OPINION22 June 2015

Keep it flashy

Opinion

Toluna’s Phil Ahad shares three things survey respondents gravitate towards and how these can be used to improve your market research.

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Much like how a clean-freak might use a hand vacuum to clean their larger vacuum, survey companies should look no further than their own tool to help clean up that same tool.

If you have a product that needs to be consumer-friendly, like a consumer-facing marketing research service, asking that same consumer what it would take to make your product friendlier is a no-brainer. So that’s exactly what we did. And the takeaways can be applied to several business-to-consumer marketing efforts.

They just want to be heard

Whether they like to admit it or not, people like to be heard.  Of the one thousand consumers polled, 41% of them admit that they take surveys because they enjoy giving their opinion. And as it turns out, the younger you are the more this sentiment is true: 44% of millennials take surveys because they enjoy giving their opinion.

Takeaway: make sure you’re explaining exactly why you want your consumers’ opinion. Rather than the obvious ‘please give us your opinion because we want to keep you happy’ tagline, explain why exactly.

What do you want to improve, what changes or updates do you plan to make? You can also make them feel valued by communicating to them that any future modifications to the brand/product/service will be as a result of their valued opinions.

You’ll give me what?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, while people like to be heard, they like it a whole lot more when you give them something in return. (Yes, we mean more than a ‘thank you’). In fact, 54% of respondents say they participate in survey-taking to earn rewards, and 54% of them will take online surveys daily. That’s valuable input you can use to improve your brand and, ideally, generate more business.

Takeaway: Take stock of what your consumers gravitate toward; do they go gaga over mystery email coupons, early in-store door-busters, discount codes? Apply those same incentives to your marketing research approach. Make it worth their while, and they’ll make it worth yours.

Make sure it’s pleasing to the eye

Regardless of what device consumers use to take a survey on (respondents number one choices in order are: 44% desktop computer; 39% laptop computer; 10% smartphone; 8% tablet), having a visually pleasing experience is important. Aesthetics matter; 74% agree that the survey experience is more enjoyable when a survey contains images and 58% agree the survey experience is more enjoyable when a survey contains videos.

Takeaway: Avoid dull grey screens with lots of words and little visuals to accompany them. Keep your questions or message clear, concise and friendly. Basically, learn to subscribe to the Chameleon School of Appearance-Updating.

Phil Ahad is senior vice-president of Toluna QuickSurveys

@RESEARCH LIVE

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