Ten Reasons to Market to the Online Generation Using Surveys and Questionnaires
Customers are tough cookies. They’re extremely media aware and increasingly cynical – it’s a clever marketeer who can get under their skin. Online surveys reinvent the traditional format and offer a unique way of interaction – all the benefits of the internet without the programming. Here are ten reasons why they may be the silver bullet marketeers’ need, complete with examples supplied by Martin Day, managing director of online survey website Survey Galaxy - one of a new breed of websites making online surveys quicker and cheaper
1. It’s cheap as chips
Select the right survey website and creating surveys can be free of any charge and the cost to publish is minimal.
Useful information derived from surveys can be reused and repackaged in other marketing and PR for use in press outlets making it a very efficient form of information gathering.
2. It’s extremely easy
Anyone can develop an online survey. Online surveys are quick and simple to create and design, no programming skills are required and when publishing completing the surveys is straight forward.
3. Invite the world
Once the survey is online it is a simple step to promote it the most popular methods being either through email (with a link enclosed) or via a link from a website. Once advised of the survey’s URL anyone can link can to the survey at a time that is convenient to them, 24×7.
4. We have an opinion – and we like to give it
Customers do not often view surveys as spam and the majority welcome the opportunity to voice their opinion and the chance to have an impact on a brand. They can be particularly good for change management projects; a survey asking a workforce on their opinion of change allows the key issues to be raised in a positive manner and encourages employee participation. Online surveys allow the message to reach each individual and invite feedback in a manageable form.
5. Get inside your respondent’s head
You can lead a customer to an advertisement but you can’t make them think. Surveys actively engage the respondent, who read and then think about the question before giving their response.
6. Seize the opportunity
It needn’t all end once a survey has been completed – while you have their attention you can ask if they want to sign up for more information or a regular newsletter – making the most of the window when you have their interest.
7. If you like this, you’ll love…
Maximise the interest of those responding to your survey by referencing related information. By embedding links within the survey to other websites that offer more detailed information you are able to reinforce the marketing message.
8. Subtle marketing
Surveys can help associate, in the mind of the respondents, a product with a number of positive attributes. By listing the many features of a product and asking the respondent how important they are, regardless of their response, the product will be associated with the features; if they are rated as important the positive impact is endorsed by the customer.
9. Not just marketing
A survey is an effective, easy and quick method to promote and gain acceptance for a difficult proposal; for example a public body trying to gain acceptance and support for a particular scheme.
For example take a city trying to gain support from the general public for their bid to host a future Olympic Games. A survey can explain each benefit putting the respondent in a much better position to appreciate what the real advantages are that might just combat any negative headlines. Promoting the cause is just the start as you can then use the feedback you receive to fine tune the overall marketing strategy.
10. Fresh topics engage interest
By thinking laterally a lively and imaginative approach to surveys could provide a ‘hook’ to engage respondents. The survey subject can be aimed at a particular group on a subject close to theirs hearts. A survey’s marketing message can take the form of a simple brand awareness message by stating that the survey is being sponsored by brand name, or by finding a link from the subject matter to the product – something that is surprisingly easy and highly effective.
Attract traffic by providing a Public Survey section as many people who enjoy completing crosswords and doing word puzzles enjoy completing surveys. Having a public survey notice board as part of a website is a low cost and automated method that helps to increase traffic and establish a loyal and returning following. Unlike forums there is no opportunity for people to disrupt the site by inappropriate remarks as survey results can be displayed in summary form enabling them to dispense with moderators and maintenance.
Customers do not associate surveys as spam and most welcome the opportunity to make their voice heard and a chance to have an impact on a brand.
Many of the techniques and a few more are contained in the following sample survey created using Survey Galaxy’s survey software tool.
Work from Home
Working from home is becoming increasingly popular. I work from home and I adore it. I don’t think I could ever work at a factory again, but I must face the possibility that I may have to move my enterprise into commercial premises if it keeps growing like it has in the last few years. Even if parts of my business get relocated, I’ll try to stay there myself as much as I can.
Times are changing and working from home, particularly for the self-employed or contract workers is becoming more common. It is pointless paying rent for commercial premises if they are not necessary. Working from home has many perks.
You can work back late without getting into strife with your family. You can “drop into the office” anytime you like. You can get up really early if the mood takes you and put in a few hours work then go back to bed. But as a marketing consultant, there is one feature I really like, all the tax benefits!
You can claim some of your household expenses on your tax return. Based on the floor area used for business purposes, you can claim a portion of your mortgage interest, insurance, rates, water, electricity, maintenance and the bulk of your telephone bill as well as depreciation on the carpets, curtains, business furniture and so on. At the end of the financial year you will be surprised by the list of deductions.
You will also save on travel costs, wear and tear on your car and more importantly wear and tear on you, having not to deal with peak hour or public transport. Not to mention picking up approximately an extra one to two hours per day of work when you don’t have to travel.
