Here are some thoughtful ideas around creating better and more optimized surveys. You probably only want to ask questions that you can action or follow up on. And never ask for more than you need!

1. Every question you ask takes time to respond to, so don’t ask too many. Or else you will lose the goodwill of the survey respondent filling it out.
2. Never ask vague questions that let them sit on the fence. Or you will find people tend to stick to the middle responses and remain neutral.  You ideally want the responder to be providing an opinion in order to gain insight. Example: Asking for a range of Extremely Satisfied through to Dissatisfied, versus instead “How well do you think we did?”.
3. Initial questions you ask can indeed influence later responses.  Asking a question about their favorite consumer brand of detergent for example. Now the responder is thinking about what they connect with. But remember that could lead them to respond differently if you later ask “rate our detergent with others you prefer”.
4. Have an option for a responder to skip questions or submit as many responses as they like. Do not require them to finish the whole questionnaire. You can probably remember responding to very long surveys and not wanting to really think about your responses so you can just finish.
5. Similarly keep some of your questions fun so as to keep people interested in continuing, without boring them.
6. If you are going to add rating scales, why not think about making the scales generate an emotional response. Easy User Experience through to Completely Confused

Resources:

Please leave your suggestions in the comments, or links to more resources on this topic.

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5 Easy steps to use LinkedIn to promote your business

Step 1: Customizing your URL

Your profile needs to be easily found and indexed by search engines. Don’t use the default but instead customize it so you use a branded link. (example: http://www.linkedin.com/companies/air-miles-reward-program).

Make sure you use the “Full View” option so your company details will be open to the public. Well known companies will use their own company name because it is recognized. However if you are a small company use a relevant keyword and new people will find out about you and what your company does. Also since Google gives LinkedIn profiles a higher ranking usually this will help with search engines finding your website.

Step 2: Promote your company profile

Since your company profile usually has details about your company and employee contacts people will be able to find someone they can reach to find more about you. Think about ways of promoting this URL, in company communications and documentation, email, etc. You can think of your company’s profile page as a business directory of sorts. Such as looking for an Account Manager or a Sales Rep to get in touch with, luckily they will all be listed on your LinkedIn company profile page.

Step 3: Use keywords to define and identify your specialty

Looking at the example from Step 1 above, Specialties: loyalty, retail, marketing, rewards, data, measurement
This makes total sense for the industry that Air Miles is trying to reach and the keywords that resonate with potential clients looking for those type of specialty areas.

Step 4: Establish industry leadership and a respected resource for information

Updating your profile page with new content is easy if you link it to new blog postings (tools are available for integrating these together automatically), allowing your profile page to include recent information from your marketing website or blog will help it stay fresh. Also when new people search their contact network for contacts in these areas your information and contact details will be front and center.

Step 5: Add a profile picture and maybe even your company products and services

Don’t miss an opportunity to brand your company logo on this prime online real estate. Upload your company logo, address details, phone number, and tag line as one large image.
Doing this will make you look more credible and professional.

Why would you want to do this?
You want to get noticed by more people, and help search engines to find your website. Adding your website link to your profile will help search engines scanning through the LinkedIn landing pages to find your website. Perhaps even find your blog posts if you are following Step 4 above.

Additional Resources:
LinkedIn Company Profiles

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