Survey Setup

When setting up a Survey it is important to establish the objectives of the research, what data you are trying to obtain, what Respondents you are targeting and what the best way is to present the survey. Once this is decided, the question content, wording and response format can be considered to establish whether they are correct, to obtain the data sought. The data can then be collected and analysed.

When considering the objectives of the Research it is quite useful to prepare a Research Brief, setting out exactly what the marketing problem is and to outline the Research objectives. It is also useful to have some background information on the current status of the marketing problem and sources of information which can be used as a guide to the target audience that should be addressed. It is also important to have an idea of the scale of the project, details of the resources available and the timescale. All these factors will have an influence on how the Research can be carried out.

The type of survey used and the method of implementation will be determined by the target Audience, whether you have any Interviewers to conduct the survey or whether you are going to invite your target Audience to participate with the survey. This will also have an effect on the design of the survey.

The content of the survey will have an impact on the type of data obtained. Consideration should be given to how the information is going to be analysed. The more 'Open questions' used will require further analysis and interpretation, but will give the Respondents an opportunity to really voice their opinions. This could consequently slow down the final interpretation of the results of the Research but could provide underlying reasons for the responses given.