Not long ago, a friend of mine launched her first online course. She spent months perfecting the content, creating beautiful slides, and setting up an email funnel. When the launch was over, she felt good about it—people enrolled, the feedback was generally positive, and the reviews? Mostly, “Great job!” or “Loved it!”

But then she asked me, “Why didn’t more people sign up? What can I do better next time?”

Marketing Feedback Strategies to Help Growth

At this point, many brands miss a critical opportunity. By not implementing effective marketing feedback strategies, they overlook actionable insights that can lead to meaningful improvements. Instead of gaining specific, targeted feedback that helps them refine their product or service, they get stuck with generic praise that doesn’t help them grow. This also means missing out on deeper customer relationships, which come from actively engaging with their audience and showing that their feedback is valued and acted upon. Worse, brands might fall behind competitors who are learning from detailed customer input and continuously evolving based on it. In short, without strong feedback strategies, brands leave valuable growth opportunities on the table.

That’s when I thought of Adam Grant, the organizational psychologist and author known for his insights on leadership & human behavior. One of his key ideas around feedback is that if you ask for vague input, you’ll get vague answers. Instead of asking, “What’s your feedback?”—which often leads to unhelpful responses like “It was great!”—he suggests asking, “What’s one thing I could do better next time?”

Here’s the fix: Get specific. This approach flips the script. It invites people to give specific, actionable advice. And it’s a game changer, especially when it comes to marketing. Adam Grant has written about this idea, calling it a “feedback sandwich.”

Here’s how to implement marketing feedback strategies into your approach, step by step:

1. Ask at the right time.

Timing is everything. Ask for feedback soon after your customers interact with your product or service. After they’ve had enough time to form an opinion but while the experience is still fresh in their minds. For example, after an online purchase, send a follow-up email a few days later asking for one specific improvement.

2. Be clear and direct.

Avoid general questions. Instead, say:

• “What’s one thing we could improve about your shopping experience?”

• “What’s one thing that could’ve made this easier for you?”

• “What’s one feature you wish we had included?”

These questions guide your customers to think critically and give you concrete insights that lead to real improvements.

3. Spot trends.

As responses come in, look for common themes. Are multiple people mentioning the checkout process being confusing? Or perhaps they didn’t understand part of your product’s value until they were already deep into the experience? These patterns help you prioritize where to focus your efforts.

For my friend, once she shifted to asking, “What’s one thing you wish the course included that it didn’t?” the responses were eye-opening. People loved her course but felt overwhelmed by the amount of content. A simple adjustment—adding a structured roadmap—made a huge difference in the next launch.

4. Engage in a conversation.

Once you have the feedback, don’t stop there. Reach out to a few customers who left thoughtful responses. Ask them to elaborate, if possible. “Can you tell me a little more about why that part didn’t work for you?” This deepens the relationship and gives you richer insights.

5. Close the loop.

One thing people love? Seeing their feedback put into action. If you make changes based on what customers tell you, let them know. Send a follow-up email or post on social media saying, “You spoke, we listened! Based on your feedback, we’ve improved XYZ.” This not only makes your customers feel heard but encourages them to keep sharing valuable feedback.

6. Don’t shy away from criticism.

It’s tempting to ask questions that will give us positive feedback. But the best insights come from areas we can improve. It’s not always easy to hear, but feedback that challenges us is exactly what leads to growth. Embrace it.

By following these steps, my friend was able to take the next launch of her course to a whole new level—fewer generic "great jobs" and more meaningful, targeted feedback that directly helped her improve and grow her business.

And that’s the power of marketing feedback strategies. When you ask the right, specific questions, you don’t just gather feedback—you unlock valuable insights that shape stronger marketing efforts, build deeper customer connections, and drive real growth.