Surveys are still an important tool in the PR business, provided one asks and answers the right questions. We present our methodology for conducting an effective survey and how you can leverage the content that's generated through it. But first, ask yourself: Do you want to spend money to prove the point? What do you really want to get out of the results? Are you okay if the results don’t prove your initial hypothesis? Is there a point you want to prove other than the demand for your company? Are you willing to commit to content creation resulting from the survey? Connect with our PR experts to learn more about how to use surveys effectively for your organization: http://www.mslgroup.com/who

1. Surveys still work as a PR tool if you can
ask and answer these five questions:

2. 1
Is there a point you want to prove
other than demand for your company?
A survey should not be commissioned to prove that an audience
wants a given company’s product or service.
Rather, the objective should be to highlight a trend that has
relevance to a given company or demonstrates a shift in a
market that can position the company as a thought leader.
Also, don’t confuse market research with surveys for marketing.
The survey is intended to create marketing content, not
influence how you develop your product.

3. 2
Do you want to spend money to
prove the point? And, how much?
Choosing how you want to conduct your survey comes down to
cost and authority.
Options include research firms, polling groups or relying on in-
house resources to conduct an informal poll. Going back to the
point you want to prove, how scientific do you need the survey
to be? Costs can range from $50,000 for a top research firm to as
little as the cost of sending out an email to a large list of
prospects and customers.
MSLGROUP research shows that reporters will consider the
results of in-house or non-commissioned surveys.

4. 3
What do you really want to get
out of the results?
The answer will help decide what kind of survey you’re looking
to conduct.
Do you want the results covered by media? To be considered for
the daily newspapers or business outlets you’ll need an end-
user/consumer angle. To earn traction within trade publications,
it’s fine to survey IT pros, healthcare professionals or companies
that use your products.
Do you want the results to drive prospects to become leads?
Survey results need to point to how you help solve a problem
your prospects face (even if they don’t know it).
Do you want to be able to use the results to create your own
content? Marketing collateral, blog posts, eBooks, infographics,
videos, white papers, sell sheets?
The answer can be all of the above.

5. 4
Are you okay if the results don’t prove
your initial hypothesis?
A properly written, non-biased survey can be unpredictable.
Are you willing to take that chance? If the results are not
especially strategic to your business, can you still find benefit
from them?

6. 5
Are you willing to commit to content
creation resulting from the survey?
Earning media coverage for a survey is fine, but surveys can
deliver far greater benefits to an overall marketing program. It
just takes some work.
Survey results lead to content that can be the targets of lead
generation campaigns, such as eBooks, graphics and videos.
Pull three key facts from the survey results and develop blog
posts based on those facts that can drive traffic to the lead gen
landing page.
By making the content snackable, it can be reused at a later
date. Your survey can have a long shelf life, but only if you
commit to make the most of it.

7. CONTACT US TO FIND OUT MORE
(781) 684-0770
MSLGROUP can help you plan surveys as an effective
part of your overall PR and marketing strategy.