How to get more out of your digital surveys
Like all things technological, the digital survey space is constantly changing. When I joined the fray, it was dominated by software you had to install in order to create questionnaires.
Now, with the rise of programs such as Google Forms, SurveyMonkey and Qualtrics, the ability to make and distribute digital surveys is free to anyone. But there’s a difference between doing something and doing it well.
Not every survey platform is created equal, and most fall short of required standards. So why not make your own?
One of the coolest things I have been involved with has been the development of a proprietary digital survey platform, Beag.ly, named affectionately after Charles Darwin’s ship, the HMS Beagle, with the idea of exploration and discovery in mind.
Not every survey platform is created equal, and most fall short of required standards. So why not make your own?
The platform fills the gap in the political polling and research industry, which relies heavily on landline phone polling to survey an increasingly cordless population.
Here are some reasons why we didn’t want to use just any product:
- Know you’re getting qualified, real respondents. In today’s world of bot farms and large-scale SIM spoofing – authenticity is key. Digital security measures, such as duplicate IP prevention, geolocation monitoring and referring site filters, offer the best in fraud prevention. You can’t get actionable data if you allow bad actors to compromise your results.
- Reach participants where they are. As landline polling becomes more difficult, participants are more likely to be found online. You need a platform that reaches participants on social channels where they are already engaged (Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, Instagram), emails or even text messaging.
- Find who you want, when you want. Have enough responses or want to pause over the weekend? Turn the survey link on or off at will. Have a limited budget or targeting a certain sample size? Add a participant limit to close the survey automatically once you reach your desired number.
- Limitless conditions provide a unique experience. While most platforms offer linear piping logic using only adjacent questions, Beag.ly allows participants to be directed through the questionnaire based on a variety of factors, including their geolocation, referring site, demographic profile and response to any question within the survey itself — or any combination of these. Using this method, different target audiences can have unique and relevant survey experiences, making data collection more efficient and improving the user experience, which is shown to increase response rates.
- Incentivize your audience down to the individual. Everyone is motivated differently. I can offer gift cards from any number of retailers, and with the limitless condition capability described above, I can choose which participants see which retailers. There’s no longer a need to offer one blanket incentive for your entire sample.
Two-thirds of the American population is on Facebook, making it the most widely used online platform among U.S. adults. Beag.ly reaches people where their attention already is, allowing clients to reach just about any audience they desire. True to its nature, Beag.ly allows you to question everything.
