How to Conduct Market Research with Facebook Surveys

7 de mayo de 2011

How to Conduct Market Research with Facebook Surveys

The survey is the most widely used method for collecting data in market research today, and Facebook makes it easy for you to survey your customers. Facebook surveys can be useful marketing tools for assessing proposed products, testing advertising campaigns, and engaging your fan base to keep them coming back to your Facebook page.

Your goal in conducting a survey is to get as many completed surveys as possible. The number of completed surveys that many studies aim for is 100 or more. Any fewer than that is sometimes considered statistically invalid.

Of course, the response rate on your survey depends on the content that you include in it, as well as how you conduct it. The following basics can help you create a successful Facebook survey:

Keep your survey short. When drafting your survey, brainstorm as many questions as you can to be sure that you cover all the bases. Then review the questions and determine the essential ones for your goals. Keep only these essential questions and as few additional questions as possible.
There is an inverse relationship between the number of questions in your survey and the number of complete surveys you will receive, so the shorter the survey the better!
Write down the expected outcome. This trick is critical for helping you decide whether a question is essential. Try to write the expected press release headline, such as “Nine out of ten dentists prefer Crest to any other toothpaste.” It not only helps you qualify the question for inclusion in the survey, but also gives you a frame of reference to understand how well you know the audience.
Start with your best question. If you’re going to get some incomplete survey data, then be sure you get your best question answered up front; don’t save it until the end of the survey. In addition, starting with your most interesting question draws in the survey takers and captures their interest.
Don’t sound like a survey. Don’t make questions overly complicated. Use simple words and straightforward questions.
Keep the choices to a minimum. Offer no more than five choices per question. Whether you are ranking an attribute from not important to highly important or presenting five multiple-choice options, try to keep the number of choices down so that your completed survey rate goes up!