In the last post, “10 Methods for Effective DIY Research (Part One)” we discussed:

• Pick specific goals as to why you want to create the survey in the first place.
• Chose a software survey company that will help you track and measure the answers.
• Keep the survey short and sweet.
• Mix up the types of questions you ask for variety so the respondent won’t become bored.

So, you may be asking yourself “Now that I know what to ask in my survey, who do I send it to?

Segmenting your target list vs. going viral

Most of my clients limit their surveys to their customers, but you may want to branch out and survey prospects as well. A good method of doing this is to send the survey to those on your eMail list, asking them to forward the survey link to anyone they know that would be a good candidate. Why would they want to do this? Because you’ll give them a discount on their next purchase or some other incentive.

Adjust as Needed

One of the great things about most surveys (iContact is a great example) is that you can pop in and look at results as they come in. Why is that important? You will be able to adjust questions on the fly if you’re not receiving the information you need. Change a question, add a question…the important thing to keep in mind is that you need to monitor and measure the responses.

Measure, measure, measure

Review and analyze at your responses carefully. What do “the numbers” tell you? iContact shows this quantitative information using pie charts and graphs to help you digest the information easily and quickly. Use this information to help you design a marketing plan that will reach out to your target audience.

And just as importantly, what can you infer from your audiences?

- Did the open-ended responses give you an emotional overview of your respondent?
- Were your respondents eager to share their views?

Improve Your Business Using Survey Results

Surveys are best utilized as a measure of trends, directions, feelings and interests. People don’t always do what they “say” they’re going to do on surveys. It’s not that survey respondents are bad people, but we as humans don’t always connect the thinking with the doing part of our brain.

Using the report as a special offer or as a “thank you” for participating usually will increase the responses and quite possibly, interest in your business. Another way of using the survey is to write a special report based on the information. This “white paper” could then be turned around and sold as a product.

Survey as often as you can for the information garnished from the surveys could provide you with valuable insight to the minds of your customers and prospects. It’s an easy tool to use, and relatively inexpensive.

About the Author Dara is a brand identity and marketing design strategist at 7 Lucky Dogs, a leading consultancy in marketing to “pet parents”. Through customized marketing and brand identity packages, 7 Lucky Dogs helps you discover what makes your company, product or service different from your competitors. We then translate this differentiation visually into a logo, product packaging, an E-commerce site and promotional materials to reflect those unique attributes. We make our clients look credible and memorable to their prospects while they increase their bottom line. As the owner of 7 Lucky Dogs, Dara is passionate about helping independent pet businesses stand out in front of their competitors and attract more clients. She blends business smarts with creativity with over 13 years of design experience with formal education in both graphic design and marketing.