There is a downside to working from home. The first problem is family distractions. Kids home from school at three o’clock, a friend at the front door, phone calls for other members of the family.
You also may not have the perfect workspace, or space may be limited. Work space is vitally important, you must have an area set aside purely for business, nothing else, just business. I have found that it’s best also if you can close the door on the weekends and at the end of the day so you can “leave work”.
I think many of the perceptions of people that working from home is “unprofessional” have lapsed into history. The number of major companies that allow their workers to work from home via computers has increased enormously in recent years. “Outsourcing” has become a commonly used term and this has brought about a spate of self-employed former employees, most of them working from home.
The other problem that many people working from home suffer is motivation and discipline. You must start work everyday just as you would if you were employed by someone else.
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business.
Is Contemporary Media Slowing The Minds Of Young Viewers
For a few decades we have paid lip service to the idea that our mass culture is following a path of decline to the lowest of standards. This is assumed that because the dumb masses want easy pleasure, that the large media companies are delivering what the public want. But just as an episode of “24″ suggests, precisely the opposite thing is happening. Shows like The Sopranos can be watched with online tv access. Our culture is getting more demanding, cognitively, not less. For a viewer to make any sense of a given episode of “24″ they would have to pull together a considerably more information than would have been the case just a few decades previously. Underneath the obvious ethnic stereotypes and violence, another trend is appearing. To be able to keep up with shows like “24″ you will have to pay attention, make many inferences, and track many shifting social relationships. This is the factor I call the Sleeping Curve. We are instinctively drawn to media that increasingly challenge our ability to pull together many diverse elements from our culture to help us make sense of any new presentations. It actually turns out that juvenile sitcoms, violent television dramas and video games actually after all turn out to be very mentally nutritional. Online TV access is again allowing for greater distribution of all cultures.
It is my belief that this Sleeping Curve has the most impact on the youth of today, and by in large it is a force for the better. That is because it is developing their ability to bring many bits of information found in normal cultural activities together to add additional meaning to any given situation. You will seldom ever hear about this story in the larger media. Instead we hear about how violence and stereotyping are reducing our entertainment to the lowest common denominator.
Top Three Family Rhode Island Tourism Ideas
Has your family chosen wherethey want to go on your summer vacation? You are not alone, most families have not yet decided where they want to go. It can be a quite time consuming activity to find that ideal vacation getaway, so check out the choices for your Rhode Island tourism. You will discover exciting alternatives and it certainly will not be a simple decision!
Good news, if you are thoughtful and appreciate the commitment to do some planning, it should make your summer vacation exciting and one of those “family events” that you will treasure forever. The most common mistake people make is first selecting a “destination.” The perfect vacations begin when you first select “what you want to do”! Do you want to go camping, tanning on a beach, playing and relaxing at a pool, or touring educational or historical attractions? By deciding “what you want to do” first, you are off to the best start of selecting that perfect family vacation destination!
Now that you know “what you want to do” – you can sift through the various tourism destination regions and discover those ideal attractions that you hope to go see or do. By taking a little time planning, you can also discover those destinations that include a variety of attractions that are of interest to both you and your inclusive family. Online destination guides are invaluable that can help you choose detailed information about activities that are more comprehensive than a simple attraction name and address. Now that you know “what” you want to do and “where” you want to go, a real high quality online free travel guide will provide you a comprehensive article describing each attraction to assist you making an informed decision about what you want to do and where you want to go.
Here are 3 Rhode Island vacation locations that you might want to consider:
Idea #1: Blackstone River Bikeway - Providence, Rhode Island. If you are someone that enjoys seeing the natural beauty of a place then you will certainly want to visit the bike paths of Rhode Island. Here, beginning in Providence, you will ride for 10 miles in Central Fall, Lincoln, & Cumberland. The ultimate end will be a 48 mile path leading from Providence to Worchester, MA. Currently there are just the 10 miles open but it’s still worth the trip.
Idea #2: Fort Adams State Park is a wonderful attraction to visit in Newport, Rhode Island. Its natural harbor location made Fort Adams an important and heavily armed fort from the Revolutionary War all the way through modern times. In addition to preserving an important historical attraction, Fort Adams State Park is the site of popular annual music festivals. It is also a favorite spot people visit to enjoy a variety of water-based activities, field sports and picnicking.
Idea #3: One of Rhode Island’s most interesting museums also happens to be the only museum of its kind in the state. The Museum of Natural History in Providence is the only museum in Rhode Island dedicated exclusively to natural and cultural history, and it is also the site of the state’s only public planetarium.
As you have discovered, you have a significant variety of options available to you when it is time to select that perfect family vacation escape. Enjoy your time to plan carefully what you want to do and where you want to go. Select a quality travel guide to help you discover those perfect Rhode Island attractions. And you will find that you will experience a wonderful vacation with a lifetime of memories.