7 Survey Steps To Promote Your Business

You don't need wads of cash to run a marketing campaign or build a brand image when there are inexpensive ways to market your brand. There were times when marketing a product was limited to only distributing fliers or through event promotion or door-to-door endorsement. Today, we have it easy: the internet makes it easy to research, strategize, and execute without leaving the comfort of your own desk. Now, all you need to do is search, and you’ll find the information you need quickly and easily.

Simply put, businesses that listen to customers’ suggestions and demands grow faster than those that don’t. They understand different avenues of customer service and work toward building a sustainable solution. To get accurate customer data, it's imperative to ask the right questions. How do you know if a customer is happy or not? Is the customer fully aware of the product he/she is using? Does the customer want any support or assistance? How hard is it for customers to find the solutions they are looking for?

Surveys are extremely effective. A survey that is well written and to the point allows you to ascertain what your product or service might be lacking and what changes you need to make to serve your customers better. While it's easy to speak directly with customers and ask them how they feel, collecting and analyzing results becomes more complicated.

A survey helps to gather customer feedback seamlessly. You can start by asking a plethora of questions to identify the gaps and understand what customers need and what they want. A survey is a mountain of data you can use to improve your business functions and strategy. Through deep analysis, a broad spectrum of insights can help you to open multiple channels to grow your business.

So how should you start? Every question in the survey will depend on who the survey taker is and what information you want to glean from the whole exercise.

1. Determine your purpose
   
   Firstly, you have to determine what the survey is all about. Don’t start building until you’re clear on your topic and purpose.
   
   For instance, you can use the survey to:
   - Understand customers’ opinions about your product
   - Learn which features they like and dislike
   - Identify potential customers or brand ambassadors
   
   A survey designed with a clear objective also has limited survey questions. This prevents surveys from becoming lengthy and makes it easier to gather more responses.
   
   
2. Ask the right questions
   

   Surveys help collect two kinds of data: objective and subjective. Objective data includes facts and demographics like age, marital status, and location, and subjective data includes personal variables like behaviors, interests, and opinions.

   In addition to asking the right question, it’s equally important to ask the right question type, as the format may have a significant impact on the answers you get. While measuring customer satisfaction, you could use open-ended questions or Net Promoter Score, for example, but your choice will determine how you can use the results. You can also include questions on the following topics to get more from your customers:

   Product usage
   Be it customer success or satisfaction, knowing about the perceived value of your product is a must. If you don't collect feedback about your product or services, you'll find it challenging to meet customers’ expectations. Finding out your customers’ level of satisfaction with your brand will help the product and marketing teams to redesign the product and improve customer retention.
   
   Some questions that you could ask:
   - How effective is the product for you?
   - Does the product meet your expectations?
   - Any changes or features who would like to see?
   - Would you recommend our product to others?
   
   Demographics
   Demographic questions are generally open-ended questions to collect the maximum amount of specific personal information. This data makes it possible to better understand your target audience. This makes it easier for companies to segment customers into buying personas, which then help the marketing and sales team to pursue leads that are most likely to close. Depending on your products and services, choose questions about the key details that will help you reach the right personas.
   
   A few questions to consider:
   - Age
   - Location
   - Gender
   - Education
   - Occupation
   
   Remember that you’ll have better response rates if you avoid making demographic questions mandatory. Some customers may prefer not to answer to protect their privacy and to avoid any spam emails or calls. Include only those questions that serve a specific purpose.
   
   
3. Create and run a test
   

   Most surveys are now conducted online. Choose the survey tool that is most affordable and easy to use — SoGoSurvey, Google Form, or Typeform — to set up and administer your survey.

   Whichever solution you pick, make sure you run a test before distributing it to customers. As a test, share it with co-workers, friends, and family to get a wide range of feedback. Check for grammar and spelling errors, but also look for confusing, misleading, or duplicate questions. It is of utmost important to rectify any faults before distributing because once it's live, it won't be back.

   Once you're confident everything is fine, you can get ready to launch the survey to your target audience and start collecting results.

4. Decide on incentives
   
   One factor that impacts the survey response rate is motivation. Almost all of us are busy, and doing anything for free can seem like too much to ask. Motivation in the form of incentives can help participants complete the survey. The longer the survey, the bigger the carrot should be. Consider the purpose of your research and whether it merits additional support in the form of an incentive. I your survey is urgent, set a deadline, and follow-up before the deadline.
   
   
5. Distribute the survey
   
   Once your survey is complete, the next big thing is to distribute it. After all, to achieve your survey goals, you need responses. Choose the distribution methods that will best connect you to your target audience.
   
   There are multiple channels to distribute your survey:
   - Send an email to your defined target audience
   - Use Single-Link or Multiple-Link survey invitations
   - Embed the code on your website or a specific landing page
   - Share links to social media through posts or stories that excite participants
   
   
6. Analyze your responses
   
   Once you've collected your data, it’s time to understand the numbers and reports. The quickest way to start is to analyze data from all survey respondents. You can slice and dice data in the format that you want and analyze it in the most insightful format. For example, you can segment the data by demographics like age, annual revenue, or occupation. Don't ignore any feedback; while some may be pleasing, some may be nasty, too. However, this negative feedback often requires even more attention than the rest. Presenting data in the form of graphs and charts is a helpful way to deliver results, but don’t overdo it with endless analysis. Be sure that your report delivers the story your data delivers in response to the questions of your initial survey purpose. Even with a mountain of results, your purpose, context, and audience can help you to uncover and present the most critical insights.
   
   
7. Retain existing customers
   

   While focusing on new customers, keep up on the existing ones, too. Retaining old customers can be tough at times, but these customers can be some of your most powerful assets in helping to connect with new customers. Through word of mouth publicity or customer testimonials, these brand ambassadors have plenty to offer. Moreover, retaining them is profitable as they are already aware of your brand. Ensure your marketing decisions consider both prospects and current customers to keep everyone engaged.

   Surveys are an essential tool to build your business. If done well, they provide you with the required data to improve customer success, satisfaction, and retention. Make surveys an important part of your strategic plans. There are innumerable benefits that can be synced with your marketing goals to help grow your business in the long run.