Carrying out a successful online survey depends upon flawless execution and nearly neurotic attention to detail. Here are some guidelines that will help ensure success.

Know Thy Audience - Take the time to refine the exact profile of the target participant. In the case of a B2B survey the industry, role group, type of company, size of company, geography and other business demographics should be articulated.

Find the Right Panel/Opt-in List - You may have a customer or prospect list that is ready to be repurposed for an online survey. You may have channel partners who, for the price of sharing the research results, are ready to collaborate by making their "house" list available for the survey. Or you may rent an opt-in email list that will reach your identified target audience. Or you can contact a market research firm who has assembled a set of prospective participants who have consented to being contacted for research in a particular area such as yours, for a specified incentive.

Properly Endorse the Survey - Prospective participants want to feel confident that their time is going to be well spent. A survey that bears the name of a respected sponsor or an email invitation personalized by an important member of your firm's executive team [Click here to see an example email invitation] can make all the difference in garnering a high response rate. For example, a particular association may be very influential with your target audience. Co-sponsoring the survey in this way builds credibility, draws participation, and creates another highly qualified list source as well.

Think out of the Box - An online survey frees you from the rigid confines of a telephone or print mailed survey. Think digital. The complete spectrum of multi-media and interactivity is at your disposal. For example, if you wish to test reaction to new product packaging, photo shots of all facets of the packaging can be easily included within the survey.

Don't Get Too Carried Away - Whether a consumer or business executive, individuals today have a limited attention span and even more limited free time. Don't make your online surveys too complicated. Focus on getting the data you really need. Don't ask questions that require your audience to fetch business data statistics for you - they won't come back. Don't present participants with a mathematics exercise. Make the survey direct, clear and achievable with 10 minutes. Test pilot the survey with colleagues.

Motivate Your Audience - An incentive is a great way to say "thank you" to your audience for their time and participation - it can also nudge them to participate. Think creatively about what would be motivating to your target audience. If you are trying to motivate CEOs with a $10 rebate coupon at Chucky Cheese, the incentive is probably not going to be successful. A donation to a charity of choice, or choice of a free research report may indeed prove more successful.

Achieve a Statistically Valid Sample - It's best to achieve at least 100 completed surveys to achieve a 95% plus level of statistical validity in the results. Don't draw important business conclusions from insignificant samples - they can be very misleading. Here's a handy calculator for predicting the statistical accuracy of your research [Click here for calculator from Creative Research Systems].
 
 

The Fly in the Ointment

But as is so often forgotten, the Internet is a tool - not a panacea or a market onto itself. The Internet cannot automate the research process; rather it facilitates interaction between the researcher and the participants and the collection and tabulation of data. Good research, as always, relies upon proven methodologies and domain knowledge to construct surveys that dig beneath the superficial business symptoms to reveal the root of the problem and/or trend within the market segment. Similarly, pulling through the statistical results into a set of actionable business recommendations depends upon operational business knowledge. In short, the value of online research is only as good as the qualification of the respondents, the design of the study, and the analysis of the statistical results.

The value of the Internet is as a research tool is fully realized in the hands of accomplished researchers who are familiar with your business and offerings.