When writing a marketing plan for a client, I always include a customer survey. Depending on the company’s business, it can either be a customer satisfaction survey or a brand recognition survey.
Why? It’s always good to find out what your customers really think about your business. Their feedback could change the way you see things, from both a policy and marketing standpoint. On the other hand, it’s great to do a brand awareness survey to find out how many people know about your business and products. You can use this survey as a benchmark to see if your marketing efforts are paying off.
Surveys are much easier to do now. There are many online programs, like Constant Contact and Survey Monkey, that make it very simple. But if you are doing it yourself, take the time to do it right.
Here’s some tips for preparing a good survey. Write a short questionnaire. Use simple words, relax your grammar, start with interesting questions and put your questions in logical order. Don’t write leading questions. Avoid double negatives, don’t make the list of response choices too long. Use closed-ended questions rather than open-ended ones. Pre-test your survey, naming your survey and also cover memo or introduction. Make sure you get the information you really need, for example, don’t ask their age if it is not really relevant to the end goal of the survey.
To bump up your response rate, offer a prize or incentive – it works every time. The more respondents you get, the better quality of data you will receive. One final thing, make sure to include a place for comments – this is where you usually get your best feedback.
Have fun with your survey and don’t forget to use the KISS method. (keep it short and sweet)