Can surveys help generate quality leads
I have been asked many times to work on projects where an online survey has been commissioned to generate information that can be used as quality sales leads. This has lead to varying degrees of success, so what makes a good survey and what benefits will be seen from this type of lead generation?
There are a number of fundamental rules to follow when developing data gathering which will ultimately lead to success if done in the right way. I am always keen to hear from anyone that has had success or indeed failure, lessons learned is an important part in any business.
WIFM
Firstly I think about the WIFM (What’s in it For Me). This is about you putting yourself in the target’s shoes; you are most likely trying to reach out to busy individuals that don’t have time for completing surveys when they come across as one sided, there needs to be a reason to part with commercial or personal information. Sometimes the simple benefit of sharing data results can be reason enough, after all we all want to know what everyone else is doing to compare against our own circumstances. The second which may seem cheesy but it works, is to offer a prize draw with some big winners but also some smaller prizes. A genuine offer of “There’s something for everyone” will appeal greatly. You now have their ATTENTION.
Design and brand
I run a business that designs and manages online surveys so I always take a look at surveys that I myself receive – just so I can laugh at the design and see if any thought has actually been put into the design with a corporate brand in mind. More often than not I am not disappointed but every so often I will come across something that really makes me think that time and effort has gone into the survey design and I will usually respond to it; my way of saying well done! Good quality corporate branding is essential during the survey preparation as this will help you when returning to these prospects later.
What is the question…
Surveys are about questions you want answers to; don’t create surveys that are excessively long as this will lead to survey fatigue. I have always found that you should think of a survey like an interview – you can’t go in with the 3 key questions you need answers to straight away – you need to build up gently and make the respondent feel comfortable with a first few non-taxing questions. You need to think about categorising questions and breaking down the survey into sections so they are not all displayed on a single web page. So question design is very important and so is the overall design of the on-line questionnaire.
Lead generation
Ask any telemarketer / salesperson that a warm lead where not only has there been previous communication from you to them but they have already given you something has to be the best starting point. So what is it that you are trying to achieve? Well, for me, there are two objectives that I have to meet when it comes to lead generation using this method, the first is, have I got answers to questions that will help me sell my product or service? The second is I now have a prospect that has actually given me something for free, INFORMATION. ‘Information is power’ is an old adage, but one that rings true in every situation; it’s the currency of today’s world. Those who control information are the most Powerful.
Share your experiences
If it isn’t broken don’t fix it some may say, this doesn’t mean you can’t improve on what you have got so I encourage questions, feedback, your own experiences.
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