How well do you know your audience? Do you have enough data? And, is this data relevant? You have the data, but you are not sure if it will lead to a successful campaign. How can you collect data from users? How can you collect data from users without annoying them? If you are looking for answers to these questions, then you are at the right place.

If you have been following this blog, you are now aware that if you know your audience well, you can do better marketing. To know them well, you need to collect more and more data. What is this data and from where can we collect it? This can be collected from various sources and can be categorized as explained in one of my previous posts.

If you know your individual customers and you know which ones are valuable, you can take a step further to achieve more effective and targeted marketing. And, the best way to do this is Personalization, which will help you communicate with your audience in a better way.

How to collect customer data?

1. Newsletter subscriptions

You can ask users to sign up for daily, weekly or monthly newsletters as per their interest. For example, users who have been reading a lot about sports can show interest in signing up for a sports newsletter. Make it easy for users to sign up and ask for information that’s relevant.

2. Surveys and online forms

Create surveys and online forms to collect data. But, make sure there are not too many fields for the user to fill in which might just annoy him. Also, offer something strong in return so that he is willing to take part in the survey.

3. Behavioral Targeting

Keep a track of the kind of ads a user clicks, or his browsing history, or the kind of pages he visits. This will give information about what interests him.

4. Competitions or giveaways

People love taking part in “Enter and Win” kind of competitions and giveaways when they know they can win something good. Also, you can have a sharing feature, something like, “Share with your friends”, which will help in spreading the word further and gaining more customers.

5. Social Networks

Social media popularity is on the rise. And, networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. can provide a huge platform to collect user information. Track ads, user shares, views, likes etc. to collect user data.

6. Go Mobile

The usage of apps and emails from mobile devices has increased in the recent past. By collecting data like the kind of apps a user has downloaded, the kind of apps he uses frequently, the model and type of the device or the time spent on an app etc. can reveal a lot about the user.

7. Offer subscription

Ask users to subscribe to some offer by giving them a discount coupon or something of value in return.

For example, SMS WIN, your age, first name and email address to 4545 for an instant 10% discount coupon.

8. Pop-Up Windows

Pop-up windows on your website or landing page can help in collecting valuable information. Limit the number of questions and offer something in return.

While these are some of the ways to collect customer data, ALWAYS REMEMBER, do NOT annoy your customer by trying too hard to collect data. Collect data gradually and without being intrusive. Offer them something in return. They are likely to share information if you are offering them something of value.

And, as I always say, RESPECT your audience and their data!

Like it? Found it helpful? Share it with your friends too.

Tweet it!