Be Careful If You Ask Family and Friends For Their Opinion

It is tempting to ask them for their opinion on your business idea, marketing campaign, website, branding etc.

It is quick and you think you will be able to take the best action based on the results.

Unfortunately this is not always the case and whilst they may mean well, their opinion may throw you off the marketing success path.

One episode I will never forget was when I was a Product Manager and the advertising agency was presenting a new advertising concept for a major brand to our Marketing Director.

The concept had to be reworked before final approval because it had the colour purple in it and his daughter disliked the colour. Apparently he always asked his daughter for her opinion and he took note of what she said.

The only problem was that she was not even in our target market. To make matters worse this was only a concept for a television commercial, not a finished rendition of a print advertisement.

There are also problems with taking what your customers say as an absolute fact and this will be covered in another article.

Here are 5 reasons why you need to be careful:

• They are often not your target market
• They usually want to please you
• They often focus on the detail not the overall concept
• Bring in their personal opinions rather than be objective
• May not have an understanding of the market you compete in

If you still want to involve them then consider doing the following:

• If it is a concept put a story around with pictures for example so they understand the context
• Explain the dynamics of the market and include competitors
• Ask why or why not to get a deeper understanding of their opinion not just yes or no
• Give them time to absorb what you are showing them rather than expect immediate answers
• If it is a product let them use it
• Describe your target market and the brand’s positioning

Getting opinions and feedback is important; you just need to be careful who you ask.