Pop-up polls on Web sites are now as common as subscription cards tucked between
pages of your favorite magazine. And for good reason.Marketers have discovered that online surveys generate a mother load of valuable information about site usability, visitor opinions and attitudes, new product ideas and improvements, and much more.
Online surveys and polls are easy-to-implement,low-cost marketing research tools. They're a snap to include on your site -- either through a Web server's CGI script or by a remote hosted solution.
There are even free services like SurveyMonkey.com and Zoomerang.com that will add basic survey functionality for your Web site.
--------------------- Don't Bet Farm on Do-It-Yourself Data ---------------------
Keep in mind though, that do-it-yourself surveys do not always mean you'll get quality information. You'll get "lay of land." That is, a pretty good "gut feeling" for opinions and attitudes.
But unless you're a marketing research guru who knows what it takes to produce statistically valid results, don't gamble big money on data you'll get.
If you need solid data to make crucial business decisions, consult a marketing research expert who can help you to determine methodology, establish control variables, create survey questions with proper branching, and analyze data.
--------------------- Surveys Still Rock, Despite their Shortcomings ---------------------
Even if you choose to do it yourself, online surveys have many benefits that outweigh their shortcomings. You just can't beat this quick-and-dirty approach to get benchmark data before you launch a new Web site feature.
They're also a quick way to gather product and service preferences, and get a feel for trends in consumer attitude.
I guess it's human nature, but people seem to enjoy being asked for their opinion -- if you do it sincerely. This can strengthen online consumer relationships and build return traffic to site.
Sometimes even simple non-scientific surveys uncover fascinating results that media would love to hear about. So if it's really good stuff, you can use data as basis for generating publicity for your Web site.
--------------------- 6 Ways to Use Online Surveys Profitably ---------------------
1. Web-site Opinion Polls
These quick little one-question polls are non-threatening and so easy to complete. Who can resist? See one at Discovery Health http://health.discovery.com/. After answering, users can see how their opinion compares with everyone else. You can use single-question polls for health-related questions, or any topics you like.
For a turnkey solution, use a hosted service like Sparklit, Ezpolls, or Alxnet Polls: http://webpoll.sparklit.com/ http://ezpolls.mycomputer.com/ http://www.alxnet.com/services/poll/
If you have know-how to install CGI scripts, there are many good ones on Web. Find one you like and customize it to your heart's content. View offerings at The CGI Resource Index at http://www.cgi-resources.com/ .
2. Patient Satisfaction Surveys
If your medical practice or hospital mails out patient satisfaction surveys, creating an online version of survey is an excellent idea. You can give patients option of completing paper version you've sent them, or go to a special Web page on your site and complete an online version.
The benefits of this are several: responses are immediately recorded by Web server; tabulation can be automated resulting in time savings; business-reply return postage is saved; and a reporting application can show you a snapshot of your patient satisfaction ratings any time you desire.
Some of standardized providers of patient satisfaction surveys already provide this service as an option. However you can also adapt your printed survey to create an online version on your own.
