When making strategic brand decisions, feedback survey research is an invaluable asset. It provides insights and perspectives from the outside looking in, which is something we can’t get anywhere else. It guides us to deliver truly meaningful products, services, and experiences because customers are directly telling us what they want, need, and expect. It also enables us to challenge internal assumptions and test hypotheses so that our decisions are driven by facts rather than best guesses.
However, with customer feedback having such wide-ranging impact and potential, it’s easy to get caught up in wanting to learn everything about everything – and to do so all at once in a single annual survey. This often feels like the most effective and efficient approach; addressing a variety of topics in one lengthy swoop. In reality, this can lead to more confusion, uncertainty, and “paralysis by analysis” because of the sheer volume of information gathered and the limited depth of each topic covered. To make strategic decisions we need strategic insights. And those strategic insights come from a strategic approach to feedback collection, analysis, and application. It comes down to quality and value over quantity and volume.
Capturing those golden nuggets of customer feedback is about asking the right people the right questions at the right time based on our specific brand goals and objectives. Otherwise, we risk getting overwhelmed to the point where we lose sight of what insights matter most. By clarifying which survey topics are most relevant to your objectives, you can narrow the scope and produce more actionable insights. So, here I’ve outlined a few key survey topics to consider when planning your next customer feedback project.
Survey Topic: “Getting to Know You”
This simple yet powerful survey is all about – you guessed it – getting to know your customers. But the real value is in going beyond the traditional factors, like demographics, purchase behaviors, and product or service needs. Rather, focus on getting to know the person behind the purchase. What are their day-to-day wants, needs, goals, and challenges outside of anything related to your brand? What do they do for fun, how have their lifestyles changed over the past few years, and what makes them unique as individuals?
This type of survey is relevant for both new and existing customers alike. It will help strengthen your customer personas and journey maps. And the simple act of asking people to share about themselves will strengthen relationships as well.
Survey Topic: Brand Awareness & Perception
This tried-and-true survey topic is often overlooked because its potential is often over-simplified. It’s more than asking whether people have heard of your brand. While that’s part of it, there’s more to learn with regards to awareness and perception. People may have heard of your brand, but are they aware of all the products and services you offer? Are they aware of your primary value propositions and key differentiators? Are they aware of your overall mission, vision, and ideal brand attributes?
Furthermore, how do they perceive your brand when stacked up against competitors? Does that differ when asking perception in a stand-alone way? Do existing perceptions align with the intended image you’ve been aiming for through marketing campaigns? There are added layers of context and nuance that can turn this traditional survey topic into in-depth learning and brand building opportunities.
Survey Topic: Customer Experience & Satisfaction
This is another common survey topic that often goes underutilized because of its relatively simplistic nature. But there’s more to it than NPS ratings and “out of ten” scores.
Here you can dig into customer expectations and establish benchmarks for performance tracking. Going further, you can explore how those customers’ expectations are set, whether it’s experiences they’ve had with competitor brands, shifting environments and lifestyles, or just based on their ever evolving wants and needs. You can test hypotheses relating to their decision drivers and product or service usage and identify value-add potential. There are opportunities to expand your customer journey maps and gauge the impact of adding or removing touchpoints. With how dynamic and competitive the area of customer experience has become, there is a treasure trove of insight to uncover.
Survey Topic: Marketing Effectiveness
The big question here is, are your marketing and messaging campaigns having the desired impact? While common marketing metrics are suited to measuring reach and engagement, those tend to miss out on the intangible and emotional factors. Regularly conducting surveys focused on marketing effectiveness will add depth and detail to your marketing metrics. It can shed light on specific areas of awareness and perception in ways that passively collected data cannot. When timed right and done consistently, you can assess performance by campaign or a specific content series to gauge impact, influence, and add layers of nuance to ROI tracking.
Survey Topic: Lost Customer
It may be uncomfortable to ask customers why they left, or perhaps it seems like it doesn’t matter since they’re already gone. But this is a significant growth opportunity. Here you can identify key pain points or shortcomings and adjust as needed. You can uncover emerging threats and competitors that may be off your radar. You can shine a light on product or service development opportunities that may have otherwise been missed. And as an added benefit, you’ll be showing lost customers you still care about them, that you want to improve, and that the door is still open for them to return.
Survey Topic: Brand Health Assessment
This is sort of like an expanded version of awareness and perception. It explores things like brand image, reputation, and authenticity within the context of evolving market conditions, shifting environments, and emerging trends. This provides a macro-level view of how your brand is performing across key metrics, but done so within specific contexts, circumstances, and scenarios. It can also be more forward-looking than other survey topics by testing hypotheses and challenging assumptions related to your brand’s competitive positioning. Overall, the goal is to monitor the brand’s heartbeat and vitals as markets shift and consumers evolve.
While this is not an exhaustive list of survey topics and related benefits, it’s meant to help jumpstart your efforts and get the analytical juices flowing. In getting some (or all) of these pieces in place, you’ll be laying the foundation to build a holistic research strategy that maximizes the impact of each individual feedback project while also building in value across each of them.
We’ve put together a free download that highlights these jumpstart surveys at a high level (click here) which can serve as a guide as you plan your next customer feedback projects. If you’d like to discuss or explore the potential of these surveys in more detail, we’d love to hear from you!
