Asking your customers for feedback can be a pretty difficult operation, but it’s well worth your time. And of course, not all of the info you’re going to get is going to be useful immediately. But it can help you spot trends and patterns, and you can start working your way up from there.
When it comes to customer feedback, it’s a bit difficult to establish clear types. And the same goes for any type of feedback, for that matter.
In education, there are basically three types: negative, positive, and constructive. These types are designed to help teachers improve their students’ work. For the sake of argument, we’re going to be using these labels as well.
When it comes to digital marketing, it’s best if we add two other, overarching categories, namely formal and informal.
Formal feedback would be the kind you ask for directly with surveys and questionnaires. Informal feedback is gathered from observation, by looking at comments, shares and other interactions your clients have with your brand online.
Let’s break down the first three categories: positive, constructive and negative.
Regarding positive feedback, first thing’s first, you should never ask for it. You can encourage your customers to leave positive feedback, but they shouldn’t feel forced to do so. Banning, or deleting negative comments can really damage your brand’s image.
That being said, there are ways you can encourage your customers to leave positive feedback. It’s probably fairly obvious why you would want it. For one, it gives you some insight as to what areas are really showing results. Knowing what works can help you decide either to invest more effort into that one thing that works or perhaps leave it on auto-pilot for a while, and focus on other things that might need your attention.
Positive feedback via social media is also one of the best ways to boost the image of your brand. Users often times trust other users’ opinions about a business.
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Obviously, a large number of positive reviews is going to bode well for you. Though you should always make sure they’re balanced out. Too many too positive reviews are going to raise flags.
To encourage your customers to leave positive reviews or comments, you should always make it clear that you appreciate their insights.
You can do this simply by thanking them for a good review, and liking the post. Other users might feel encouraged to do the same, if they see you are responsive, and interested in what your customers have to say.
And, of course, remember that social media is first and foremost a social space, and as such, it’s going to have its own code of proper conduct. Always follow social media etiquette rules, otherwise your good intentions might not come through.
Negative feedback might be harder to swallow, but it can be much more useful in the long run.
Negative feedback is going to crop up, whether you want it or not. But, again, you shouldn’t censor it. On the contrary, you should use it to your advantage. The trick is to turn from simple criticism to actionable feedback.
So, if your customers are complaining on your website’s comments section or any social media platform, ask them to provide you with details about their experience and why they were unsatisfied. You can propose solutions to their problems and see if they meet your customer’s demands.
That way you’re basically getting two birds with one stone. You’ve successfully handled negative feedback, and you’ve gained some insight. A well-handled possible PR nightmare can boost your image just as much as a steady flow of positive reviews, if not more so.
Last, but not least, there’s constructive feedback.
You may be thinking that all feedback is constructive, as long as it’s actionable. And to some extent, that’s true. But there is a slight difference between this type and the previous two. More specifically, while positive and negative feedback refer to something you’ve done in the past, constructive one refers to things you might do in the future.
Obviously, there can be a positive or negative spin to this type. Positive constructive feedback would be advice and what you should do in the future, and conversely negative would be about what you shouldn’t do.
This is where the second two categories, formal and informal, come into play. Both negative and positive feedback can be turned into constructive feedback. Ultimately, this is the type you’re looking for, because it’s going to help you prepare for the future. You can plan out your strategy based on your own assessment of positive and negative past reactions.
If you’re going by the formal route, you can simply ask your customers to give you suggestions.
Restaurant chains, such as Chuck E. Cheese thrive on customer surveys. The way in which you design the questionnaire can have a major impact on its efficiency. You might feel tempted to phrase your questions in such a way as to receive only praise, but that’s not going to help.
Instead, mix them up a little, and encourage your customers to critique your business as well. Providing them with an ample comment section is going to give them a chance to offer suggestions.
Make sure your questions are clear and to the point, so your customers know what you’re looking for. Otherwise, they’ll feel like they’ve wasted their time. And you won’t get the info you need.
On an informal level, the best thing you can do is to start a conversation and keep it going.
The great thing about informal feedback is that you can really get a chance to see your customers in their natural environment. The insights you gain this way can be more objective than those obtained via formal methods. There are a lot of things that can skew the way in which your customers respond.
But it with informal feedback, there’s nothing pressuring your customers to respond one way or the other. They’re just doing what comes naturally. It can be more time consuming to get actionable insights this way, partly because it takes a lot of time to collect enough data, and partly because it’s going to take a while until you analyze and distill it.
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Each has their own strengths, and weak points. But collecting data should be a constant, on-going process, so you’re going to have plenty of time to figure out what works best.
And keep in mind that feedback is not just about you getting information from your customers. You should use these interactions as a means of forming a bond with your clients, and really giving your brand a human face.
And make sure you’re always up to date on what your competitors are doing. Internet savvy customers are going to spot marketing tricks as soon as they become widespread, so you should always try to stay ahead of the game.
Of course, this is true of any marketing strategy, but it’s even more important when it comes to feedback. Because that’s where you interact with your customers directly, and any faux-pas is going to have a much wider reach.
Author bio: Amanda Wilks is a Boston University graduate and a Digital Marketing Strategist. She has a great interest in everything related to content marketing, online marketing and corporate and personal branding.
