Hello, and welcome to the article where you’ll find super cool information about feedback loop which you’ll be able to turn into practice almost straight away.
But before we proceed, allow me to ask you a simple question.
Could you be a:
- Marketing guru already using Feedback Loops with great success
- Marketing guru looking to employ Feedback Loops
- Marketing guru exploring the web in search of quality information that can help his/her business strive
- All of the above?
You see, this is a prime example of how a feedback loop looks in the wild. The only difference is – this time I won’t be able to gather all of your answers. What I do know, however, is that you’re a living, breathing person, reading through an article you can relate to.
Source: Bold – digital architects
And just like that – our relationship has changed. From this point on, we’re not some strangers, sitting in two distant corners of the planet with no mutual interests. Now, as you’ve answered my question, we are two human beings, probably involved in marketing as a profession, we’re both looking to learn something about feedback loops and we’d very much like to share our knowledge.
The feeling itself is much better than just typing words into the digital abyss or feeling as if nobody cares about you. The point is – your audience, your customers and plain business courtesy can never be replaced.
Tapping into the Marketing Feedback source of power
The abovementioned example is a solid postulate as it opens up a myriad of new possibilities as soon as you ask the reader for his/hers email address right after the question.
This, basically effortless, action leads to a knowledgeable audience, and opens new paths of reaching them with more beneficial information.
Feedback loops were researched, in great detail, back in the 60s, proven to be productively measurable, after which they were used in different verticals like psychology, military strategy, or engineering, with great success.
This proof of success leads us to conclude that with a little thought, effort and routine, virtually anyone can add feedback loops to various aspects of their lives.
Sure, feedback loops were important in business and marketing back in the 60s as well, but they’re very popular nowadays. Add digital transformation to the mix, and you get a strategy that’s growing both in complexity and potential.
So what exactly are feedback loops? They’re cycles, where parts of the output go back into input and create knowledge in the shape of accurate data providing recurring foundations for improvement.
Here’s a hypothetical situation: if a business finds statistical proof behind its success, it can combine that data with customer feedback and take a slice of the profits to create new business opportunities which will help them earn even more.
Changing behavior with feedback loop
Even though the feedback loop strategy has been around for decades, it’s still perceived as one of the best tools to change behaviors, both on a personal and professional levels. Every feedback loop has to start with evidence.
The second rotation is relevance, third consequences, fourth action, and then back to the beginning of the loop.
Now that we have a clearer picture of feedback loops, let’s put them into a marketing perspective.
Regardless of if the business is flying high, staying afloat or sinking fast, content marketing feedback loops are frequently what’s missing that makes sales move past even the best of teams.
When laying the foundations, it’s always good to take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture. And that means – your customers are your number one marketing asset.
If you’re using Feedback loop, learning more about your clients becomes natural. As a result, customer satisfaction rates will go up, as well as brand awareness. Also, your marketing reach through social will expand.
How to manage Feedback loops
The two biggest priorities in committed marketing feedback loop are to ask and listen.
Marketing is not a one-time effort, and the feedback loop strategy is a great tool of debunking such myths. We know of a couple of proven, very effective marketing feedback formats:
- Post-transaction surveys that are done periodically, or depending on the situation. An NPS survey that pops up right after a transaction can help you learn if the customer would gladly recommend the product. Or, in another example, a survey can pop on a website, asking users which of the offered items they’d use. The trick is – you must never have more than six options, otherwise the survey becomes a task for the visitor. With six or less, surveys stay non-invasive, while still being hugely insightful.
- Everyone has an opinion and the majority will gladly share theirs, especially if they’ve been asked to do so. That makes reviews a great option, but make sure to ask the right questions or the information provided will not be valid.
- Another successful tactic includes direct emails. Personalized emails in which businesses ask for comments or feedback usually results in great insights, consequently driving more sales than, say, ads.
Social Media and Content Marketing Feedback Loops
Feedback loop’s potential does not end with sales and marketing. The content that a business creates could be collecting dust or even moving the business away from its goals. By using social media to look for the business or brand, companies can unveil hashtags, multimedia and different comments that their customers are seeing. That can be a great vessel towards a greater understanding of the content your customers are sharing.
Phase two includes your content that needs to go above and beyond simple PRs and media. Things like photo galleries, videos or blogs should be business as usual when looking to measure the feedback loop of the brand content.
Even though it is time-consuming, you should always look for keywords and formats that are drawing attention, and then re-use them again.
Some companies might realize that they’re getting decent engagement when sharing specific keywords in a title with a video. Others, on the other hand, might be getting enviable results when posting photos and videos combined.
Measuring these outcomes will take a lot of time, but it’s definitely worth it.
Content Marketing Feedback Loops and Retargeting
A content feedback loop with retargeting has the same framework but different intent. Here, you’ll want to measure activity that left the site only to be recaptured. There are multiple paths to take when building a measurable retargeting feedback loop method, including using advertising.
With advertising, a visitor to a site can leave and continue business as usual, including reading, looking at videos, etc. After a certain amount of time, it gets targeted with an ad that comes with an option to click.
This is borderline digital subconscious mind reprogramming.
Be wary though, as this can quickly turn sour – especially if an already visited ad pops up in an unrelated search. Also pay attention to the ad’s placement and size, they’re all closely related to the psychology of retargeting. Businesses should always tweak their campaigns to offer on only extra relevant content.
Thriving feedback loop retargeting leads to the retention of old feedback undertakings. We can perceive it as being somewhere in the middle, with the first contact actually being the starting place.
Retargeting efforts help optimize the funnel, making feedback loops as customizable as each.
Making the right moves
Discovering what works best for you means doing a lot of testing, but you won’t be tapping in the dark. Roughly three quarters (70 percent) of businesses with “Best in Class Customer Service” use customer feedback loops which is great as you don’t really need to make any unnecessary preparations.
However, you’ll want to optimize the following:
- Single site visits (retargeting)
- Abandoned Carts
- Retention
- Reviews & Testimonies
- Stagnant Customers
- Media Response
This is far from a definitive list, and expect significant changes as you dig deeper into your funnel’s weakest areas. The good news is, feedback loops are usually simple to set up, and you can be 100 percent sure you’ll get useful insight from your audience.
Nowadays, there’s this general assumption that if you’re not using feedback loops, it means you’re afraid of what your audience has to say.
Closing comments
These strategies are both fundamental and practical, so it’s good to know why and how they can be used to improve a business.
Even if you’re still easing into these stats, you can still start using feedback loops today. Don’t forget – improving a business depends on both old, current and future customers.
Sure, you can start small, everything revolves around asking questions and listening to answers followed by tracking. Even a simple email or media post are all great examples of how feedback loop works on a smaller scale.
Also don’t forget – honesty towards your audience will be met with honesty on their side.
