The Ins and Outs of Online Surveys

A company rarely moves forward without market research, and one of the easiest and economical ways to conduct that research is with online surveys. In addition to gathering more information about your targeted demographic, you can use surveys to instill a positive message about your products and services while reminding existing customers your company exists.Online Survey Options

Various websites specialize in offering surveys, collecting a user’s demographic information and then sending each user links to specific surveys that target his or her demographic as the surveys come up. Companies can either pay cash or offer discounts or other rewards for filling out the surveys. Many surveys target adults, but online surveys for kids are becoming more common as companies recognize teens and tweens can be a lucrative market.Free SurveysFree surveys may not offer cash, but they typically offer rewards in the form of discounts or free products and services. People may still be interested in completing a survey to share their opinion, help a company improve, or play a role in product development. The major advantage to free surveys is the knowledge your participants aren’t in it just for the money; they honestly care about your products and services.Free surveys also take away the pressure for participants to fill out as many surveys as possible to make the greatest amount of money, letting you include questions that require more thought. Adding a few short questions to your website can be a quick way to survey customers, focusing on questions that are fun yet also touch on pertinent information from a range of demographics.Paid SurveysPeople seek out paid surveys to make a little extra money, although they by no means represent a way to get rich quick. Since individual surveys typically target a particular demographic, people who sign up for online surveys will not always be part of every survey’s demographic. Paid surveys can often invite fraud by those who will lie about their demographic, sign up for multiple accounts, randomly rush through answers or otherwise fail to be honest just so they can get paid.All that lying and cheating on surveys can leave your company with absolutely meaningless survey results. Paid surveys can also be dangerous for participants, thanks to the great number of get-rich-quick scams that tend to promise thousands of dollars each week for minimal work and effort. Such scams often require survey participants to pay a fee to access surveys, are vague in their privacy statements and disclaimers, and vehemently defend themselves as "not a scam."Decreasing Survey FraudFraud ranks as the top disadvantage for companies hoping to glean valuable information from online surveys. Your panel may not be completely honest, more interested in quickly finishing a survey than supplying truthful answers. Strategies to help increase your panel integrity include:

• Email survey invitations rather than letting anyone who runs across it respond
• Request a mailing address
• Set a minimum survey time
• Establish consistency by verifying age, gender and other demographic info in first few questions
• Include at least one open-ended essay or short-answer question
• Purge surveys that return with the same number of letter as the answer to every question
• Block IP addresses of respondent’s caught engaging in fraud

The final and most critical stage of your online survey is the analysis of your results. This can help shape major decisions, give you valuable insight into your customer base, and guide you in the use of respondent data.