Ever since starting my blog, I've noticed that it serves as a useful feedback device. I hear from experts far and wide, and dialogues can sometimes break out between them with me as the moderator. If you're interested in starting a blog, visit
Weblogs here at About.com.
Customer Clubs – When I was the marketing director at a mattress manufacturer, each quarter we’d host an informal conversation with our customers. We’d invite five to ten customers to our headquarters, and conduct a no-holds-barred conversation with them about our products and marketing. Boy, were they flattered.
Over popcorn and soft drinks, we’d show them new product prototypes or share preliminary ad concepts. All of this proved extremely valuable in developing our product mix and marketing messages.
Just as important, these customers left the meetings with a renewed feeling of loyalty. We’d cared enough to ask for their input, and most were very appreciative of that. I’d highly recommend customer clubs as a valuable (and cheap) way to gather market feedback.
Mystery shopping - Used widely by the retail industry, these studies hire an outsider to pose as a shopper at a company’s store. Studies like this help your company identify strengths and weaknesses in the following areas:
- Store appearance
- Service quality
- Selling skills of your personnel
- Product selection
- Pricing
To get the best results for this type of research, hire an outside firm and be very specific about the kind of feedback you’re seeking.
Usability testing – If your company’s Web site plays a significant role in building the company’s identity, you may want to consider usability testing. Usability testing determines how well users can interact with your company’s website. In a typical web usability test, one or two users sit in a room and use the web site to perform certain tasks, while company marketers watch, listen, videotape or take notes. For more information on usability testing visit the Usability Professionals Association Web site or read Steve Krug’s excellent book, Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability.
One reason to use outsiders for customer research
If your company can afford it, consider hiring an outsider—either a consultant or researcher—to conduct much of this research. Many customers are reluctant to share their true opinions for fear of damaging the relationship. I have interviewed countless customers and prospects for my clients and I’m always a little surprised at how open they are with me. Perhaps they feel more comfortable telling an objective third party person the unvarnished truth.
Some other tips on market research
- Always thank respondents after a research session. Send flowers or just send a thank you note, but find a way to recognize the time and effort they’ve sacrificed for your company.
- Whenever possible, try to quantify research results. Phrase questions along the line of “On a scale of 1 to 5, how important is it to you that __________”. This produces data that can be quantified and is easier to draw conclusions from.
- If your product is widely distributed, keep your eye on consumer feedback sites like <a href="www.epinions.com">e-pinions<a/> and <a href="www.amazon.com">Amazon</a>. Some of the most valuable insights into your products will come from these sites because consumers are free to air out their true feelings, using their own words.
In closing I’ve spent over two decades in the marketing field and one thing I know about companies that are successful marketers is that they commit to research as an ongoing marketing strategy. If you’re really serious about improving your company’s identity, you must have a market research program in place.
