By Kim Deppe
It's probably the first and most "commandment" of good marketing for your business - Know Thy Customers. Understanding who your business serves and who would be interested in buying your product or service is the first step toward building a targeted marketing plan.
But it isn't always easy to know a lot about your customers. You might be too busy to chat with them or, in the case of some businesses, you may never see or talk to them at all. So how can you learn more about them? Here are a few ideas you can use to gather information.
1. Do a survey. Online or on paper, a survey is a great way to get information from your clients or customers. Ask just a few questions that can be answered quickly - about 2 or 3 minutes is plenty of time to ask people to invest. There are some online survey tools that are free (Survey Monkey, for example) if you are only asking a few questions. Some companies send a survey out to every customer following an interaction, while others print an 800 number on the receipt with an inducement to take the survey. Whichever direction you go, make sure you are collecting the demographic data you will need to understand the results.
2. Gather information at point of sale. Ask for address, phone and email the first time you make a sale to every customer. Periodically ask if they have made any changes to that information. Note whether they are male or female. If you can add information about their general age group, that can help as well. Think in terms of groups such as Under 18, 19 - 35, 36 - 55, 55 and Above so that you can note that information in your files without having to ask the customer his or her age.
3. Do research. Look at the population data from the US Census for your area. This is available for free online and it can tell you about the population as a whole. This is useful for knowing how your customers are alike or different from the general population. Often your local Chamber of Commerce can provide you with this information, too.
4. Add demographic questions to forms on your website. These can be order forms, entry forms for a drawing, etc. Forms are a great way to collect data.
5. Encourage customers to sign up for your newsletter or notice of sales and specials. This connects your customer to you and gives you permission to market to them. That can make it easier in the future to collect information, send surveys, and request feedback.
After you have collected the data, the analysis begins. If this is not your strength, find someone who is good at interpreting this kind of data. Often, though, just reading through the answers and tracking the frequency of them can give you tremendous insight into your customer base.
It's probably the first and most "commandment" of good marketing for your business - Know Thy Customers. Understanding who your business serves and who would be interested in buying your product or service is the first step toward building a targeted marketing plan.
But it isn't always easy to know a lot about your customers. You might be too busy to chat with them or, in the case of some businesses, you may never see or talk to them at all. So how can you learn more about them? Here are a few ideas you can use to gather information.
1. Do a survey. Online or on paper, a survey is a great way to get information from your clients or customers. Ask just a few questions that can be answered quickly - about 2 or 3 minutes is plenty of time to ask people to invest. There are some online survey tools that are free (Survey Monkey, for example) if you are only asking a few questions. Some companies send a survey out to every customer following an interaction, while others print an 800 number on the receipt with an inducement to take the survey. Whichever direction you go, make sure you are collecting the demographic data you will need to understand the results.
2. Gather information at point of sale. Ask for address, phone and email the first time you make a sale to every customer. Periodically ask if they have made any changes to that information. Note whether they are male or female. If you can add information about their general age group, that can help as well. Think in terms of groups such as Under 18, 19 - 35, 36 - 55, 55 and Above so that you can note that information in your files without having to ask the customer his or her age.
3. Do research. Look at the population data from the US Census for your area. This is available for free online and it can tell you about the population as a whole. This is useful for knowing how your customers are alike or different from the general population. Often your local Chamber of Commerce can provide you with this information, too.
4. Add demographic questions to forms on your website. These can be order forms, entry forms for a drawing, etc. Forms are a great way to collect data.
5. Encourage customers to sign up for your newsletter or notice of sales and specials. This connects your customer to you and gives you permission to market to them. That can make it easier in the future to collect information, send surveys, and request feedback.
After you have collected the data, the analysis begins. If this is not your strength, find someone who is good at interpreting this kind of data. Often, though, just reading through the answers and tracking the frequency of them can give you tremendous insight into your customer base.
Kim Deppe is President of Deppe Communications, an outsource marketing firm located in the Jacksonville, FL area. Deppe Communications provides marketing consulting, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, public relations and advertising services to small and medium size businesses across the U.S. With over 25 years corporate executive marketing experience, Kim Deppe brings a unique combination of strategic marketing experience and online marketing know-how to her clients. For more information, visit www.DeppeCommunications.com, call 904.524.0170 or E-mail Kim@DeppeCommunications.com.
Having the data is only the first step in the process! You can be drowning in numbers but if you don't turn it into anything what was the point? You want insights, not just information.
ReplyDeleteJoe, you are absolutely right! A great point that I'll expand on next post.
ReplyDelete