The Survey Says

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The Survey Says

• Robert Bolson
• Director of Corporate Marketing
• Blood-Horse Publications

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So, youve decided to conduct a survey
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Where to begin

• Identify your objectives
• Decide what information you need
• Develop your questionnaire
• Conduct the survey
• Analyze the responses
• Recommend a course of action

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Various types of surveys

• Printed/paper survey mailed to target audience.
• Online/electronic survey non-targeted audience
  web surfers
• Package Stuffer survey inserted into outgoing
  shipments, billings, etc.
• Handout survey distributed at functions, events,
  tradeshows, etc.

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Things to think aboutThe ABCs of Surveys

• All by yourself?
• Better to let the experts do it?
• Choosing an online company, like
• SurveyMonkey.com

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Identify your objective

• Surveys are conducted to find out the
  characteristics, behaviors, opinions, and
  knowledge of a particular audience.
• What do you want to know?

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Tip!

• All things considered, the easier you make it on
  the recipient of your survey, the higher your
  response rate is going to be.
• Keep it short and simple and it should be a
  breeze.

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Decide What Information You Really Need

• Be specific and avoid the temptation to gather
  information that does not help you reach your
  primary research objective.
• If you have identified a clear and narrow
  objective for your project, the information you
  need to meet your objective will be apparent.

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Develop a Questionnaire

• Surveys allow you to use single select, multiple
  select, sliding scale, and open-ended questions.
• The beginning of your survey should include an
  introduction that is enticing and clearly states
  the purpose of your research.
• The way you phrase questions will have a major
  influence on the answers you get.  If your
  questions are biased, unclear, or ambiguous, you
  will get misleading responses.

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One more tip!

• Go over your answers since this is the step where
  most beginners fail.

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Conduct the Survey

• Once you have built your questionnaire, you need
  to test it on a few people to determine if it is
  clearly written and can be understood by people
  representative of your target audience.
• Allow sufficient time for reply.
• You might need to send out reminders to prompt
  people to participate.

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Analyze the Response

• Once reply data is in your database, it can be
  manipulated with a variety of tools, including
  statistical packages, spreadsheets, and
  presentation programs.
• The key thing to remember is that you should
  always relate your analysis back to your
  objective.

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USA Today has come out with a new survey --
apparently three out of every four people make up
75 of the population. --David Letterman
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What is an acceptable response rate?

• Somewhere between 15-35...
• But the more the merrierand the more useful the
  data will be.
• Aim high!

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Recommend a Course of Action

• With the objective of your research and results
  in mind, you should be able to recommend specific
  actions as a result of your survey.
• If you cannot identify any actions as a result of
  your survey, then it is highly likely that your
  objective was too broad, your information needs
  were not clear enough, or your questionnaire
  should have been refined.

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Conducting surveys can make a monkey out of you!
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www.surveymonkey.com
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SurveyMonkey has a single purpose

• To enable anyone to create professional online
  surveys quickly and easily. 

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Why use a company like SurveyMonkey?

• Easy to set-up your survey.
• They compile your response data into an easy to
  interpret report.
• The cost is extremely low.

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Do you need to use an incentive? Maybe
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Keys to success

• Ask questions that provide the information you
  need.
• Use plain, easy to understand language.
• Avoid technical terms, jargon, and acronyms.
• Organize your questions in logical groups.
• Ask important questions first -- demographic
  questions last.
• Be sensitive to the feelings of the respondent.

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And dont forget to

• Keep your survey short, simple, and to the point.
• Finish your survey with a place for participants
  to add comments.
• Thank them for their assistance.

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Its that simple!
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Feel free to contact me

• rbolson_at_bloodhorse.com
• [phone]
• Robert Bolson
• Blood-Horse Publications
• 3101 Beaumont Centre Circle
• Lexington, KY 40513

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Thank you for attending.Good luck with your
surveys!