is a surefire way to move them to respond in a meaningful and useful way.
- One of my favorite questions is: “If we worked together, what would it allow you to do? How would you feel about it?” I love to ask this question because people open up and think carefully about their answers. And remember, most people make emotional decisions and then justify them financially, so asking folks how they would feel about working with you is a step in the right direction.
- Ask questions like “How satisfied are you?” or “What is your primary motivation for using XYZ product?” or “What best describes why you came here today?” It’s really important to benchmark a prospect’s primary motivation.
- And of course, make sure you have colleagues who are less familiar with your offering look over your survey before handing it to real prospects or customers.