Are you more likely to purchase skin care products from an ad on social media or after a Google search? From a friend’s recommendation or an influencer’s video? That’s exactly what businesses need to know.
Reports show businesses spend anywhere from 40% to 60% of their digital ad budgets ineffectively. It is possible to avoid this by knowing how customers learned about your brand. A relatively simple “how did you hear about us” survey can provide these insights.
Learn how these brief surveys help you understand which marketing platforms best reach potential customers.
What is a “how did you hear about us” survey?
A “how did you hear about us” survey is a simple tool to learn how customers discovered your brand. Generally, the one-question survey features multiple-choice answers about referral sources, like targeted advertisements, word-of-mouth recommendations, or search engines. These surveys can appear during checkout, the account signup process, or in a post-purchase email.
Unlike a customer satisfaction survey, a “how did you hear about us” survey does not measure how happy a customer is with your service or products. Instead, these surveys collect valuable information companies can use to gauge which marketing strategies engage users and drive customer acquisition. Understanding how customers who are genuinely interested in your brand found you can inform marketing efforts and budget.
Businesses also use these surveys when they have job openings. During the application process, they may ask whether an applicant heard about the position through a job board, social media, or a Google search. This article will focus on the survey in an ecommerce context.
🌟 Discover top-rated survey tools to transform customer feedback into actionable strategies for your ecommerce business.
Sample answers for a “how did you hear about us” survey
The answer options you include in your “how did you hear about us” survey vary based on the marketing channels you use, the goals of your survey, and where you distribute your survey. Here are a few sample answers:
Internet
Many customers discover brands through online marketing channels. The internet lets you reach a broad audience, so narrowing down how your target audience found you helps focus your marketing campaigns.
Potential customers commonly discover your business from these internet sources:
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Company website
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Company newsletter
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Company blog
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Search engines
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Social media
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Influencer marketing
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Customer review sites
Word-of-mouth referral
Word of mouth is the top source of brand discovery in the US. Since recommendations carry more weight than advertising, a customer hearing positive things about your company from a trusted friend can positively influence brand perception and purchase decisions.
Word-of-mouth marketing referral sources include:
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Referral from a friend or family member
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Referral from company employees
Event
If your company hosts or attends virtual or in-person events, you can engage with potential customers directly to create lasting first impressions.
Events include:
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Webinars
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Trade shows
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Conferences
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Networking events
Advertisement
Strategic advertising campaigns are essential in appealing to new customers. Knowing where customers first saw your advertisements helps you understand which channels are worth your investment.
Here are a few common advertising channels:
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Radio ads
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Television commercials
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Print media (newspaper, magazine, direct mail)
Other
Many “how did you hear about us” surveys include an “other” option, usually with a comment box for customers to type in their answers with more detailed information. This survey data can provide valuable information about avenues not currently on your radar.
The survey may also look less daunting to users as they can use the “other” option rather than scroll through a mile-long list of every possible referral source. While this provides more context, it’s important to note that adding an “other” option makes it difficult to collate results. You may require the use of artificial intelligence if you’re gathering large amounts of information.
Alternative ways to ask “how did you hear about us”
Consider wording the survey differently based on your goals.
Here are some options to consider:
Was it easy to find us?
If you are growing your online presence, you might want to learn if it was easy for customers to find you. Make this yes-or-no question most effective by adding a comment box to gather more detail about the challenges customers faced getting to your website.
What prompted your visit to our website?
Asking “what prompted your visit to our website?” with an open-ended response field can reveal customer intent, giving you a better idea of customers’ needs, pain points, and preferences. They may have come to your website after one of your promotional offers or may be comparing your prices to competitors.
Who referred you to us?
A “who referred you to us?” question can help you understand the effectiveness of marketing tactics like influencer campaigns, or reveal how referrals or brand loyalty from existing customers are working in your favor.
🌟 Understanding your target market allows you to tailor your products to your audience’s exact needs—and you can do so usingmarket research tools.
How to create a “how did you hear about us” survey
While a “how did you hear about us” survey is brief, proper planning will help you get the most out of it. Here’s how:
1. Define goals
First, define your goals. You may want to learn whether you should increase ad spend or invest more effort on organic marketing to drive acquisition. Considering your company’s overall objectives and how you will measure the results can steer you in the right direction. SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based) can help you come up with clear, actionable, and realistic targets.
Defining your goal will help you word your survey question appropriately and provide the correct multiple-choice answers for your respondents.
2. Determine placement
The timing and location of your survey will impact the response rate, relevance, and quality of the feedback you receive. For example, a survey pop-up during the checkout process might garner more responses as the user is already engaging with your brand, but an email can target customers by demographic segments.
3. Be concise
A “how did you hear about us” survey is generally one question, making your wording crucial to encourage participation. Complicated questions or an excessive list of response options can overwhelm respondents.
Ask one straightforward question to address your goal. Provide a limited number of response options to capture the key information you need. Avoid unnecessary jargon or extraneous details.
4. Include an “other” option
While specificity is important, include an “other” option for customers who do not fit into your predefined categories. Customers may find your brand through a unique referral source or unconventional marketing channel you hadn’t anticipated. By offering the flexibility of an “other” option with a comment field, respondents can provide their own answers, ensuring your survey captures all customer experiences.
5. Analyze results
After collecting responses, analyze results to identify any trends or patterns in how customers discovered your brand. Determine which channels commonly bring customers to your company to assess which strategies (or organic channels) are most effective and ineffective in engaging your target audience.
Your marketing team can use the survey results to guide campaigns, refine goals, and reallocate resources to the highest-performing channels. Regularly analyze the survey data to track change in responses as you adjust your strategies.
How did you hear about us FAQ
What is a “how did you hear about us” survey?
A “how did you hear about us” survey is a fundamental tool for gathering customer feedback to improve customer acquisition. The one-question survey often appears as a feedback form that pops up after an online purchase transaction. Learning how new customers discover your company can inform your marketing and advertising strategies.
What are the pros and cons of “how did you hear about us” surveys?
“How did you hear about us” surveys are cost-effective and short, which can encourage users to fill them out. However, recency bias and limited answer selection can make the information incomplete or imprecise.
How do you get customers to fill out surveys?
If you want customers to go the extra mile and provide feedback, you need to make it easy for them. Use clear, concise language and a survey that doesn’t take much effort on their part. Additionally, consider the channels where they are most likely to engage with you. For example, a survey pop-up during the checkout process might garner more responses as the user is already engaging with your brand, but an email can target customers by demographic segments.
