Questions you should ask about your marketing efforts
Instead of making decisions based on feelings or shooting in the dark, marketers need to use metrics and data. Data provides information you need to make
adjustments in your marketing program, and can demonstrate to the organization the value of your efforts and specific campaigns.
As you develop measurement tools, such as interviews and surveys, here are some questions to ask about your offerings, your customers, the market—and yourself [from a Forbes article: The True Measure of Business Success].
Your Offering
- Why are people buying it?
- If they are recommending it to others, what are they saying?
- Why aren’t people buying—especially those who inquire but don’t purchase?
- What are the most frequently asked questions that you are getting about your product or service?
- What features seem to be getting the greatest response or reaction and which the least? Why?
Your Customers
- Are your customers who you expected they would be? How are they different?
- How do they hear of you and how do they share information themselves?
- What problem are they seeking to solve by using your product or service?
- What is important to them?
- What have you been surprised to learn about them?
The Market
- How do your customers consider your offering to stack up against others?
- What trends are emerging in your market?
- How has the market changed over the last 12 months?
- How much do you have to educate customers about your market?
- What are the stereotypes and misconceptions about your market?
Yourself
- How has your business experience compared to your expectations?
- What are you surprised to learn that you like doing?
- Which of your new tasks do you not like as much?
- What have been the greatest sources of anxiety and joy?
- What has the experience of managing been like?