Marketing to your Customers: How well do you know them?

No doubt, when you first started your business or introduced a new product or service, you did extensive research to find out exactly what qualities your customers were looking for. You also probably did an analysis of the best ways to communicate and interact with your clients.

So how are you doing? Are you still meeting/ exceeding customer expectations? Are customers still pleased with your product or service? Are they repeat customers? Are they referring you to their friends, family, and co-workers? How do they feel about you?

These are all important questions to ask to help you measure the quality of the product or service that you provide. An easy way to find the answers to such questions is through a customer satisfaction survey. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when creating a customer satisfaction survey:
How you ask your customer questions.
When you ask your customer questions.
Which questions you ask your customer.

How you ask your customer questions:
Surveys can be conducted in a number of different ways. If you have face-to-face contact with your customer, you can ask after a meeting how they enjoy your product, service, and customer service. You can do phone interviews, mail out surveys, e-mail surveys, or send an invitation to your customers to take a survey. The most effective way to conduct a survey will depend on the type of product or service you provide your clients as well as the type of interaction you have with them.

When you ask your customer questions:
No matter how you conduct a customer satisfaction survey, timing is always crucial. The best time to ask a question about a customer’s experience with your company is when an interaction is fresh on their minds. You wouldn’t want to meet with a client and then two months later ask them if they are satisfied with your product. A time gap gives the customer a chance to either forget what they have experienced or get you confused with another company.

Which questions to ask your customer:
When deciding which questions to ask your customer, first think of the information that you would like to receive from them. The point of conducting a customer satisfaction survey is to find what aspects of your company or your product/ service need to change and what things you should keep on doing. Here are some basic questions to get you started:
How satisfied are you with the product or service you purchased?
How satisfied are you with the customer service you received?
How satisfied are you with the company overall?

Some other information that you might like to receive from the customer might be about how quickly you responded to phone calls, if communication was clear, and if service and support is readily available.

The Marion Group would be happy help you create a customer satisfaction survey! Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have regarding a customer satisfaction survey.

TV Screens Not Just for In-Home Advertising: Out-of-Home Video Screen Ads on the the Rise

Getting used to seeing TV or video screens in places other than your own living room? In most major cities, it is very common to drive down the highway and see digital billboards. In fact, the FBI has started using digital billboards to post its “Most Wanted.”

If you haven’t already seen video screens in your local mall or supermarket, expect that soon as well. Probably the most famous out-of-home advertising right now is the digital screens that cover the building in New York City’s Times Square. The idea of out-of-home digital advertising is catching on. Even the single mall in College Station, TX boasts numerous LCD screens used by advertisers to reach mall shoppers. Video screens are beginning to pop up at supermarkets, in taxi cabs, near gas stations, and at bus stops all over the country.

Next week, NBC will hold the industry’s first digital up-front auction in attempts to convince advertisers and media-buyers to use NBC media outlets for out-of-home advertising. Out-of-home digital ad sales have increase 25% to $1.3 billion in the past year and show no sign of slowing down.

The goal behind out-of-home digital advertisers is to reach consumers when they are closer to the point of purchase. For example, video screens in the produce department at a supermarket would allow companies such as Dole or Chiquita to advertise their produce products to consumers when the shoppers are ready to purchase and have the money to do so.

Though out-of-home video advertising is increasing in popularity, it isn’t always the best route to take with your own products and services. As with any advertising media outlet, it is a good idea to research before you spend money to advertise. As always, The Marion Group would be happy to assist you in any of your media-buying efforts!