Quirks Marketing Research Review recently wrote an article about how to increase survey respondents satisfaction. Surveys can help to give the smart marketer a heads up on what your client and prospect really want and need. Surveys can be used to gather all sorts of market data such as customer demographics, likes and dislikes, customer satisfaction and much more. I highly recommend that if you are not using surveys in some form or another (digital, hand-written or by phone) you are missing out on information that can take your business to a new level fo success.
Here are the 10 tips Quirks shared:
1. Make surveys engaging and convenient
2. Avoid complex questions
3. Limit questions to 50 words or less
4. Avoid long lists of rating questions
5, Avoid open-ended questions
6. Avoid repetitive questions
7. Advertise accurate survey times
8. pay incentives (prizes) promptly
10. Pre-test surveys thoroughly
11. Get feedback on surveys
I would only disagree with number 5. Sometimes a person needs the option to expand on a response and having an open ended question makes that possible. You might have an open ended question but make it an option to reply thereby not annoying those really want to offer feedback but who don’t have or want to spend a long time doing so.
About accurate survey times, the article states that respondents don’t mind taking longer surveys as long as they know how much time they will take. This is good to know when you need more in-depth replies.
You can read this and other articles online at http://www.quirks.com/. While there, you can also request a FREE subscription (if you qualify).
While you’re at it you can grab a FREE copy of eMarketing ~ 300 page textbook aimed at tertiary education students, business owners and marketers who want to get ahead in online marketing. It has everything from the facts to case studies and study questions around each eMarketing tactic. Go to http://www.quirk.biz/emarketingtextbook/download.
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September 17th, 2009
Tomorrow (July 20th) is “Get Out of The Doghouse Day®” – a National holiday which my team and I created in 1999 – and one of the things that has become our CLAIM TO FAME. Today got me thinking about some of the strategies we have used to get our name out there to become known in our community and to help others get to know about the products and services my company offers. In 2000 we created a survey to see how people got out of the doghouse (and what put them there in the first place) and in 2001 we created a logo and trademarked the holiday National Get Out of The Doghouse Day®®. We had to create a logo to submit to the United States Patent and Trademark Office – www.uspto.gov.
Speaking of Surveys – did you know that more than 1,000 people actually responded to it? And that was before the advent of online surveys (as we know them today)! In fact, the question I am most often asked is just how we got more than 1,000 people to take the survey. That was the easy part. Since I am and have always been an avid networker, I simply carried my clipboard with the surveys around every where I went. We also asked people when they stopped in my florist, and I even took the surveys on trips and asked people on plane rides, bus rides, at conferences, in waiting areas and let’s not forget the Ladies Rooms! It was such fun meeting so many people. Of course, today would be a lot easier because we could have done this totally online, but the experience would not have been the same for my staff or for me.
And the best part of all is that every year at this time I get dozens of calls from Radio stations around the country asking about the holiday which is the “famous” part. Being interviewed by radio personalities all over the US makes me feel sort of like a celebrity, so I guess you could say “I am famous” for creating this holiday. And yes, it’s still one of my greatest “claims to fame.” In fact, my staff and I have also been quoted in countless newspapers and magazines over the years. So you see, this type of promotion can garner great publicity and you become known for something positive. And the “publicity” could go on for years afterwards.
Webster’s defines famous as: renouned, celebrated, well-known, prominent, legendary.
Each of us fits that definition to some extent. The amount of “fame” each of us achieves however, is only relevant if we use it to our advantage. Here are some ways you fulfill the definition of “famous.”
~ When you write articles and others read them, you are famous.
~ When you have a loyal following of customers, clients and friends, you are famous.
~ When you have written a book, you are famous.
~ When you have volunteered for a fundraiser or some other community service, you are famous.If you’ve ever received an award, you are famous.
~ If you’ve ever done a heroic deed, you are famous.
In what other ways could you be famous?
Actions and deeds that you perform on a personal basis make you famous such as given your heart to a small child or a senior citizen, you are famous. When you’ve mentored someone or helped her or him achieve a goal, you are famous. And countless other ways! And the best part is that you OWN the fame, it is something that can never be taken away from you.
So tell me, what’s your CLAIM TO FAME?
For the REST OF THE STORY, Read the post: MY BEST PROMOTION EVER
Read the article: Women Want Flowers Men Want Sex – Doghouse Survey Says
Have a great story to share? Take the Get Out of the Doghouse survey
Check out the Doghouse Survey Press Release and 2009 Contest
Read Top Ten Ways to Stay out of The Doghouse
Take the Get Out of the Doghouse survey: http://tulipstalk.com/DoghouseSurvey.pdf
Read some of the FUN stories submitted by our survey respondents on the Tulips Talk Blog
And Check out Quirky Marketing ~ 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany & Non-traditional Holidays!
July 19th, 2009