If you could know exactly which products or services your prospects actually WANTED to buy, wouldn’t that make your life a whole lot easier? While there is no magical marketing crystal ball, there are definitely some strategies you can use to get a good idea of what your target market is looking for.
Here are 9 ways you can find out what your prospects REALLY want to buy!
1. Ask your current customers for new product or service ideas.
This is a pretty obvious one, but it’s also one of the most effective. Using a service like Survey Monkey or Fluid Surveys, ask your current email subscribers and social media followers if they have any suggestions for new products or services that would be useful to them.
2. Ask your current customers for feedback on products they currently use (not yours).
This is one strategy that often gets missed, but the info you glean here can be invaluable. When you survey your prospects, don’t just focus on getting feedback about YOUR products or services; ask them what they buy from other businesses, and how satisfied they are with those products and experiences. This will give you insight into what your customers are already buying, and how you can entice them to buy from you.
3. Ask your prospects about their biggest problems or issues.
Sometimes asking your subscribers or followers for product suggestions won’t work; this is because they may not be able to articulate exactly what they need. They will, however, be able to tell you what their biggest issue, problem or pain point is. Once you have this information, you can tailor your product offerings to better meet the needs of your customers.
4. Run a focus group.
Focus groups are a great way to get feedback on specific products, but they’re also great for getting new product ideas. You can either hold live, in-person groups, or online chat or video-based groups. Incorporate strategies #1-3 into your group agenda for optimal results.
5. Feedback forms.
Whether you have an online or a brick and mortar business, feedback forms are a great way to find out what your current customers are thinking. If you run a local business, try handing out a feedback card at the register with the promise of a discount on their next purchase. If you run an online business, include a web form on the ‘thank you’ page that gets displayed at the time of purchase.
6. Look at your FAQ’s to determine if there’s a product or service in there somewhere.
Chances are you already have an FAQ page on your website. If not, run through your emails to see what questions your customers or clients are frequently asking. Do you see any common themes or threads? Are there needs that aren’t currently being addressed in the marketplace? Can you offer a product or service that would address these problems or meet these needs?
7. Hang out in niche forums.
By hanging out in niche or industry forums, you get to be a ‘fly on the wall’ to find out what your target market really wants. Read through forum posts and ask yourself the questions listed in #6: Do you see any common themes? What frustrations or issues come up frequently? How can you meet these needs or help to solve these problems.
8. See what other Facebook Pages your fans like.
Find out which Pages your Facebook fans like by using the query Pages liked by fans of ____________ (your Page name). This can give you insights into what other products or brands your fans are interested in.
9. Run a search of your website analytics.
If you have a search box on your site, take a look at what your website visitors have been searching for. If you find there are certain products your prospects have consistently been looking for, why not give them what they want?
The #1 way to figure out what your prospects want to buy is to build relationships with them. By connecting with them on social media and via your email list, you gain insights into their motivations, their interests and their pain points…and this knowledge is absolutely priceless.
Do you have any other strategies for finding out what your prospects want to buy? Share with us in the comments below!
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Great ideas, Kim! Thanks for sharing.
Great ideas here Kim. This is incredibly timely for me right now. I was literally sitting at my computer designing a survey to ask for feedback on a product idea from my subscribers when your email popped into my inbox.
Thanks, Kim, Our company is just getting started in social media. We have had a couple of tries to get it started. I think that we were moving in the right direction. But the results were not there. We are now giving it another try. I hope that with tips & tricks from experts like you, you will be able to get it off the ground.
You might need to find someone who can consult with you to get get you moving in the right directions.
Yes, that is a great response!