For any business, boosting sales and driving revenue is a number one priority. There are a number of ways in which this can be done, including introducing new products, improving marketing and advertising strategies, and expanding into new territories.
For affiliate marketers, identifying leads is an integral part of operating their business. However, sometimes it can prove difficult to harness the true potential of these leads and guarantee that they are converted into actual sales. Using customer surveys can be an effective way to do so. Let’s find out more.
What are customer surveys?
Before we get into the details, it’s important that we clarify exactly what customer surveys are. To put it simply, customer surveys are questions that businesses put to customers to get their feedback and opinions on a range of different matters.
Surveys can be used to collect information about all sorts of things, including the general customer experience of your store or platform or details on specific products or services. There are various ways in which you can deliver customer surveys, including through online questionnaires or through email campaigns.
So, we know what customer surveys are. How exactly can they be used to convert leads into sales? Let’s find out.
Establish your goals
The very first thing you need to do before implementing a customer survey is to establish your goals and identify what exactly you hope to achieve with the survey. Do you want to collect customer feedback to inform future product design and development? Or do you want to improve the overall customer experience and streamline the purchasing process? Once you have established your goals, you will then be able to go on and begin to draw up your survey.
Creating the questions
When it comes to creating questions to include in your survey, it can be easy to ask your customers as many questions as possible in an attempt to get lots of information. However, this tactic will prove ineffective. Too many questions will work to put off your customer and could see them give up on the survey halfway through. This will have the opposite intended effect, rather than your survey giving you key insights, it will instead give you nothing and can leave customers with a bad impression of your brand.
How can this be avoided? You must carefully design and curate your questions to ensure they are generating the desired results. Don’t ask your customers to answer lots of unrelated questions. Instead, put a select few specific questions to them to learn about particular areas of your business. Let’s look at some examples.
Did you find what you were looking for?
When a customer visits your store or platform, they will likely have been looking for a particular product or service. This type of lead is absolutely vital, and it is crucial that you are offering customers the types of products they are seeking out. By asking if a customer found what they were looking for, you will be able to assess how accurately your product offering reflects the needs and desires of the customers that are being directed to your platform.
How would you rate your experience?
The customer experience is incredibly important. You could have better products than your direct rivals, but if customers find your platform difficult or confusing to use then your sales will suffer. Asking customers to rate their experience using a sliding scale can be an extremely effective way of analyzing how customers are responding to the experience of using your platform. The information you gain from this question can then be used to inform changes to your platform, improving the customer experience to generate higher sales.
Follow up questions
Asking the right follow-up questions is a critical part of an effective customer survey. For example, if a customer rates their experience poorly, asking a follow-up question with options for which areas of your platform the customer would like to see improved can offer you invaluable, direct information. Multiple choice options can be used for follow-up questions, but it is also worth including a text box where customers can give more detailed and personalized feedback.
Conclusion
For affiliate markers, generating leads is an important part of running a successful business. However, these leads must then be generated into sales, which can often prove to be a difficult process. Using customer surveys is an effective way of boosting lead conversions. Use the advice we’ve outlined in the guide above and optimize your affiliate strategy.
If you’re looking for more insider knowledge on affiliate marketing, take a look at our blog, or for more personalized advice, book a free call with a member of our team.
Looking for even more insights? Registrations are now open for our 2023 Amplify Summit, held from the 17th to 18th of January, where you’ll have the chance to access talks from industry experts, panels and workshops, networking opportunities, and a free affiliate manager toolkit. Register and secure your place today!
