We recently added a press release about Client Opinions‘ (maker of Flash Feedback) partnership with Stop Hunger Now; a North Carolina-based non-profit whose vision is to end world hunger. The partnership provides Stop Hunger Now with a 24/7, automated feedback engine for their more than 20,000 volunteers to give their input to SHN’s operations. When volunteers or website visitors use the Flash Feedback badge on the Stop Hunger Now site, and then add it to their own site, they can choose to make donations to SHN through the charity overlay. This makes Flash Feedback a “creative giving option” that is featured on SHN’s site.
We posted recently about our ongoing work with charitable organizations. This newest partnership is an example of how Flash Feedback is a great platform for charities, non-profits, and associations. If you know of any such organization, contact us or forward our information to them; we are always looking for new ways to use Flash Feedback to partner with such groups.
We recently held a survey contest about the 2011 NCAA Basketball Tournament. We asked a number of historical trivia questions, as well as questions about how this year’s top seeds would fare. It was an exciting tournament this year, with plenty of upsets. This marks only the 3rd time that no #1 seeds progressed to the final four.
Our winner for the contest is Adam, and he will receive $100 from Flash Feedback! We will continue to hold contests and surveys with prizes, so be sure to check our blog and our Facebook page often!
Flash Feedback offers a unique, 24/7 platform for businesses to gather feedback from their customers. One of the great features of our app is the ability to turn customer feedback into donations to your favorite charity (or that of your site’s users). Our customizable badge lets you select a charity or input one of your own. Customers will see that their feedback on your site is going towards a good cause, and be more willing to give you valuable information you can use to grow your business or non-profit. It’s a win-win-win situation for you, the customer, and charitable organizations! You can find the charities we currently work with below. We will post new charities on our blog as we partner with them.
Feedback should be part of your production plan from the moment you start working on your business. The earlier you start asking for feedback, the easier it will be to make a change. Don’t wait until you’re emotionally invested in your design to start getting feedback.
Step 2 – Be Open to what your customers have to say!
This goes back to emotional investment. If you’ve already made up your mind about a website, and there’s no changing it, no matter what anyone says, then don’t waste your time (or theirs). Seek feedback only when you’re going to pay attention to it. Don’t become so attached to your ideas that you can’t hear the constructive ideas being offered by those around you.
Step 3 – Use The Right Tools
People often avoid asking for feedback because of an unproductive past experience. Either the people asked didn’t respond, or there was no good way of collecting the feedback. Fortunately, there are a number of free tools out there that are designed specifically for gathering feedback in an organized and actionable way – no more patching together ideas from a long string of emails.
Step 4 – Ask Everyone to participate
You don’t need an expert to give you valuable advice about your latest website, just someone who is going to look at it seriously and give you an honest response. Whatever you do, don’t be shy, get out there and share your business with anyone who’s willing to take lend a thought.
Step 5 – Ask the Right Questions
Make sure to clarify your objective. By providing direction ahead of time, you’re more likely to receive focused feedback that clearly addresses what you want to know. Instead of asking “what do you think?“, ask “what elements of this design catch your attention right away?” or “what confuses you most about this website?“. Also, try to keep it brief. Clear and concise directions generate specific and helpful feedback.
Step 6 – Make the Most out of your feedback
Whenever you’re faced with criticism, make sure to check your first reaction. It takes a mature professional with the right attitude to be able to take genuine, constructive criticism and learn from it. Criticism never feels good at first, but once you’re able to take a step back from your design and look at it objectively, you can usually find something helpful.
Step 7 – Repeat Repeat Repeat
Feedback is an ongoing process. Don’t just stop after the first draft, continue to get feedback as you revise and improve your business. The more you times you repeat the process, the easier it will be to get in to the habit of asking for feedback and the better your product will be as a result. You will always be able to make changes according to your feedback and keep your customers happy.
Everyone is jumping on the social media band wagon, have you? Today every type of business has established itself with Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. It is the easiest and cheapest way to market your company. Technology is driving how we do business. If you are living in the past it is hard to keep up. According to Mashable.com 78% of businesses use Twitter followed by 75% use Facebook and 31% of owners have multiple accounts on each site. Today’s business owner will find social media fantastic at updating their customers on the latest news, products and promotions. Mashable.com for more info on how social media is being used by small businesses.
Facebook is a valuable business tool. After all, Facebook owns the web. In fact, you’re likely spotting the shift; instead of companies posting their URLs on television commercials, they’re asking their followers to join them on Facebook. Therefore, it’s a force to be reckoned with.
Profile Page versus Fan Page
The average Facebook user uses Facebook not for business but for personal communications. Simply stated, for a business, you should create a Fan Page. If you are officially representing your company, you’d want to create an Official Page.
Don’t use a Facebook Group. They are outdated (from Facebook’s early days) and do not support Facebook Markup Language (FBML) or Facebook Apps, so they are not as interactive and thus do not make as strong of an impact. Additionally, don’t create a personal account (a regular Facebook profile page) for your business. You’re supposed to use your real name and you’re also only supposed to have one account. Your Facebook Page should be created under your primary Facebook login. If you elect not to have one, you can still create a Facebook page by following the steps after you fill out the relevant data for your business Facebook Page.
