Surveys questions are a great way of finding out about your target audience and what they want, need or just plain desire. There are plenty of apps available that will help you build a survey asking all the right questions, which will cut down the cost of arranging a survey to make it manageable. By leveraging social media your costs can also stay low in finding people to take the survey and distributing them. It can be a great way of finding new prospects.
Most businesses use online survey tools rather than someone canvassing the mall or calling homes to ask questions – it’s easier, quicker and cheaper. Online surveys are less intrusive than personal calls or questions, and they’re easy to create. Tools like SurveyMonkey can get an online survey up and running in a matter of minutes, and a basic account is free.
Even though you can publish your survey quickly, it’s better to take your time and craft effective, thoughtful questions that will generate useful answers for your business. The right survey questions can make a big impact on your business.
Not all questions are created equal. There are five types of survey questions. Each type provides different insights into customer responses. Choosing the right type is half the battle to creating great survey questions. The five types of questions are:
Use a logical sequence: Ask survey questions in a logical sequence to help people think through their choices. If you jump around, moving from one concept to another, respondents will have difficulty making sense of your survey.
Ask only one question: It’s tempting to pack two concepts into one question, but that only muddles the response. Part of asking the right survey questions is asking only one question at a time.
Clarify and then distinguish from among the answers: Many surveys suffer from a common mistake of assuming that people use a product by asking if people enjoy Product X. Instead of assuming people use Product X, ask one question to ascertain if they use it, then ask if they like it.
Choose simple language: Use common phrases, words, and expressions. Avoid jargon and confusing terminology. Ask people how fast their computer turned on, not how quickly it rebooted. Make things simple.
Let people skip a question: Forcing people to answer all questions in a survey is a surefire recipe for bad results that won’t have a positive impact your business. Let people skip questions; perhaps they don’t want to answer or the question doesn’t apply to them.
Balance the questions: Balance the questions so there’s no bias in your survey towards one particular result. Ask people outside of your company to read through your survey and provide feedback to see how well-balanced the questions are.
Ask for clarification: Scaled questions are great, but sometimes you need additional insights into why people chose a spot on the scale. Add space for people to clarify their responses.
Focus on what’s important: Don’t bog your survey down with feel-good questions or with the information you already know. Focus on what’s important for you to learn to improve your business. That will make the biggest impact.
Make contact information voluntary: If you ask for participants’ contact information, make sure it is voluntary. Use their information wisely. Don’t spam them or add them to lists without their permission. Do use contact information to thank people for participating in a survey and for clarification on any additional points.
If you have never produced a survey before, follow these tips and you can show your audience that you care, you’re knowledgeable, and do so without any great expense incurred.
