Adopting a customer-centric approach to your overall marketing strategy is the most effective way to meet consumer needs and achieve your business goals. Thanks to email marketing and other direct-to-consumer marketing channels, it is relatively easy to gather qualitative customer insights.
Despite most marketers understanding the importance of incorporating feedback into their strategy, research says many marketers often don’t do it. According to research from UserTesting, roughly 64% of marketers surveyed said they should get feedback from customers before launching marketing content and collateral. However, when asked how often they test 15 different types of deliverables — everything from branding and images, to pricing and packaging — respondents said they did not test their content or collateral more than half of the time.
Conducting research and incorporating customer feedback into your marketing strategy is extremely valuable. Use it to improve your business, expand your customer base, and retain customers you already have.
It can be as simple as sending the right email. Here are some tips to help you get the useful feedback you need to improve your business:
- Determine the best feedback system. The most crucial part of gathering customer feedback is figuring out the best method for doing so. Consider the scale of your research and what will be easiest for your customers. For example, if you’re looking for large amounts of quantitative data, consider sending mobile and desktop-friendly surveys to many subscribers. If you’re seeking more qualitative data from a smaller group of participants, try phone call or email reply surveys that glean more detailed insights.
- Stick to simple. The best way to gain the valuable feedback you want is to send focused emails. When you’re ready to begin collecting responses, your initial email should contain only a succinct message, a clear call-to-action, and a note of appreciation for taking part in this research. This no-nonsense format will help capture, and hold, your recipient’s attention.
- Explain why you’re gathering input. When asking for feedback, it is helpful to explain why you are doing so. Telling recipients your motivation behind asking for their thoughts — whether you are looking for “general feedback to improve our products” or “looking for thoughts on a new line we are launching this Fall” — gives them an incentive to do it. Explaining why you want this feedback gives recipients the opportunity to better personalize their experience with your business.
- Clarify your call to action. Whether you’re asking recipients to take a survey, answer customer feedback questions, or talk one-on-one over the phone, it’s important that your call to action lays out immediate next steps. Give a brief overview of what to expect, such as how long the survey will take or how many questions they’ll be asked to answer, and then direct readers to a clear button, link, or phone number.
- Incentivize customer feedback. Sometimes simply having a say isn’t enough for a customer to agree to share their feedback. Consider offering incentives such as gift cards and discounts, exclusive offers or sneak peeks, or a chance to win a premium product or service, all which drive participation and encourage future interactions with your business.
Smart marketers know that getting regular customer feedback can help improve their business and possibly introduce new revenue streams. Don’t avoid gathering these insights — or even worse, getting them and ignoring it — and start figuring out how you can leverage email marketing to hear from your customer base.
Adopting a customer-centric approach to your overall marketing strategy is the most effective way to meet consumer needs and achieve your business goals. Thanks to email marketing and other direct-to-consumer marketing channels, it is relatively easy to gather qualitative customer insights.
Despite most marketers understanding the importance of incorporating feedback into their strategy, research says many marketers often don’t do it. According to research from UserTesting, roughly 64% of marketers surveyed said they should get feedback from customers before launching marketing content and collateral. However, when asked how often they test 15 different types of deliverables — everything from branding and images, to pricing and packaging — respondents said they did not test their content or collateral more than half of the time.
Conducting research and incorporating customer feedback into your marketing strategy is extremely valuable. Use it to improve your business, expand your customer base, and retain customers you already have.
It can be as simple as sending the right email. Here are some tips to help you get the useful feedback you need to improve your business:
- Determine the best feedback system. The most crucial part of gathering customer feedback is figuring out the best method for doing so. Consider the scale of your research and what will be easiest for your customers. For example, if you’re looking for large amounts of quantitative data, consider sending mobile and desktop-friendly surveys to many subscribers. If you’re seeking more qualitative data from a smaller group of participants, try phone call or email reply surveys that glean more detailed insights.
- Stick to simple. The best way to gain the valuable feedback you want is to send focused emails. When you’re ready to begin collecting responses, your initial email should contain only a succinct message, a clear call-to-action, and a note of appreciation for taking part in this research. This no-nonsense format will help capture, and hold, your recipient’s attention.
- Explain why you’re gathering input. When asking for feedback, it is helpful to explain why you are doing so. Telling recipients your motivation behind asking for their thoughts — whether you are looking for “general feedback to improve our products” or “looking for thoughts on a new line we are launching this Fall” — gives them an incentive to do it. Explaining why you want this feedback gives recipients the opportunity to better personalize their experience with your business.
- Clarify your call to action. Whether you’re asking recipients to take a survey, answer customer feedback questions, or talk one-on-one over the phone, it’s important that your call to action lays out immediate next steps. Give a brief overview of what to expect, such as how long the survey will take or how many questions they’ll be asked to answer, and then direct readers to a clear button, link, or phone number.
- Incentivize customer feedback. Sometimes simply having a say isn’t enough for a customer to agree to share their feedback. Consider offering incentives such as gift cards and discounts, exclusive offers or sneak peeks, or a chance to win a premium product or service, all which drive participation and encourage future interactions with your business.
Smart marketers know that getting regular customer feedback can help improve their business and possibly introduce new revenue streams. Don’t avoid gathering these insights — or even worse, getting them and ignoring it — and start figuring out how you can leverage email marketing to hear from your customer base.
Let ResponseGenius help take your email marketing to the next level – hello@responsegenius.com
