Hi - Intro question Do any of you use Surveys?

[b1sl]

Hi, I've been subscribed to WPW for a while now, I've read the posts, mails etc. but have never posted until now.

Ok, so you have a personal/commercial web site (not a Blog or forum) and you successfully receive responses from the visitors when you publish questionnaires/surveys.
How do you achieve those responses without exposing private body parts or offering bribes (i.e. gifts)? :-)
How do you get your visitors to take a couple of minutes to answer 5 questions or less?

This was never a problem for us in the past, but over the years, it has become increasingly difficult.
I do believe in acting towards others as I would like them to act towards me, I do fill in short questionnaires/polls when I visit web sites, without the need to get something back.

I would like to run a short survey between now and the ending of January 2007 and I would really appreciate any words of wisdom that anyone has to offer along with a link to your web site, so that I can see an example.

Thank you.

[ctabuk]

Hi, I've slightly changed your topic title - as it is more relevant here than in intro - actually this post was reported as they thought you wanted to use this forum as a survey spot - I don't think that was your intention, but if you do, you need admins permission.
So do any of you marketeers out there use similar methods - please chip in.

[b1sl]

Thanks for moving my post, no, I wasn't trying underhanded tactics, it was a genuine question. :-)

[ctabuk]

I had worked that one out LOL - Personally I have never got excited about that form of marketing, but I trade in a given sector - so I guess it would not work for me - but it's a big world out there.

[resuccess]

this is a great idea. I've had a friend talking to me about a website he was creating. It was like a survey. Wow the webproworld is a very helpfull website this is definetly the place for information.

[Dcrux]

Like website hit counters, not everything that is easy to code should be coded. And -- like hit counters -- just because everybody and their brother offers a script doesn't mean installing one is a good idea.

Web surveys have become increasingly popular forms of death wish research. They're simple, they're cheap, and they're very dangerous.
-- Surviving Death Wish Research
Sometimes marketing research is its own worst enemy

users self-reported data is typically three steps removed from the truth:

• In answering questions (particularly in a focus group), people bend the truth to be closer to what they think you want to hear or what's socially acceptable.
  
• In telling you what they do, people are really telling you what they remember doing. Human memory is very fallible, especially regarding the small details that are crucial for interface design. Users cannot remember some details at all, such as interface elements that they didn't see.
  
• In reporting what they do remember, people rationalize their behavior. Countless times I have heard statements like "I would have seen the button if it had been bigger." Maybe. All we know is that the user didn't see the button.

Finally, you must consider how and when to solicit feedback. Although it might be tempting to simply post a survey online, you're unlikely to get reliable input (if you get any at all). Users who see the survey and fill it out before they've used the site will offer irrelevant answers.

--First Rule of Usability? Don't Listen to Users

Surveys are great for learning what people want ...just ask president Kerry.

Most peopole spend more time coding the survey then figuring out how to design useful survey questions. Formats like fund-a-feature influence users to carefully consider whether they would really pay for something.

In all we abandoned hit counters because they were meaningless and easily rigged. Same with surveys.

[craigmn3]

The majority of people scanning web pages do so with a jaundices view (In MY Opinion no fact base) and when they see a poll, you are asking them to do something.

Why do I want to do something for you, I was just looking for how to add vanilla to my chocolate mousse?

What is my incentive to be part of your poll.

Giving people incentive is the key. You don't have to give anything away, you just have to make them want to participate.

Your lead in could be:

See what other people think about this....take our survey.

or

Make a difference and be part of the group that cares.

Social belonging is a powerful factor and could be useful....in a more refined way than my simple examples.

[DrTandem1]

Yes, one of my clients has a short survey and it is extremely popular. I think the reason it works is due to the fact that he offers an incentive to do so. He has a prototype project and is offering a discount for the production model to those that complete the survey.

The survey elicits responses that not only show how his idea is perceived, but also some interesting information in the comments section.

[b1sl]

Thank you all for your posts, they have been informative and thought provoking.
Dcrux, I will take into account your comments, as they are valid…Craig and DrTandem, you have given me an idea, which I will use as an “incentive” to hopefully get the answers I’m looking for.
Thanks for your input guys.

[crazyblue]

I've started putting optional survey questions in the registration forms on my site. So, someone signs up for a service (this site is for a dance school, so dance lessons) and there are some optional questions they can answer at the end as well as the questions that are part of the registration service. This has been very effective, especially since the fact that these people are "buying" means that they're a very qualified lead for a next sale :)

Some tricks:

• Rather than ask everyone 20 questions, ask the same 3 questions for a period, then change questions. Over time you'll collect statistically relevant information.
• I've also begun to embed single-question polls in informational content, such as "would you be interested in a class in XYZ dance?" (For a dance currently not offered but considered.) I've combined this with some videos of dance styles so that people are drawn to the site for the videos, and then they can easily answer that one question. This is especially useful since it motivates people who *aren't* yet customers to give us information.