Small businesses often worry about how they will be able to gather data due to cost concerns. One option to consider is the use of surveys. Surveys are a form of primary data collection. They can be sent directly to your market audience, offering you the change to obtain useful data along with feedback that could be used to improve operations.
There are some very basic rules that need to be followed when constructing your survey:
- The survey should be short and easy to understand. Customers don’t want to be faced with multiple questions so reward them for taking the time to fill in your survey by keeping things very simple and quick.
- The objectives need to be established before you decide on the best method of data collection for your budget. If you’ve decided to use surveys pick just on objective to use per survey you distribute and don’t distribute more than one survey at a time.
- When using surveys be sure to collect demographic data at the same time. Ask for age, gender, income and location. You may be surprised to find an unexpected audience making use of your products or services.
- Don’t ask your participants for their name or email address. Your audience might not feel comfortable giving out this data due to security concerns.
- Avoid using open ended questions. Give your participants specific choices so you have data that is easier to collect and use.
What about tools for the job?
Integrate MailChimp with your accounting, CRM or eCommerce using Orbis TaskCentre and you can benefit from:
- Synchronisation of marketing lists and unsubscription requests;
- Automation of campaign reports and statistics updates into your application(s)
- Create dynamic ad automated campaigns based on real-world business rules
Get in touch with us to find out how Orbis TaskCentre can be used to assist your exact business requirements and add value to the way your organisation constructs surveys.