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One Quick Question, One Quick Answer
Need a fast read on your customers? Poll 'em!
In a rough economy, as at other times, it's important for companies and organizations to know what's on their customers' and members' minds. An effective way to do that is to put together a survey and measure the results. But sometimes you just want to know the answer to one question, and you need to know the answer today. That's where polls come in.
Polls are a fast and easy way to gain valuable information so you can make smarter business decisions. They are also a great way to spice up your marketing efforts.
How a Poll Differs from a Survey
A typical survey is made up of about 10 questions that allow you to dive deeply into the hows, whats, and whys of your business. Surveys help you gather information and insight on many different facets of your business. They can include multiple questions on different topics, and they take some time and thought to put together and to analyze the results.
A poll, on the other hand, is just one question with up to five answer options that voters may choose from. The poll question could relate to current events, consumer spending, or some aspect of your business, service, or organization that you need to know more about from your customer's viewpoint right now.
With the click of a mouse, your readers can vote and then view the poll results right away to see how their opinions fit in with those of other respondents. It's an opportunity for customers to chime in on how they're really feeling about an issue or topic. And given that polls -- unlike surveys -- are always anonymous, your customers can click away freely with their brutally honest opinions.
Ways to Use Polls Effectively
Polls are simple to create and easy to put up on your website, or link to from your newsletter. And most critically, the results are easy for you to understand. Here are two ways to use polls to your advantage.
1. Get information to make quick business decisions.
Polls allow you to gather customer feedback on products, services, or pricing. Remember, a poll is only one question, so think about what you need to know quickly to inform a smart business decision. Is there some aspect of your business or service that's doing better or worse than another? Make sure your poll has a purpose and that the information you're gathering is valuable to your business. For example:
How likely are you to buy [product X] in the next three months?
- Extremely likely
- Very likely
- Likely
- Not very likely
- Extremely unlikely
That kind of poll can help you get more in tune with your customers' interests. With your documented poll results, you can make more informed business adjustments.
In addition, you may see some surprising results in your poll that may inspire a more in-depth survey on that particular topic, or related subjects. And that would show your customers that you truly care about their opinions, because you don't just care about their answer to that one question -- you want to learn more about how they feel about other topics as well.
2. Engage email newsletter recipients and website visitors. Everyone has an opinion. And most everyone is at least curious about what other people think and whether their own opinion is in the minority or majority. Polls are a fun way to make your website and newsletters more interactive and enticing. They also can create a sense of community by inviting customers' feedback, letting voters see how others in your community are voting, and reporting later on the results.
Tap into your customers' mindsets by asking a question about something in the news. Some examples include:
How do you feel about the economy overall?
- Extremely positive
- Positive
- Neutral
- Negative
- Extremely negative
What social media site do you use most?
- Linked In
- My Space
- What's social media?
Discuss your poll results in an upcoming newsletter article, reporting back to readers and voters on what you learned, and if applicable, how you think it applies to your business and your customers' lives. A poll question and follow-up article shows readers that you care about their opinions and concerns. You may enjoy repeat website traffic if visitors come back to see how other people voted.
Regardless of how you use polls, though, it's important to show your customers you value their feedback. Don't just put a poll up for polling's sake. Share the results, what you've learned from the poll, and if it's appropriate, act on what you've learned. That will inspire future participation and increase the dialogue between you and your customers.
