How,Weave,Surveys,into,Your,Ma marketing How to Weave Surveys into Your Marketing Plan

Automation technologies represent a fundamental aspect of any modern industry. The major types of industrial automation solutions, such as DCS, PLC, SCADA, and MES, are used on a large-scale in process and discrete industries.DCS technologie Awhile ago, I got an email from one of the "gurus" I follow and it shocked me. The gist of it was this person wanted to trade services for a household item.To say it floored me would be an understatement.What was worse was a few days later t

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-priority:99;mso-style-qformat:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;mso-para-margin:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}You may think you know how your customers feel and what they want and need,but do you? You may receive unsolicited comments or complaints from customers,but this may not be enough information to really provide you with theinformation you need to continue doing what you’re doing right and change whatyou’re doing wrong. Conducting surveys with customers and even prospectivecustomers are a great way to gather information that can help to make yourbusiness better. Surveys also allow you to do some market research of your ownwithout having to hire professionals to do it for you.7 Reasons Surveys Are Great Marketing Tools1.It’s basically freeUsing online survey sites such as SurveyMonkey.com allow you to create,disburse and tally the results of a survey for free. There are somelimitations, of course, but if you use a contact management software such asConstant Contact, these programs also offer ways for you to conduct surveysonline for a nominal fee.2. It’s easyAssembling a survey is an easy way to interact with your customers. Almostanyone can create and publish a professional looking survey online. In a fewminutes time, you can get your survey up and running and it may only take a fewminutes before you start getting feedback too.3. Everybody has an opinionWhen you ask customers for feedback, expect to get it whether it’s good or bad.It’s important not to take any of the feedback personally, but rather as alearning experience. Sometimes you don’t realize your product or service stinksor needs adjustments unless someone who has used it tells you. You’d ratherhave an opportunity to correct it now than to continue to offer a not-so-greatproduct or service to new customers.4. It puts you in a new pair of shoesNot literally, but conducting a survey allows you to see your product, serviceor entire company from your customer’s point of view. Gaining a new perspectiveis the perfect way to attain a fresh and unbiased opinion.5. Further engagementYou can use your survey as a survey and leave it at that or you can use it asan opportunity to further engage your customers. Offer a coupon for a discounton a product or service or encourage them to subscribe to your free onlinenewsletter at the end of the survey.6. It’s not all about sellingIf everything you send your customers or subscribers is always trying to sellthem something, then they become annoyed. A survey, however, is an opportunityto communicate with your customers, indirectly promote your company and engageyour audience without trying to cram a sales pitch down their throats.7. Fresh interestIf you don’t want to survey customers specifically about your company, butpossibly about your industry, surveys are a great hook to engage respondents.You can gather information on industry topics in general and simply act as the“sponsor” of the survey. This acts as a brand awareness marketing campaign,which can also be a highly effective marketing strategy.Surveys can offer a variety of marketing benefits to your company andrespondents. Surveys can help you to gain a new perspective or to gatherinformation you need to create new products or services. Surveys spread brandawareness of your company at the same time and are inexpensive and effectiveways to accomplish your goals. As they say everybody has an opinion, so you’resure to garner some sort of a response.About the AuthorCopywriterand marketing consultant, Kristie Lorette, is passionate about helpingentrepreneurs and businesses create copy and marketing pieces that sizzle,motivate, and sell. Sheis also the author of Action Marketing: AStep-by-step Guide to Launch Your Business Marketing Plan. For moreinformation, visit http://wp.me/ptLrh-1.