10 Tips to Create an Effective Survey for Better Business Decisions

In this episode, I talk about:
✨  What's the importance of a survey for your business
✨ Some of the most common mistakes I see in surveys and how it affects your business
✨ 10 tips for you to create an effective survey

If you're reading this and you'd like some solid tips on how to create a survey to help you make better business decisions, then this episode is for you!

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Transcript

0:00

Hey, what's up everyone? Welcome back to the marketing Nomad show. It's your favourite marketer and podcast host. My name is prit, welcome to episode number 77, where I'm gonna be giving you 10 tips. Yes, you heard that right 10 tips to create an effective survey for better business decisions. Now, of course, before we get into today's podcast episode, let me first explain why it is so important to focus on your surveys for your business decisions. So naturally, when you are using a survey for your business decisions, you want it to be unbiased, right? You want it to be accurate, and to be unbiased and accurate, because you're going to be basing a lot of your business decisions on this particular survey, or on any number of surveys that you do put out there. And the whole point of having a survey is so that you understand your target audience better, you understand what their needs are, what their wants are, what their desires are, and what they need from you. And most of the times, especially when your survey is unbiased, you can actually be really surprised about what your audience really wants from you versus what you are giving out. So as much as possible, you don't want to Doctor the survey results, you don't want to, you know, kind of lead it to a certain direction that you're looking for, you want to make sure that it is free falling, and it takes you where you need to go, rather than you taking the survey results where you want it to go. Okay, so I have 10 beautiful, amazing tips for you to make sure that your survey is as effective as possible, so that you don't lose out money when you base your business decisions on your survey. Because yes, guys, let me tell you, if you base your decisions on a survey that's biassed and inaccurate, you're probably going to be losing quite some money on it not just in terms of your investment for your marketing campaigns. But also, you know, when you are trying to invest in maybe your product research or you want to make new developments. If for example, you think that a certain product does not need a certain feature. However, if you had done your survey results in the right way, you probably would have realised that you do need that feature for your product. Otherwise, it will not sell as well as you should. So that's also you leaving money on the table, right. So as much as possible, we want to make sure that our survey results are accurate, and unbiased. Okay, so these 10 tips will help you make sure that your survey is as effective as possible for better business decisions. Not number one is when you are setting a survey for your business decisions, it needs to have a very specific and achievable goal. Now this is probably one of the biggest mistakes that I see businesses making, especially when I'm their customer or consumer, and I'm filling out their survey. All right. So when you are trying to figure out a goal for your survey, the best place to start is to ask yourself, do you want to know who can afford it? Okay? Or are you looking at the price range that your customers are willing to pay? What exactly are you trying to achieve? Or what information do you want from this survey? What information are you looking for? In this particular survey? So a few questions, you know, if you want like a general characteristic of your target audience, or you want a detailed psychographic analysis of your audience, is it for product research? Are you trying to figure out if your product is going to work or not work? Or what are some of the benefits that people are looking for in the product that you are designing? So so many different things? All right. As long as your goal is specific, and achievable, it makes sense to put the survey out there. Now what happens if you don't have a specific or an achievable goal for your survey? What happens is that your questions are all over the place. I'm not even kidding. There are certain surveys that I've taken in the past as the consumer and their questions are all over the place, it was pretty evident that they did not have a specific goal or an achievable goal for that particular survey. All right, they just wanted to put a survey out because they thought it was important but it was not going to lead them to a specific direction or even help them in any way. So having a specific and achievable goal ensures that the questions that you are putting for your survey, okay, are exactly What you will need? Like the answers that your customers give for those questions are exactly what you will need to achieve that specific and achievable goal. Okay, so that is number one for you. Number two, is try to create close ended questions. What I mean by that is trying to give options, don't make the consumer or the customer think too much, especially when you give open ended questions at that moment in time, I mean, you don't really know what they're up to. Right, there might be they, you know, they might be a mom with a kid wailing beside them, or, you know, they probably have some deadlines to meet, you don't know what mental status they're in at the moment of filling your survey. And as much as possible, you want to make it easy for them to fill out your survey, you want to make sure that the options are right there. And all they have to do is pick the right option. Now, when you give open ended questions, you are leaving it on them, and most of the times, I mean, it's like an exam. I don't know how many of you have ever faced it, but I definitely did. When it came to open ended questions, yes, I would blank out more often than not. And it's just that that atmosphere that you create for your survey, you know, especially when you keep an open ended question. So as much as possible, make your questions close ended, give them options, and not too many options, I would suggest two or three options for each question. All right. And one pro tip that I do have for you is if you position the options in the thought process, okay, it actually works better. So giving the options in first person usually helps because when they're reading it, they're