We all want to know what makes our customers tick. The magic message to tantalise ad clicks. The killer opening blog paragraph that leaves our reader swooning in their office chair.
The reality is the more we talk with our customers, the more we get to know our customers.
Sometimes we want to know a little more. So we summons researchers to devise questionnaires and fire them out to our database. Data is collated and we get a better picture of our customer. Call it a buyer profile or buyer persona if you’d like.
What can you do to incentivise valid response?
Maybe an iPad for one lucky responder? Slightly banal when you consider a good proportion of those receiving your request will be receiving your email on … a… you guessed it, iPad. Stand out factor? 1/10
Maybe an Amazon voucher? Sure, I can see that improving results. We all like to treat ourselves.
Maybe just fill your email with flattery? Maybe tell me that I represent ‘the dynamic, entrepreneurial business community’ in your ‘twice-yearly survey’. Step forward Regus:
Oh shucks look. I’m in with a chance of winning an iPad.
LOOK AT THAT HEADLINE!!!
“Welcome to the Regus twice-yearly survey”
- survey of what?
- what’s in it for me?
- for whose purpose?
- whose decisions will my response influence?
and maybe for a good proportion of potential respondents.. ‘tell me, just who or what are Regus?’
Why not put me off even more by asking me to answer ‘a number’ of key questions. Go on. Give me a guess. 10 questions? 100 questions?
Regus rent office space and meeting rooms. That’s what I know them for. For other recipients? Apart from the lovely connect the dots map, no mention of who Regus are.
Maybe you’re right to presume Regus is a person. Look, the email is signed off by good old Regus.
Next up, we have Wired Marketing….
Fancy a quick game of spot the difference?
I’ll start.
- They introduced me by my name. A nice casual ‘Hi’. I like that.
- There’s a screenshot of what’s about the happen if I click the ‘take our survey’ button. Look, multiple choice. A time saver. I like that.
- Sharing the results to help me see if I’m ‘on trend’ with the rest of the industry? Not really applicable, but I could see how an agency owner may like that.
- Findings in a whitepaper sent in a few weeks? I like that.
An exchange is taking place. I share experience. I receive market insight. Fair trade? I think so.
That’s the route Regus should have taken. That’s the route you need to take if you’re getting in touch with your (treasured) database of customers.
If you want to collect and collate data let’s engage in a little backscratching. Cheap imitation flattery won’t get you anywhere.
My final and key point. So each questionnaire receives 1000 responses. Which questionnaire do you think respondents will truthfully consider their answers for? The ‘just get through the next few questions and I might win an iPad’? or the ‘I’d like to understand how my company tallies up with my competitors’?
My money’s on the latter. Yours?
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