Ever read an email and think, “That’s SO not me!” and hit the delete button?
Maybe the tone was off. Or the topic was not of interest.
In short, it was obvious the person had no idea who you were or what was important to you.
Or they didn’t care.
This is why capturing your Voice of Customer (VOC) is essential if you want people to read what you write.
Without it, you’re wasting everyone’s time – yours and theirs.
Honing in on VOC enables you to:
- Customize your offer and services to meet expectations
- Increase customer retention
- Spot early warning signs of problems with your offer before it gets out of hand
- Engage on a deeper level
… and generally provide your customers with what they really want and need.
Not knowing VOC is the equivalent of arguing about religion to someone of a different denomination.
It’s a waste of time and energy and everyone ends up annoyed.
And they most certainly would never buy from you.
Whether you’re a course creator, eCommerce entrepreneur, or marketing your own business, determining your VOC is your first step in anything you write.
VOC research provides you with essential information you will want to use in your copy, including:
√ How they feel about your business, product, or service
√ What differentiates you from your competitors
√ Why they need you
√ What you can do to help
√ Their interests and behaviors
Gathering this intel enables you to jump into the conversation they’re already having in their head.
When I work with a new client, I use a 45-step checklist to mine for VOC. Yes, 45. (Not everyone has all the info on this list, but I start there.)
Even if you think you know your customer well, if you haven’t done the research you’re still just guessing.
And you know what happens when we ASS-UME, right?
You may know your clients well, but when you’re too close to the action, it’s easy to miss important details.
You likely have knowledge gaps you don’t even know about.
(Trust me, I’ve seen this with my own business.)
Here are 5 of the most important places where you can start mining for VOC…
1. Talk to your customers past and present
This is #1 for a reason. You’ll get the best information by actually getting on the phone or Zoom and speaking to people who:
- Use your product or service
- May buy it in the future
You can also use surveys. But I find those are less accurate than an actual conversation where people don’t have as much time to mull over their responses.
Speaking to people enables you to get them to open up and go off on often eye-opening tangents.
2. Live chat with them on your website
One study found 48% of people use live chat to reach out to a company.
For those who have questions about your product, a live chat captures them before they bail because they can’t find the answer to a concern.
You’ll better understand questions they may have about your product, including those that make them hesitant to take action.
3. Check out their social media
One caveat with this tip… Before you dig into social media, determine which one(s) they use most often.
For instance, B2B may rely more on LinkedIn vs. Facebook and Instagram. Ditto for audiences over 50.
Search for trending topics your audience may be following as well as their own posts.
What do they share most? Which people do they look up to for advice?
4. Track your website activity
Google Analytics is most popular for tracking website activity but there are many others.
Tracking software enables you to see the pages visitors land on, how long they stay and when they bounce. HotJar is another good one I use.
You can literally follow a heat signature as they meander around your website.
5. Mine for reviews on Amazon
If you’re thinking hol’ up! My offer isn’t on Amazon.
It doesn’t matter.
Regardless of the product or service, there’s a book about it. Or a book on a related subject.
Look up the topic and read feedback. Not all the banter may be relevant but you can get an idea of how people feel about this topic.
Look for patterns.
Clearly, there are a lot of other places to poke around to find VOC.
Use what you find to incorporate their words, phrases and examples to speak their language, increase conversions – and connect like bonkers.
Other posts you may enjoy:
4Ps: A Little Known High-Converting Formula
3 Ways to Create a Compelling Opening Hook
5 Writing Tips to Instantly Improve Your Copy
P.S. If you found this helpful please share it on social with your copy-focused friends.
Linda