reading it in their mind. And when you use options like I would like this, when they're reading it, it feels like they are talking to themselves. And that helps them understand the options better, rather than when you write it as a third person. And then you know, it's an extra step that their mind has to take. So as much as possible, you are trying to make it as simple and easy for them to understand your option and make it quicker for them to respond. Also, don't use industry jargon as much as possible write it in the way they talk. Okay, that's a huge pro tip that I do have for you. Now, number three, and this is probably the most annoying thing that I see in surveys. And that is don't hint at the answer that you're looking for in the question. You know, I did tell you in the beginning, that the point of the survey was basically to make sure that your business decisions are right. And yes, I do understand that there's a lot hanging over the survey results and the you know, the business decision that it affects, but at the same time, you can't doctor the survey results to match the existing business decisions that you have made. Your survey results are supposed to help you to figure out if that decision is right or not. Okay, so when you hint, the answer or the answer that you are expecting in the question, you are doctoring the survey results, there have been so many examples. There have been so many examples that I have seen. Let me actually give you one right now. Okay, one of the most common ones that I've seen is they will just ask, What was difficult about so and so. And that is called leading the question because you are already assuming that I found the process difficult. If it were me and if I had to reframe that question, I think I would have given it as how easy slash difficult was dash or so and so, so that way, on the other end, on your end, you're not assuming that the process was easy or difficult, you are giving that option to your customers to tell you, okay, because you never know, the process might actually be easy for them. The process might even be difficult for them. But that's not on you to tell them what it is, right? You want their opinions to shine, you want them to actually show what really is going on inside their mind. And that can't happen. If you hint at what you expect. The answer should be okay. Now number four is don't keep it too strongly worded. Again. This is a common mistake that I see when you use words like always, or forever, or all or every basically you're forcing them to, again, give you the answer that you're looking for. Okay, for example, even in your options, I've seen this even in options like I think the question would be describe yourself or which of the following do you identify as? And then the question the option will have, I always go to the gym. I love this every day or something of that sort. And those are basically forcing, again, your audience to have a certain answer. So as much as possible, don't use all these strong words, take them off and use neutral words, in your options, or even in your questions as well. Okay? Like, for example, if you ask, do you always go to the gym? Well, that word always means differently to people, for me always is like, three times a week. For, you know, for somebody else, it could be seven days in a row. But it's, it's true, strongly worded. And for example, if I were to think always means seven days, I might not even give you the accurate results that you're looking for. Maybe I go six times, but that's not always right. So try to make it as specific as possible. And don't give too many strong worded words. Yes, I guess I would say that. Alrighty, guys, now we come to number five. All right. Don't ask two questions. In one question. This again, I see a lot of surveys making this mistake. And I get it, I mean, as much as possible, you want to reduce the number of questions that your audience kind of has, and you know, shorten the amount of time. But when you are putting two questions into one, again, you are assuming that both of those are valued equally on your customers. And, for example, I'll give you an example. Okay, one question that I've seen is, let me think, okay, yes, there's this one question that I've seen before. Is our product efficient and easy to use? Efficient? is different, easy to use is different. All right? Those were actually meant to be two different questions. All right. Because, for me, it would, it could be efficient, it could be helping me with my efficiency, but it might not have been easy to use. Like I said, on your end, it looks like you're assuming that I value both of them the same? Or my answer for the two of them are the same. Okay, so as much as possible, try to not include two questions in one question as much as possible, you want to make sure that your question just needs one answer from them. Okay. So that was number five for you. Now, number six, is, I definitely see a lot of surveys getting this right. And that is you start light, and then you go deeper. So you kind of go around, you know, asking their name asking lighter questions, and then you start going deeper. Okay, what this actually does, it helps them mentally prepare for the direction of the survey, when the first question you ask is, how do you find our product? It's probably bombarding them, it's kind of like the first date, you know, you want to you want to take it slow, you want to take it light, you don't really want to ask them about their exes on the first date, or some of the relationship baggage that they've had, right? As much as possible, you want to keep things light on the first date, and then move deeper. Because one, you are making the other person comfortable, too, you're actually taking the time to get to know the other person. And number three, you're not bombarding them with things that they probably need some time to, you know, ease into, I guess I would say, okay, so that is number six for you. Number seven is, of course, keep it short, I have seen surveys that go on and on and on till the end of time. And I definitely am one of those people who lose interest. And I just sign out of there, no matter how much I love the company. And you know, I know that my survey results will help them in some way. It's just it's too long. So what I would ideally suggest, is, you know, keep it short. And when you do keep it short, don't keep it too short. And you actually don't get results from the survey. That also is another mistake that I've seen, like, there were two questions in this one survey that I took, and