In most publications, online and print, you’ll often find an article based on the results of a survey. Whether it’s something as obvious as “fifty per cent of people surveyed would rather eat chocolate than fruit”, or a statistic that is genuinely surprising, surveys are very popular with the media. For many brands, a survey can be an effective way to secure coverage.
That said, a survey will only get coverage if it is done properly. Journalists will be much less likely to use a survey if it is simply stating the obvious or comes across as too self-serving, for example “according to research, sleeping in a bed is much better for your health than the floor, claims leading bed manufacturer.” The media is also very reluctant to use a story of a survey if it is clear that the sample size isn’t a fair representation of its audience. The responses of a handful of your employees aren’t enough for the media.
However, when a survey is done well, the results can be fantastic. One of our clients commissioned a large survey and secured over forty pieces of coverage in both the national and trade press as a result.
The survey worked well for two reasons. Firstly, a professional survey company was used, guaranteeing a large sample size (over 2000 people), which is much more difficult to achieve when using free services. Secondly, the questions being asked, and the results they generated, were not solely focused on what the client does, but more on a range of issues in that industry. This meant that the results didn’t appear to the media (and the people reading it) as being too self–serving.
Aside from generating fantastic coverage, survey results can be used in marketing collateral and show that your company understands the industry and the issues facing it. However, the main thing to remember is that surveys will only give back what is put into them. If you are prepared to invest in a reliable and far reaching survey, and take time to think about what you want to get out of it, then it will pay for itself ten times over.
- 357 reads
- login or register to post comments
- Add to a social bookmarking site
The Pitch, our contest for small businesses, is back for its fifth year. In 2012, the competition is bigger and better than ever before! 
We've teamed up with Samsung to give readers the chance to win a one-on-one business mentoring from former Dragons' Den judge James Caan. 
Dragons' Den judges James Caan and Deborah Meaden and social entrepreneur Karen Darby are some of the successful entrepreneurs who feature in our exclusive videos. 
Join our social media discussion group and share your Twitter username with other BusinessZone members. 
We're putting together a list of business owners' must-haves.