In the majority sectors marketing department, there are many ways that are implemented when it comes to customer or buyer cycles. when any product or service is to be promoted and made available to the general public, the ‘Buyers Journey’ is a key part to consider.
There are typically three stages of this journey, namely awareness, consideration and the last stage is the decision. Click here for a further explanation of this.
During each stage, there are a few activities that marketing companies need to implement for a successful elevation of goods or services. Surveys then are usually implemented at either the awareness or the consideration stages to find out what customers think about the product or service. Once they are done and the results are in, they can tweak things accordingly to make improvements.
What Are Surveys?
Surveys, which are also referred to as questionnaires, can be simple or complicated depending on the item in question. This is known as data collection, and there are four typical types of these.
- Telephone
- Face to face
- Self-administered via a computer online
- Self-administered on paper (written)
One of the best ways to implement this is to use the software as a quick, and hassle-free option. We discuss this concept below, as well as the advantages of using this type of marketing practice.
Advantages of Surveys During Marketing Efforts
Fast Data Collection Turn Around: It has been noted that in most situations you would get at least 90% of your replies within the first 48 hours or roll out.
Effective Remote Data Collection: it is an advantage that this method can be done online and in remote locations, so unlike the traditional ways of standing outside shopping malls or groceries stores with your paper and pen chasing after people to answer your questions, you can just do it from the comfort of your own office or home.
Perfect for Collecting Emotional Feedback: they can also help you tap into the emotions of your buyers. You can find out what excites them, what makes them angry, upset or happy regarding your company or product.
Easy to Implement: it is pretty easy to implement this especially if done via automated software, and something instrumental like survey coding can help you out significantly, once the process is complete. In a nutshell, it is the process of gathering all the information you got and categorizing it into groups and responses.
Great for Gathering Qualitative Feedback: in most cases, the best way to gather any relevant information about your business is by use of a questionnaire. An open-ended one could do the trick in finding out what your customers’ perspective is, how they feel and what they think about it.
When you understand the ‘why’ you can implement the best approaches for successful ROI (Return on Investment). Qualitative feedback also helps in making accurate comparisons: https://www.infobloom.com/what-is-qualitative-feedback.htm
More Precise than Interpreting Behavior Data: customer loyalty is of importance to any organization. According to research, one way of finding out how loyal you are is through the use of questions, which can be highly effective and more accurate than most other models.
You can find the exact demographic information as well as behavioral data relevant to what you are trying to sell and aim to advertise and put all your marketing efforts towards a specific audience as opposed to a whole array of people who may or may not be interested.
Even if you have the technical skills required, research has shown customer loyalty models based on customer feedback data are more accurate and effective than models that are used on demographic and customer behavior data.
Other additional important paybacks include:
- Able to Collect Comprehensive Data
- More Direct than Interpreting Behavior Data
- Cheaper and Faster Than A/B Testing Every Option
- Able to Collect Large Volumes of Data Quickly and at Low Cost
Using Survey Software
As one of the most powerful tools you can use in any type of business, having an automated system can save you tremendous time, money and less paperwork. Anything from paper surveys, to online, quantitative or qualitative information, phone discussions and customer service, can all be automated with the right software.
By using something like a survey coding guide which can be found online, you can help yourself differentiate different characteristics and target the right population to sell your business to.
You can either use open-ended queries or closed-ended ones such as multiple-choice, scaled responses or ratings for example. Which is typically seen on most social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.
A quick analysis of feedback can be done with the right tools. You can choose either the option of an automated version or a manual version of coding that you input yourself, or your IT team does. The automated version uses highly intelligent AI (Artificial Intelligence) to gather data for you, and sort it out, as opposed to being at risk of human error when doing it manually.
