Business owners work hard to bring their vision to life. They may believe in their product, service, or offerings completely. Ultimately, the success of a business depends on how customers feel. According to an Oberloo survey, 81% of customers say they will only buy products from a brand they trust.
Even a well-planned product launch may not directly provide insight into how customers feel about a brand. This information is crucial because it determines the direction of product development and marketing. There are several ways a company can get a clear idea of brand reputation.
- Sales and Conversion
Although sales and conversions don’t provide an actual view of how customers feel about a brand, if people are buying your product or subscribing to your service there is a strong indication that consumers approve. However, a marketing strategy shouldn’t rely solely on analyzing sales data, but it is important to keep the actual goal in mind—to increase revenues and customer engagement.
- Reviews
Reviews are no longer pieces of paper the waiter leaves on your table with the check. Online reviews everywhere, from sites that review every service from car washes to staffing agencies to customer reviews on eCommerce sites such as Amazon. According to Spiegel, around 95% of online shoppers look at reviews before buying something.
Companies can acquire text or reviews in bulk and use sentiment analysis tools to interpret the emotions in the reviews. This is a quick way of getting a general view of how customers feel about the brand and whether the overall view is negative or positive.
- Social Media
People don’t need to be paid to promote products on social media. Social media is the place people spontaneously post about shopping experiences and items they love and want to recommend to other people. Having an active presence on social media is a must for every company. Not only is it a good idea to have a Facebook, Instagram or Twitter presence, but interacting with customers regularly is essential to get a close view of how your brand is viewed.
- Surveys and Focus Groups
Surveys have gone online and are no longer paper forms to fill out and put in a box. There are surveys that range from pop-up forms that ask to rate a service with 5 stars to in-depth surveys that ask questions about every detail of the customer journey.
Focus groups are still done in person and provide a detailed discussion with consumers about a brand. It has the advantage of being in-depth, but the process can be time-consuming and expensive. In addition, there is a relatively small sample group with focus groups. However, both surveys and focus groups have the advantage of asking customers directly questions the company needs to have answered.
- Customer Service Chat
It may not be easy to listen to customer complaints, but it is through these communications that companies can learn the most. Analyzing the texts of customer service chat or transcribed calls can provide insight into how customers feel about a brand and about its service.
Getting to Know the Customer
How business owners feel about their company is one thing, but the main focus of a business should be on the customers. Discovering how customers feel about your brand through reviews, surveys, focus groups and social media can revolutionize your business strategy.
