Marketing Survey Tips
Malhotra, N. (1999, Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.) suggests that Internet surveys using questionnaires will increase in popularity since the cost is generally lower, they can be less intrusive and they have the ability to target specific populations.
Key issues are:
Encouraging Participation
Techniques that can be used are:
- Interruption on entry to a web-site (every nth customer can be prompted)
- Continuous (for example link on a button to complete the survey)
- On registration on-site, the customer can be profiled
- After an activity/interaction, such as sale or customer support, the customer can be prompted for their opinion about the service
- Incentives and promotions
- By email (an prompt to visit a website to fill in a survey)
Stages in Execution
- Attract (link, pop-up, email)
- Incentivise (prize, offer)
- Reassure (why the company is doing it - to learn, not too long and that confidentiality is protected)
- Design and execute (brevity, relevance, position)
- Follow-up (feedback)
Design
Grossnickle and Raskin (2001) suggest the following approach to structuring questionnaires:
- Easy, interesting questions first
- Cluster questions on same topic
- Flow topic from general to specific
- Flow topic from easier behavioural to more difficult attitudinal questions
- Easy questions last (e.g. demographics or offputting questions)
For an internet site typical questions for determining effectiveness of marketing:
- Who is visiting the site? (role in buying decision, online experience, access location and speed, demographics segment)
- Why are they visiting? How often do they visit? Which information or service? Did they find it? Actions taken?
- What do they think? Overall opinion? Key areas of satisfaction? Specific likes or dislikes? What was missing that was expected?
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