​I once took a 12 hour plane ride in front of a man with sleep apnea. He popped a pill the minute we took off and snored like it was a Seinfeld episode until the minute we landed. Flight attendants scurried around trying to move nearby passengers and hand out earplugs to those left to suffer.
Yeah, it was that bad.
Life lesson:
Pay attention to what others need around you. It’s not enough to just put your head down and do what you think is best without taking everyone else into account.
Whether you’re a small business owner or working in a nonprofit, knowing what your target market wants is essential. The best way to find out is to ask them and ask often. I recommend taking stock of where your people are at officially with a simple survey at least once a year. And unofficially on your social media pages all the time.
Questions to Survey Your Target Market Each Year
What was it like before you worked with us?
What problem(s) were you trying to solve with our product or service?
Where did you start your search?
What made our service stand out from other options?
Was there an obstacle that almost prevented you from buying our product or service?
What do you like about working with us?
Is there anything you dislike about our product/service?
What are other services you wish we would offer?
What has exceeded your expectations since working with us?
How can we do a better job meeting your needs?
Would you recommend our product or service? Why or why not?
Create a Quick Survey Using Google Forms
I made this survey below in minutes on Google forms. You should absolutely steal it. Just copy the questions in it and create your own survey in Google forms. New to Google drive? Don’t be scared. New tricks are fun, and Google drive is easy. 👇
Casual Ways to Survey Your Audience on Social Media
You can ask your audience AAAALLLLL the time about your product or service on social media, and it’s great for engagement and great for gauging your audience preferences. Instagram polls are fun, but I don’t recommending using Facebook polls, Those get very little engagement. Instead, ask questions that require your audience to comment in order to participate.
Ask what color they prefer for a product you’re developing and show them both options.
Ask what service you should develop next.
Creating a downloadable freebie for your website landing page? Ask them which one would be most helpful.
For the record, we voted YES to cloth diapers once upon a time. Because, of course I did.
Whatever you choose, be sure to keep the conversation with your target market going. What’s worked for you in your organization?