Posts Tagged ‘Research uncovered’

Should you “sell” using an online survey?

Saturday, May 15th, 2010 at 4:32 pm

How many times have you clicked on a survey link and within the first few moments clicked out of it because it was an overt sales process?

Yes… we’ve done that plenty of times too.  One of the many downsides of the increase in surveymonkey type tools is that it places the ability to create surveys in the hands of people who haven’t had any guidance.  And because it’s a dirt cheap exercise it’s caught on lots.  Just like e-mail bulk marketing.

But just because its cheap it doesn’t make it valuable necessarily does it?

The sad thing is, in many circumstances, those creating the surveys don’t realise the negative sway of opinion they are creating.

Think about it… a survey enticing you to take part for a “free ipod” just give your details and take these few short questions …  You know your e-mail is going into a sausage machine don’t you? 

So if you’re thinking… “i’d really like to understand why people buy from me”… what should you do?

First step…. don’t put the survey into the hands of a sales or marketing person.  Nothing against you/ them… but the natural inclination is to ask questions that 1) your customers will see as being sales driven and data mining and 2) will sound slick and salesy.  And those are two of the worst elements to put in a survey.

Maybe we can step back even more here.  If you start with the intent of trying to persuade your audience, or gaining personal data from them…. don’t use a survey.

Use survey technology perhaps… but that’s not a survey.

A survey should be based on understanding.  Gaining an opinion.  And gaining that opinion with the purpose of taking action.

Don’t ask questions that ask about when someone last purchased from you (you should know that from your finance systems) and don’t ask when they will next buy from you.  That’s just not cricket!

Instead ask opinion.  About how they view your speed, quality, service, personality and knowledge.  Wrap the questions around process and not people.  And give them the chance to have a vent.  If something is badly wrong… you need to hear it and fix it … sharpish!

So if you’ve thought before reading this…. “ooh a survey would be a great sales tool to capture personal information and understand when people will next buy from us”…. sorry to burst the bubble.  You’ll get a rubbish response rate, you’ll damage your perception in the eyes of your contacts and most of all you might feel inclined to do it time and again because of the low costs that a DIY approach provides.

Surveys are for feedback and research.  Please don’t go using them to sell.

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Have you been offered money to take part in surveys…. if so, read this

Friday, January 8th, 2010 at 8:41 am

I’m often surprised at the reaction I get when talking to people about some of the practices that go on out there in the big wide world.  Many people simply aren’t aware of what goes on in some quarters of the research world and how some companies derive their income.

First things first….. do a little search on the internet…. actually, no need,  I’ve just done a quick search and this is what you would find.  Using google and typing in “paid surveys“….. there are 4,120,000 results and just taking the top 3 links….

“Earn £3 per online survey”

“Get £4 for registering and take over £20 in surveys NOW”

“We reward you for taking part in surveys.  Earn upto £50/survey”

All very enticing.  At a time when many people are struggling in the current economic climate you could certainly see why taking part in a paid survey may appeal.  And who am I to say someone shouldn’t earn a few pounds here and there for sharing an opinion?

Well let me lift the lid.

Ask yourself this.  How can a company afford to pay individuals upto £50 per survey?  Let’s say they receive 100 responses to a survey.  That’s an outlay of £5,000, or a typical response level for what are called “omnibus surveys” of say 2,000, thats £100,000 that it would cost the surveying company simply paying for responses.

We all know (or should do) that companies have to make a profit, so as that’s the case, the surveying company is receiving more money than it pays out from one or more source.

What happens in an “omnibus survey” is where companies club together and ask one or more questions and pay per question.  That’s one way some companies generate income. 

There are companies (and certainly be very careful with companies registered and operating outside of your own country that aren’t bound by your laws) that purely operate to groom data.  These are the ones you need to avoid.  And as in other industries, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

So let’s say there is a short survey, you see the details and think…. I’ll do that to get paid £10.  First you put in your details.  Name, age, gender, address, post code.  Some ask for income levels, partner details, if you own your home and much more.  Before you get too alarmed, it’s quite common to ask for that to profile the results into what are called social categories.

You get to the survey itself, and the questions are very broad.  Not linked together too well.  They seem more about spending habits and your retail patterns than about a view and opinion.

