The best part of any rebrand is revealing it to your customers and the world. Here are a few tips we’ve collected over the years on how to get the most valuable feedback from your audiences.

Select the right audience

When it comes to feedback, asking the right people is key. Everyone has an opinion but some are more valuable than others.

When we ask for feedback, we categorise the sources into the following groups, in order of importance (1 being the most important).‍

1. Customers

Your customers have a comprehensive understanding of your brand and will therefore have the most valuable feedback. Their thoughts and feelings directly impact your bottom line as well, so go to them early and go to them often when looking for advice.

2. Colleagues

What’s the next closest thing to asking your customers for feedback? Asking the people who speak to your customers every day. The advice of your colleagues might not be as actionable as the feedback you’d receive from a customer, but it’s the next best thing.

3. Industry Professionals

If you do ask an industry professional for their opinion, make sure they’re someone you trust. It’s easier to objectively review their feedback if you already have a sense of their style, likes and dislikes. Watch out for the relative stranger who encourages alterations because “that’s how things are usually done.”

4. Enemies

Listen to what they say and do the opposite.

5. Friends & Family

They mean well and want the best for you, but unless they’re also a customer or have extensive knowledge of your industry, their advice is best taken with a smile and a grain of salt.

Ask the right questions

Once you’ve figured out who you’re going to ask for feedback, you’ll want to plan what you’re going to ask them. The more thought-out your questions, the better the quality of the feedback you’ll receive and the better your end result will be.

Here are three tips we follow when asking for feedback, followed by a few examples.

1. Provide context

Explaining why you’re asking for feedback allows your audience to determine what information will likely be the most valuable to you. Tell them the reason why you’re asking, about the decision you need to make or the objective of the work. A great example of this is, “I’m looking for feedback on these two options because I need to select the one that better suits my customers’ preferences.”

2. Don’t ask open-ended questions

Open-ended questions are more likely to result in biased answers. Just like with the suggestion above, by avoiding open-ended questions like “what do you think?”, you’ll be helping your audience figure out what’s important and what’s not.

3. Don’t lead your audience

This requires a lot of self-control. Leading questions tend to pop out when you’ve already started forming your initial thoughts on your brand. Instead of asking “Do you think this red is too bright?”, which might seem unbiased, instead ask “How does this red make you feel?”. You’re aiming for honest responses, so try to avoid influencing your audience before they have a chance to articulate their thoughts.

Examples

A few good questions:

• “Which of these do you prefer?”
• “What don’t you understand about this right now?”
• “Can you read this from afar?”

Some really bad questions:

• “Yes or no?”
• “What do you think of this?”
• “This looks like a child drew it, right?”

Still have questions about the work?

If you've tried the tips above and still have questions about your rebrand, get in touch with us. We’re as excited to talk about your new brand as you are.