I'm like, okay, so what was the point of that? That made no sense. And I don't think that was any valuable information to the business as well. And on the other hand, I've seen surveys that go on and on and on. And you know, it's really frustrating on the other end, so I would say balance it out. Okay, what I would suggest that you could do is maybe send it to your friend, okay, or send it to a test group first. Maybe you send it to five people in your test. through and out of them, maybe two responded, then you know, you probably need to cut it down. Okay, if maybe four, then you probably hit a good spot over there. And then take feedback from your survey as well. You know, ask, ask your customers was the survey too long? Was it too short? Was it too abrupt? Was it weird? Was it you know, did we overstep because sometimes that happens as well, you know, try to gauge their comfort level, try to ask for feedback for your surveys. So that's usually a good tip that I do have for you at this point. Now, number eight, is kind of a follow up for keeping it short. Now, one of the reasons why I personally was so frustrated with that survey that took way too long is because there was absolutely no progress bar, like I just kept going on and on and on. And I think I went through five sheets of that Google form. And I was like, No, I can't take this anymore. And there probably was only one sheet left, you know, I don't know, I don't know if it was Google form. But it was just like, one question after the other, I think it was like type form or something. I don't know, I don't remember what it was. Guys. I'm so sorry. But the point was, they just kept going on and on and on. And I just, I didn't know how long it was going to take. So if possible, you know, add in a progress bar. And if you can't add in a progress bar, because I know sometimes those features are in the paid version of the forms, but not in the free version, then upfront, you can tell your, you know, the people taking your survey, how long is it going to take approximately two minutes, approximately five minutes, approximately 15 minutes, you know, whatever is the length of your survey, you probably would know it better. Just give them a small heads up. Okay, because I personally, I just went on and on. And there probably was one question left, and I just couldn't take it anymore, because I didn't know how many I had to go through. Right? And that's usually a little bit frustrating. So as much as possible, you want to keep them updated on to the length of your form? And how long is it going to take them? Or you can just even put a survey progress bar if that option is available for you. Okay. Now, number nine is, again, one of the most commonly made mistakes and overlooked mistakes as well. I mean, it's not like, Oh, my God, I can't believe they did that kind of a mistake. But it is there, it is pretty subtle. And that is keeping a consistent scale. Now as much as possible. Okay, you want to make sure that you are keeping a consistent scale all throughout, you don't want to use one to five in your third question. And then suddenly, all of a sudden for number, the sixth question you want to do one to 10? It, it's inconsistent, because your customer will be thinking in a certain thought pattern in question three, and then suddenly, you're changing it all up. So if you are using scale one to five, in the third question, try as much as possible to use scale one to five throughout your entire survey. Keep a consistent scale, don't confuse them more than they should, okay. I don't think you should confuse them at all. But you know, that's the that's the conversation for another day. As much as possible, you want to keep your surveys simple. And as much as possible, you don't want your customers to think too much when they're filling out the survey, because when they think too much, then there is a possibility that they will just stop doing it, they will just get out of there. So as much as possible, you want to make this easy on their hands. Right? So keeping a consistent scale. Like I said, it's not that kind of a mistake where you'd be like, Oh, my God, that is that that's so severe. No, I don't mean it that way. But at the same time, it's just those little tiny things about a survey that make it enjoyable, that make it beautiful. And that just basically goes easy on your customers. Okay, it shows them that you care, basically. And then the last one, of course, and I do see this, I guess I would say a few times I think I've seen it like two or three times as a customer, and that is to offer incentives. Okay? Yes, I as a customer, I am spending my valuable time it feels nice. If you give me some incentive, you know, maybe it's 10% off of my next purchase, maybe it's a$20 amazon gift card, whatever it may be, I am giving you a part of my time that is valuable to me to help you make better business decisions. And you know, it's kind of nice to feel rewarded for that. It's kind of nice to get some recognition for that. So if you can, of course, you know, try to offer incentives it can be as simple as just a discount code for the next purchase it But also, you know, oh, freebies, whatever suits your pocket in that moment, because I do know that this would be an investment on your end. But like I say, as much as possible, giving them a, you know, a discount code would also help you because you are ensuring a repeat purchase after all. So, you know, that's also a nice thing. And it also helps your business make another sale. So that's kind of like two birds with one stone. So yes, so those are the 10 that I do have for you. All right, if you definitely need more help with creating surveys to make better business decisions, I am offering one on one consultations at the moment, I call them power hours. So you can either pick 60 minutes or 120 minutes to hop on a call with me and I answer all your marketing questions. These also come with a couple of weeks of email support so that I can help you through whatever it is that you are going through and you know, basically help you with your marketing. So if you are interested, I'm going to put the link below but you can also visit www.de marketing nomad.co forward slash strategy dash call. Okay, guys, that brings me to the end of this entire podcast episode. I really hope you enjoyed 10 tips that I did have for you to create an effective survey for better business decisions. I hope you guys are staying super, super safe. I hope you're staying super super healthy as well. I'll catch you guys in my next podcast episode. Bye bye