Do you spend hours analyzing which post to publish, or which product is in demand today? You do your best to impress users, but nothing comes out of it? Unfortunately, we can’t read clients’ minds, so there’s one simple way to know what they need.
All you have to do is to ask them. But how to do it wisely? Read on to find out.
Never Use Two-Choice Questions
This secret is known to most entrepreneurs, journalists and interviewers. Questions that only offer a yes/no answer must be avoided. When you give people the opportunity to respond with just these two variants, you are missing the point and limiting them. And only detailed answers will give you the insight you need so much.
For example, instead of:
Are you interested in art history?
Ask:
What is your favorite art history book?
Let users leave their answers in the comments – give them a chance to express their opinion and be heard.
Prioritize
Another way is to offer your customers a specific choice, for example:
- Living in the city or in the countryside?
- Traveling by car or plane?
- Morning or evening?
However, do not offer too many options – they may confuse your clients.
In fact, finding a personal approach to users can be much more difficult than you believed. The same is true about building a SMM strategy in general.
Surely, everything connected to the digital world is full of exciting assignments, but it also requires total focus and attention to detail. That is why many students who work in this niche hardly find time to finish their school assignments. «Can someone write my paper for me while I’m working?» – many think. And the answer is yes. Today, there are many helpful platforms that can offer help with any subject, any time.
Give More Space
Clients surely have many great ideas to share, so why not ask them to do that? Here are the questions you may use:
- Is there something we can improve in our service?
- What features should be added?
- Is there something we should give up on?
Be Straightforward
Specific questions bring specific answers, so here are the ones worth asking.
What is your biggest difficulty when it comes to product/service XYZ?
Imagine you work as a dance coach and give private lessons. Ask your clients: “What confuses you the most when you want to come to the gym?”
Interestingly, many people are afraid to seem non-flexible or unable to dance when there are so many talented professionals around. This gives you the room to be truly helpful to your client. Create a guide or post on how to get rid of this fear and feel comfortable.
What do you know about product/service XYZ?
For instance, you offer interior design services and write about them on your website. If you ask your audience this question, you may find out that most are familiar with the topic. This saves you from explaining basic terms and gives you a chance to write about something more complex.
From your perspective, what is product/service XYZ missing?
This question is directly related to what your audience craves. Perhaps they turn to competitors because you lack something important.
What do you like best about product/service XYZ?
Let’s say, you offer a French language learning service and turn to various tools: audio podcasts, articles, movies, flashcards, and so on. Perhaps it seems to you that using all of them is a good choice, but start with asking people what suits them best.
Most may respond that watching films with captions works best for them. So, you will understand what to do in the first place, abandoning ineffective methods.
How to Motivate People to Respond?
“Why should I participate in the survey?”, clients might ask themselves. Below you will find some handy ways to help convince people to answer you.
Prizes and Presents
Turn your poll into a competition – one random respondent will get a nice present from you. Moreover, they will be able to choose something they like most from the list. This can be anything depending on which field you work in: a certificate for a day at the spa, a tea set, or free 30-minute design consultation.
Just Be Honest
Some people have a natural desire to help. If you explain why you need it and how valuable it will be, it is possible that many will simply participate in the survey.
Make It Short
It is hard to imagine a user who is ready to spend 15 minutes filling out a questionnaire. These days people are busy all the time, so the number of questions should be as small as possible. If you say that it takes only 2 minutes to answer, the clients will be more willing to help.
How to Process the Received Data?
Start by going through the answers. If you notice that many write about the same thing – then wow, it’s the jackpot. If dozens of people are asking for a feature that you haven’t thought of before – you’re the lucky one.
Second, combine the results. For example, you write articles on psychology and mental health awareness. If many ask you to explain what burnout is, and the majority of your audience is students, then come up with posts on how to prevent school fatigue.
Third, don’t ignore the answers that are rare or unique. Imagine that 10 out of 100 people said they would be happy to buy vanilla candles in your store. This does not mean that the rest of the respondents do not want the same thing. They just did not think about such an opportunity when answering the questions.
To Wrap Up
When recognizing customer needs, keep your mind open to new ideas. Even if you think you know what your customers want, be prepared – they may greatly surprise you. Results often turn out to be unpredictable, so don’t ignore answers that don’t fit your accustomed assumptions.
Realizing what to focus on, you will build your SMM strategy wisely and attract the attention you need.