Ten reasons why online surveys are the future of marketing

Written by Martin Day


Ten reasons why online surveys arerepparttar future of marketing

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 reinventrepparttar 120325 traditional format and offer a unique way of interaction – allrepparttar 120326 benefits ofrepparttar 120327 internet withoutrepparttar 120328 programming.

Here are ten reasons why they may berepparttar 120329 silver bullet marketeers' need, complete with examples supplied by Martin Day, managing director of Survey Galaxy - one of a new breed of websites making online surveys quicker and cheaper

1. It's cheap as buttons

Selectrepparttar 120330 right survey website and creating surveys can be free of any charge andrepparttar 120331 cost to publish is minimal. Useful information harvested 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 easy peasy

Anyone can develop an online survey. Survey sites allow people who are interested inrepparttar 120332 benefits of surveys, rather than technicalities, to side-steprepparttar 120333 required programming skills and create relevant up-to-the-minute surveys, instantly – surveys that are even easier to complete than they are to make.

3. Anyone can play

Oncerepparttar 120334 survey is online it's a simple step to promote it, either through email (with a link enclosed), via a link from a website or referenced by other forms of advertising. Anyone who hasrepparttar 120335 link can be connected instantly torepparttar 120336 survey, at a time that's convenient to them, 24x7.

4. We've all got an opinion – and we like to give it

Customers like surveys – they're not seen as spam, but as an empowering opportunity to make their voice heard and a chance to have an impact on a brand. They can be particularly good for broaching sensitive subjects with concerned employees; a survey asking a workforce on their opinion of change allowsrepparttar 120337 key issues to be raised in a positive way and encourages employee participation. Online surveys allowrepparttar 120338 message to reach each individual and invite feedback in a manageable form.

5. Get inside their heads

You can lead a customer to an advertisement but you can't make them think. Surveys actively engagerepparttar 120339 respondents, who think aboutrepparttar 120340 question before giving their response.

6. Beautiful relationships start here

It needn't all end atrepparttar 120341 end ofrepparttar 120342 survey – while you have their attention and are inrepparttar 120343 mood you can ask if they want to sign up for more information or a regular newsletter – makingrepparttar 120344 most ofrepparttar 120345 window when you have their interest.

7. If you like this, you'll love…

What Are You Fishing With? Lure, Bait and Gear

Written by Catherine Franz


A 10-step exercise for services professionals to evaluate clients...

Fly fishing -- it doesn't work, does it? When I first watched someone fly-fishing, they releasedrepparttar line and fling it far out intorepparttar 120324 water. No sooner hadrepparttar 120325 fly hitrepparttar 120326 water was it being reeled back in. Even today, I still don't understand how this method catches any fish. Yet it does. The results had an opportunity to occur because repparttar 120327 line was pitched.

Fly fishing looks like so much more work compared torepparttar 120328 worm, bobber, sitting on a camp chair, day dreaming, an occasional inconsequential conversation, sipping on a beer (okay root beer for family friendliness), relaxing and waiting forrepparttar 120329 bite. The energy is more comfortable yetrepparttar 120330 results less active -- maybe, maybe not.

If you talk to a fly-fisherman, they claim there isn't anything better. Andrepparttar 120331 same is uttered from a by-the-seat- of-the-pants fisherman as well (cute description huh?).

Doesn't this sound like one marketing pitted againstrepparttar 120332 other.

What makesrepparttar 120333 two different? Technique? Yes. Water type -- salt or fresh? Yes. Type of fish? Yes. Equipment? Yes. Supplies? Yes. Or is itrepparttar 120334 bait? Yes.

The right answer is "all ofrepparttar 120335 above."

You can also throw inrepparttar 120336 temperature, weather, and time of day. Everything depends onrepparttar 120337 right combination inrepparttar 120338 right order. You don't want to toss outrepparttar 120339 fly beforerepparttar 120340 line. Well, I guess you can. But you miz-as-well kiss it goodbye.

Or as my Grandmother used to say: Don't throw outrepparttar 120341 bath water beforerepparttar 120342 bath.

Marketing is not any different than fishing. If you are tossing outrepparttar 120343 wrong hook torepparttar 120344 right fish, they are not going to bite. If you haverepparttar 120345 right fish and hook, andrepparttar 120346 wrong technique, maybe a prayer or two will work. The results might trickle now and then. Yet, notrepparttar 120347 results you need.

This is why marketing experts emphasizerepparttar 120348 importance of knowing your target market. If you don't know who you are trying to catch, you are forever going to be trying different lures, hooks and techniques. Eventually, wearing you down and keeping you chasingrepparttar 120349 next best thing to come along that just might work.

You can't catch flounder in fresh water or blue gill in salt.

Stop throwing outrepparttar 120350 fly withoutrepparttar 120351 line. Start knowing what bait they like to eat, what line spooks them, what is their timing for buying, and especially what type of fish.

Start with this exercise for service professionals:

Startrepparttar 120352 exercise by hand to getrepparttar 120353 "feel" of it. Then moverepparttar 120354 process into a spreadsheet to continue its growth and your clarity.

Step 1: Grab a blank sheet of paper. Turnrepparttar 120355 page sideways -- landscape.

Step 2: You are going to making many vertical columns so write small.

Onrepparttar 120356 left, createrepparttar 120357 first column. Recordrepparttar 120358 name of each one of your clients that you remember offrepparttar 120359 top of your head. Keep it simple and write justrepparttar 120360 name you remember. It could be just their first name, company name, or a nickname or label you privately gave them. Don't be kind be truthful.

Step 3: Second column, title it "M/F." You guessed it, "male or female." Now, proceed downrepparttar 120361 column and writerepparttar 120362 answer.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
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