How much do you really know about your customers? If you had further information about their likes and dislikes, buying patterns, and what incites them to make a purchase, could you use it to increase your conversion rate?
Chances are you could do just that. The more details you can amass, the more focused your marketing efforts can become. Rather than taking a shot in the dark, you can spend your promotion and advertising dollars more wisely.
Let’s take an in-depth look at surveys and what they can do for your online business.
Types Of Online Surveys
There are many different ways to send out Online Surveys to your customers: mail, email, telephone, or online. Knowing all you do about internet marketing, which do you think would be most advantageous? If you guessed the online survey, you are correct!
Why is it best to post an online survey? Here are some of the benefits in addition to getting information from your clients.
1. It requires your customers to pay another visit to your website. This is good for page ranking.
2. It provides an opportunity for visitors to see additional information posted on the page with the survey link.
3. Many consumers feel more comfortable – and more anonymous when they can fill out a survey online.
What kind of information you are seeking through the survey will depend on what you are trying to accomplish.
Perhaps you are wondering why sales of a particular product are lagging. Ask your customers if the price is too high or the quality too low.
Maybe you are considering adding a new line to your company’s offerings. Why not test out the viability of this addition before going to the expense?
Then again, you might be concerned about why a former client is no longer doing business with your company. Allow a space for write-in comments to get to the crux of the matter.
Getting Responses
Perhaps the most frustrating part of surveying your customers is the typically low rate of response. Some people may not have an interest in giving their opinion; still others may feel that completing an Online Survey is not a good use of their time. If you understand that not everyone will be keen to complete your survey, you can take steps to encourage participation beforehand.
Offer an incentive. This is the most basic, and most effective, way to get customers to fill out a survey. Send them a gift certificate, or include their name in a drawing for a prize.
Make a big deal out of it. Post something on your site about your efforts. This makes respondents feel like they are part of a worthwhile project.
Offer to share your results with all respondents, if they request it. You could also post the results on your site after the survey closes and explain a bit about how the responses helped your marketing efforts.
There are many software programs available on the internet that allow you to create your own Online Surveys easily. Figure out what information you want to obtain, then get started – and use the results to your online marketing advantage.
Have a most outstanding day.
Sean RasmussenAussie Internet Marketing
www.AussieSEO.com 2010
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Sean,
To be honest it’s very rare for me to respond to a request to complete an online survey. I feel like I’m so busy and I just don’t have the time. So, I don’t really think I would ever ask my customers to do it for me.
I think the only way I would do it is if I offered every customer some small incentive in return for their time. That may cost me an arm and a leg though. I will have to find a workable solution.
Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Learn and Earn Competition – This is It
Hi Elly,
I actually have earnt a few hundred dollars over the last few years doing online surveys so I would consider putting one on my site to get feed back, form customers, my theory is if you don’t ask you don’t know
Hi Sean
I can see the importance of finding out information from customers but I would only fill out a questionnaire online if it was just a few questions and didn’t require long responses.
I recently sent out a questionnaire to a few people I know in regards to their experience in stock market trading. They all answered and returned the questionnaire, but I am guessing that is because they know me and they wanted to do the right thing.
I do like the idea though and would use it with regular customers who knew me fairly well.
Elly´s last blog ..
Most times when I come across an online survey I just ignore it unless it’s a simple single question, click the radio-button type. Then I might offer up a single click. I think part of this is because of a couple lengthy surveys I started to complete that tossed me about after about ten questions because I wasn’t the demographic they were targeting. However, way back in the days when the Web was young I did win $400 US for filling out an online survey. And that was when the US$ was worth something.
Don White´s last blog ..I Learn to Play Guitar – Part 1
Hi Don,
Yes some of them are very annoying, with the way the ask the same question 10 different ways those ones I will just delete
You can see how helpful on-line surveys are to the business..
An effective way to gauge a products acceptance and information on what the customer values most..
Hi Sean,
I do think online surveys can be very helpful for your online marketing, and you may get some answers that will help your online marketing strategies.