There's an art to the online survey
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Christina Davis is on a leave of absence. This column was originally published in the WBJ in June 2013.)
The Internet has brought great things: cute cat videos, auto-tuned memes, and online survey tools. While the first two in that brief list aren't going to help your business in any way, the third one can be a real asset.
So what are you waiting for? If you haven't sent out an online survey to get a read on what your customers are thinking, you're missing out. If you think you need a Ph.D. in statistics to put together a 10-question survey, you're wrong. I talked to the experts and have seven basic tips to get you ready to do your own market research.
1. Pick your tool.
The good news: There are a ton of affordable options for setting up an online survey.
The bad news: There are many options. It can be a bit daunting to weigh the pros and cons of each tool. Test out a few. A good place to start is with whatever service you use to send email newsletters. These companies often offer survey options along with the enewsletter templates.
You should also check out Survey Monkey, a "free-mium" service that specializes in online surveys. And if you're a bit more web savvy and comfortable with Excel, you can try Google's free survey tool, which is under the Google Drive product offering.
2. Establish a clear objective for every survey.
Make sure you have a goal in mind, said Corissa St. Laurent, director of regional development for New England at Waltham-based Constant Contact.
"I think first and foremost, [business owners] have to have a singular purpose," St. Laurent said of drafting a survey. "If they are trying to find out everything, that data is going to be unmanageable."
Your objective may be to learn about the experience of your first-time customers and what might bring them back. Or perhaps you want to learn about what new product offerings your existing customers want. Your objective is going to determine what kinds of questions you ask, how many you ask and what you do with the answers you get.
3. Write the survey.
Writing can be the most intimidating part of the process, but it doesn't have to be. If you're using Survey Monkey, one of its bonuses is its question bank, according to Phil Garland, vice president of methodology at the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company.
The bank is a catalog of about 1,700 questions that have been formed and vetted by the likes of Garland, so they're "methodologically sound," meaning that they "are reliable and valid," Garland said. In other words, he said using questions from the Survey Monkey bank is like "sticking a thermometer into a bucket of water 10 times," because they're drafted to mean the same thing to all people.
Both St. Laurent and Garland recommend using a combination of open-ended and multiple-choice questions. One format to avoid, however, is a matrix or grid format, which can look like a dense spreadsheet and turn off survey-takers, according to Garland.
4. Check the length.
St. Laurent recommends that a survey take no more than five minutes to fill out. Garland said Survey Monkey's research shows a big drop in participation after eight minutes. So aim for between five and eight minutes. Be sure to have people other than you or the survey drafter test the amount of time it takes to complete the survey.
5. What's in it for them?
People aren't going to spend eight minutes taking an online survey out of the goodness of their hearts. There must be something in it for them, according to Derek Beahn, former partner and account director at advertising agency smith&jones of Sturbridge.
Beahn and his team at smith&jones often helped clients draft customer surveys to help complete a brand audit.
"You do have to entice them to take it," he said. Without the prospect of a gift card at the end of the survey, "you're just relying on people to love your business or your brand."
6. Think internal as well as external.
Another tip from Beahn: Consider surveying your internal audience — your employees. This is a common practice when completing a brand audit, he said. While you may be focused on learning more about your customers, simply asking your employees what they know about your customers may be more revealing. This can be particularly true in large organizations.
7. When to call in the professionals.
Now that I've told you how to develop an online survey on your own, here's the truth: There may come a point when you need some real market research muscle. Garland at Survey Monkey said market researchers can help if you want to take a deep dive into the numbers.
"Statistical analysis is the best value added for market researchers," he said.
Christina Davis can be reached at cdavis@wbjournal.com.
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