The popularity of survey results in a specialized niche is undeniable. Customers and prospects alike love to be part of a survey and then look at the results. Often they compare their own responses with those of the survey to see if they have similar or differing opinions than the "group."
Surveys that are not targeted, i.e. those that ask very generic and general questions are often ignored or disregarded. Most people feel they are a waste of time because the respondent is not interested in the subject and could care less how the masses feel.
But a deeply niched survey that asks questions about a subject that the respondent has a passion for will almost always be a welcome and interesting experience for the survey taker.
Here are the reasons a solo business owner should think seriously about creating and distributing a survey to his customers and prospects:
1- Surveys will engage the customer. They are a way for the respondent to interact with the business or owner.
2- Surveys are a form of expression for the taker. She feels that she is able to introduce her own feelings, ideas, and opinions, even if all the questions are simply multiple choice.
3- Surveys that ask the right questions can become a valuable source of feedback for the business owner about the preferences of his customers.
4- Surveys are usually perceived as being "neutral" or unbiased. They are a way for a business to ask questions without seeming to be too overbearing or too self serving.
5- Surveys are a great subject or topic for the media. Again, they are perceived as being "news" and un-biased reporting so the survey results can be a great topic for a press release, a newspaper article, etc. The business doing the survey can be mentioned without sounding too self-serving.
6- Survey results can be used as documentation to prove a point or to validate a claim of one of the businesses products or services.
7- Survey results can be the basis of an advertisement, a direct sales letter, or a marketing campaign.
8- A survey will peg the author as an expert in the field and one that is willing to do and share research (objective and scholarly) of a subject in an un-biased format.
9- Survey results, when compared over time, can be the basis of trends and niche market directions that are important to your business.
10- Survey results are informative, fun, educational, and entertaining. People love to read "Top Ten Lists" and "Most Popular Lists" to compare their own preferences with others in the niche.
I'm sure there are other good reasons why every business owner should consider creating and "marketing" a niche survey. In fact, I would suggest making a short series of surveys, maybe 2-4 per year, about differing topics a regular feature of your web site. But don't keep asking the same questions over and over again - change both the topic and the questions each time.
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