Once you have registered and taken part in the survey, those details are sold.  To anyone who will pay.  Often to data farms in India and Cuba in particular.  The more agencies the data is sold to, the more money they make, and the more money they make the happier they are.

But what’s the implication for you?  Phone calls, e-mails, letters, mailshots.  Some from high street names, some purely the seedier end of the spam chain.  Now if you are happy to receive lots of rubbish for £10 or so, don’t let us stop you.  We think it’s important people are aware of the distinction.

So how do you know which companies are using your details to profile results and which are capturing your details to sell over and over again?  

Reputation and size of the company isn’t even a guarantee.  Some of the largest companies have a variety of income streams, some of which come from selling data to agencies.  But here’s what we suggest you do.

First and foremost, if you’re being offered money or entry into a competition or some sort of sweetener to part with personal information, be wary.  If the survey is about your patterns rather than your opinions, be wary.

Search through the company details on their website.  Does it look bonafide?  Is it based in your country?  Does it state it complies with the market research code of conduct or data protection laws?  Does it have contact details and a legitimate office address?

In the survey itself look for opt outs or a survey that gives you the option to volunteer some details or to retain anonymity.  (And remember if you pass through a login portal and take part in a survey, your survey responses can be linked to your personal details.) 

The final point to make is whether you believe you will receive money from the paid survey.  We know several people who have taken part in surveys with a very large well established polling company and have never received a penny as promised.

Be careful out there.

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How satisfied are broadband customers?

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 1:12 pm

It’s a new year and a new decade with new challenges awaiting all of us as the economy looks to recover and maintain a firmer footing.

And maybe I’m being a little naive here…. but as a new decade dawns, wouldn’t it be refreshing if there was more transparency and honesty washed through marketing in brands, both established and new?

Why the little ramble? Ok….. the weekend saw a trip to Kew Gardens (had brighter ideas with the temperature at -4!) and a lengthy spell on the District Line.

What caught my eye was an advertisement. You know the ones that sit either side of the tube route? There was a statement from plusnet (the broadband provider) stating that 8 out of 10 customers would recommend a friend to join plusnet.

Scrolling down to the details at the bottom it did indeed say that 79% of polled customers would refer a friend. The research had been independently done by uSwitch.

Now I don’t want to cast aspersions here. But a few things made me question this. Firstly….. don’t uSwitch generate money from clickthroughs and uptake of products?

So it doesn’t really make sense for uSwitch to go throwing about derogatory statistics that might lead to reduced clickthroughs on their price comparison site.

But I also wondered when this research had been undertaken. My ISP hadn’t contacted me to do a survey. So was this just a plusnet piece of research jointly put together by the two organisations?

The sad fact is…. I couldn’t tell. The main devotion was to the headline. 8 out of 10 ……

What if only 50 customers had been asked? Or it was positioned to people who have been with them for a month? Where was the research conducted, London, Sheffield, the whole of the UK?

Again, it was impossible to tell.  We always hope these pieces of work are done for the right reasons and show great service when it’s happening.  If we don’t know the detail though, how can we know for sure?

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Facial cream research small print

Friday, December 11th, 2009 at 3:42 pm

There I was.  Dragged to watch my girlfriend’s football team on ESPN in the local.  It was half time and then there it was on the plasma screen.

I looked once and scrunched my face in a puzzled expression.  Looked again and made sure it said what I thought and as my brain processed the information the next piece of small print appeared.

Now I can’t say I’m an expert on the latest facial creams for women (really… I’m not)…. but what I can tell you is how misleading the advert was when you looked at the small print (and how many people look at the small print research figures on television adverts?). 

Their claim. 89% of women had seen the benefit of blah blah cream in X number of days.  Ok… nothing wrong with that. 

Let me ask you this though.  How many people would you like to think took part in that research?  I mean this is a national television advert stating that 89% of women thought it more effective than their usual products.

A few hundred?  A few thousand? 

37

Just 37 women.  So with rounding, that 89% equates to a mere 33 women driving a national TV campaign.

Is that right?  Is that moral?  Is 33 a large enough population to be allowed to tell the nation that a product is so much better than it’s competitors?

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