Finding out what they really want

There is one sure fire way of finding out what your customers are looking for – ask them.

They can tell you if your products/services are providing what they’re looking for, whether your customer service is hitting the mark and how they would prefer to interact with you (email, social media, telephone etc.)

So what’s the most effective way of conducting your research? Here are a few ideas you could try.

1. Ask them directly

Talking to your customers – scary thought but quite effective.

Whether it’s face to face, on the phone or using social media ask them if they were happy with your service. Have they enjoyed using your product? Do they think it could be improved in any way?

You’ll come across as a company that cares about its customers. In fact they’ll probably be so flattered you asked them they’ll be happy to tell you what they think along with any suggestions they may have to improve and strengthen your business.

2. In your newsletter

If you already send out a regular newsletter why not run an opinion poll? You could offer a discount to anyone who fills in your survey or even make it into a prize draw.

This would also be a great opportunity to survey your customers about their social media habits to find out where they hang out so you can discover which channels will work best for you.

3. Case studies

People love real life stories which is why case studies are so powerful.

How can it help with your customer research? Well by asking the right questions such as:

  • What problem did they have?
  • Why did they approach your company?
  • What they thought about your service?
  • Whether your product/service solved their problem

You’ll find out loads of valuable information. It’s important though to make sure it’s not written as a thinly masked advert so you may want to find yourself a good professional copywriter to write it for you.

So that’s customer research and a great promotional tool all rolled into one.

4. Humble feedback

So obvious it usually gets forgotten about.

Whether you make or miss a sale find why they did/didn’t buy from you and how they found you in the first place.

People won’t mind you asking because, as I mentioned earlier, it shows you as a company who cares and who wants to continue to improve

Over to you

How do you conduct your customer research?

Do you use any unusual or innovative approaches?

Leave a comment below and share your ideas and tips.