For your page, consider using a title that’s memorable here because you won’t be able to change it later. It’s preferable to reflect your business and use a business name, not a funny character or other business persona that nobody can relate to. People will be looking for your business on Facebook, so make it easy for them to find you.
Once you get 25 fans, you can set up a username which makes accessing your profile a lot easier. Make sure you apply the username to your Facebook Page, not your personal profile, and be sure to use something memorable that people can find by plugging in the URL.
Great! Now that you have opted to create a Fan Page, you need to customize it. Simply stated, you can upload a profile picture (200 by 600 pixels maximum, and start filling out the relevant details about your business. Tell people how to find you and give them a history. They’re there because they want to learn! Depending on what type of page you are creating (for a business, publication, celebrity, etc.) the text fields differ, but utilize what’s available to you to your advantage. Make sure you give your community the information needed to find you elsewhere both online and offline.
If you want to be more creative, start thinking about building upon your profile with the aforementioned Facebook Markup Language (FBML). In short, you’ll need to install the Static FBML app, add a custom tab, and learn the language, which is very similar to HTML, to create content that is appealing to your customers and prospects. Now you are ready to use Facebook.
Feedback – we all have read and heard this word a lot from different people with different frame of references. As the name suggests, it is the reaction of a person towards the other person’s work, product or service. Feedback is a sort of input which others give on your work. These ‘others’ may include your supervisors, co-workers, customers, clients or other people you interact with. There are different types of feedback, depending upon who is giving it and on what is it being given.
The importance of feedback cannot be undermined at any level. The maker gets to know that the way he is thinking about a certain communication, is also appealing to the target audience. Feedback is like a trial and error method, the more you get it, the better it gets for your communication.
Feedback is an important part of any business relationship. Feedback should be a part of the entire business development process from the moment you start working on it. This will enable you to engage your clients/customers right from the beginning and make your product/service as suitable for them as possible. Also, the earlier you start taking feedback, the easier it will be to make a change. The sooner you know what needs to be improved the better.
Criticism is synonymous to feedback and both are very important in getting the desired result out of your production. The sole purpose of your business is to please your customers. Therefore, keep your heart and mind open for feedback. It has nothing to do with your personal likes or dislikes and there is no need to get emotionally attached to it.
Criticism is an important part of feedback and often turns out to be quite beneficial. Unlike the general perspective, criticism does not necessarily have to be negative. So, no matter what type of criticism you get, always try to get the most benefit out of it. People’s opinion matters a lot and your reaction towards their opinion is quite judgmental.
Another tip to manage criticism well is to gauge your very first reaction towards it. Whenever you are criticized, make sure to check your first reaction over it. Only a mature person with the right attitude is able to take constructive criticism and make the most out of it.
The process of feedback and its reaction is not one-time process. Feedback is basically an ongoing process that continues in the form of process periodicals. The feedback process does not even stop at the finishing point of web development. Continue taking feedback often and plan accordingly. The more frequently you repeat the process, the better it will be for your business.
[Insert Name of Your Organization] is committed to supporting your needs with the highest level of excellence. In this regard, one of our key areas of focus is creating a website that provides you with an EXTRAORDINARY user experience!!
To achieve this goal we have integrated a Flash Feedback badge onto every page of our website. Flash Feedback allows us to capture your thoughts about our site 24/7. What impresses you? What turns you off? What causes confusion? And, most importantly, what can we do to improve your website experience?
We invite you to visit us on [insert website URL], click on the Flash Feedback link (lower right corner) and provide your thoughts – it is quick & easy. As a token of appreciation for your time, we will make a donation to [Insert Charity Name] on behalf of all those that provide feedback.
Your input is vital to ensuring we deliver an extraordinary website experience. Your responses will be kept strictly confidential. You may participate anonymously, but we encourage you to provide your email so that we can address your individual concerns.
Thank you in advance for your feedback. Please know that we truly appreciate your business and value our relationship.
[Insert Name of Your Organization] is committed to supporting your needs with the highest level of excellence. In this regard, one of our key areas of focus is creating a website that provides you with an EXTRAORDINARY user experience!!
To achieve this goal we have integrated a Flash Feedback badge onto every page of our website. Flash Feedback allows us to capture your thoughts about our site 24/7. What impresses you? What turns you off? What causes confusion? And, most importantly, what can we do to improve your website experience?
We invite you to visit us on [insert website URL], click on the Flash Feedback link (lower right corner) and provide your thoughts – it is quick & easy. As a token of appreciation for your time, we will make a donation to [Insert Charity Name] on behalf of all those that provide feedback.
Your input is vital to ensuring we deliver an extraordinary website experience.
Responses will be kept strictly confidential. You may participate anonymously, but we encourage you to provide your email so that we can address your individual concerns.
Or Use a link in the left or right column of your newsletter directing your audience to leave feedback about each newsletter sent out!
Sample Paragraph for inclusion on your website home page
What’s New!
We have incorporated a Flash Feedback badge on our website. This feature is designed to get your insights on what can we do to improve your website experience?
Rate our site and tell us how we can make your experience EXTRAORDINARY!!
Please click on the Flash Feedback link (lower right corner) and provide your thoughts – it is quick & easy. As a token of appreciation for your time, we will make a donation to [Insert Charity Name] on behalf of all those that provide feedback.