How To Make Money With Online Surveys

If you?re got some spare time and you?d like to make some money without much work, online surveys are just the thing for you. With a computer and a little advice, you?ll be all set to make some extra cash for you and your family.

Be realistic

You first have to realize that when you take online surveys, you won?t be paid thousands of dollars. In fact, the people that do take online surveys regularly will usually say that the best way to make more money is to take more surveys.

You?ll need to sign up for a few different online survey sites in order to have a constant stream of surveys to complete.

Watching out for scams

When you do see ads to take online surveys that supposedly pay thousands of dollars, you can be certain that these aren?t legitimate claims.

In order to make money with online surveys, you will need to file your information with reputable companies. These are easy to find by looking for the company information to see if they give you ways to contact them. Those companies that seem to be hiding from you usually have a reason.

And if the company tells you that you need to pay money in order to make money, then go to another web site. You shouldn?t have to pay to earn extra money.

Market research

One of the best ways to make some extra money or earn some free products is to participate in market research surveys. These tend to come from the big name companies that want to know what their customers think. You?ll answer questions about their products and give suggestions about ways that they could improve.

In many cases, you can be rewarded with free products or cash payments.

Focus groups

Another way to make money online is to become a part of a focus group. This is an invitation from a company to set with other customers and discuss a particular product or service. You can also do these online in the form of chat rooms and message boards.

You are usually compensated for the time or the amount of information that you give to the company about the product.

Following the rules

The most simple advice for making money for doing online surveys is to make sure that you?re completing the surveys in their entirety as well as giving your correct contact information.

What many people don?t realize is that you may need to confirm your email address before you will receive new surveys to do. Check your email after you first register with an online survey web site to see if there are any other steps that you need to follow.

And check your junk email box too, as this important email may have landed in there.

Online surveys are a great way to make a little extra money when you have a little extra time on your hands. And you don?t have to get dressed up to do it.

Daphne Cameron is an online marketer and owner of http://www.online-paid-surveys-info.info and http://www.best-paid-surveys.info where you can find useful tips on making money with surveys.

Tips on Taking Paid Surveys

The web is filled with hundreds of sites, which offer cash, rewards, gifts for taking surveys. The surveys are often simple and targeted at common man. And their are millions of web surfers who think that taking Paid Surveys is a very good and easy way to make some money.

Well, there is only little truth in this. Not all paid survey sites are genuine. Their are a few who do pay to their subscribers for taking the surveys. It takes certain research and experience to find this sites. Proper planning and perseverance can help in your quest to make money through this route. A few tips can surely help in this quest.

Firstly, you should make an email account with a good email website. Ensure that you have sufficient space available on the site. Also check that the mails received from the Paid Survey sites are not blocked or labeled as spam by the email service provider. Always use this email to subscribe to Paid Survey sites.

The next step is to find genuine Paid Survey sites. Surf the web and try to find a site, which is in the business of paid surveys for considerable amount of time. Read the testimonials of its subscribers. Also a good site would have tie-ups with payment sites like Pay Pal to facilitate easy transfer of payments. Also these sites may require you to pay a one time or annual registration fee. Read the conditions related to this carefully. To be on safe side, surfers who are new to this should start with either one or two sites. Never send your registration fee or any other payment through cash. Also, if paying by credit card, ensure that the site has proper security certificates from companies like Verisign.

Surf the site and carefully read the legal disclaimers, terms and conditions. Often paid survey companies mention Guaranteed Payments. They may also display document images as proofs. Many of this are fake claims or proofs. Beware of such sites. Such a site would also fake subscriber testimonials.

Once you are subscribed to a paid survey website, fill the surveys with interest and true data. Remember if subscribers don't fill genuine data in the survey forms, the consumer companies (who finally use the data) would get incorrect information. They would eventually stop paying the Paid Survey websites and that only would hit you.

Lastly keep in mind that there is no free lunch. Stay alert of the changing terms and conditions on the site. Keep checking for the site reviews on various forums. If you are alert, there would never be a fraud or scam and you would keep making money.

Rob owns a blog and website helping people choose between paid surveys companies. Please visit the site for more information on online paid surveys

Ten Reasons Why Online Surveys are the Future Of Marketing

 

Customers are tough cookies. They're extremely media aware and increasingly cynical it's a clever marketeer who can get under their skin. Online surveys reinvent the traditional format and offer a unique way of interaction all the benefits of the internet without the programming.

Here are ten reasons why they may be the silver bullet marketeers' need, complete with examples supplied by Martin Day, managing director of Survey Galaxy - one of a new breed of websites making online surveys quicker and cheaper.

1. It's cheap as buttons

Select the right survey website and creating surveys can be free of any charge and the cost to publish is minimal. Useful information harvested from surveys can be reused and repackaged in other marketing and PR for use in press outlets making it a very efficient form of information gathering.

2. It's easy peasy

Anyone can develop an online survey. Survey sites allow people who are interested in the benefits of surveys, rather than technicalities, to side-step the required programming skills and create relevant up-to-the-minute surveys, instantly surveys that are even easier to complete than they are to make.

3. Anyone can play

Once the survey is online it's a simple step to promote it, either through email (with a link enclosed), via a link from a website or referenced by other forms of advertising. Anyone who has the link can be connected instantly to the survey, at a time that's convenient to them, 24x7.

4. We've all got an opinion and we like to give it

Customers like surveys they're not seen as spam, but as an empowering opportunity to make their voice heard and a chance to have an impact on a brand. They can be particularly good for broaching sensitive subjects with concerned employees; a survey asking a workforce on their opinion of change allows the key issues to be raised in a positive way and encourages employee participation. Online surveys allow the message to reach each individual and invite feedback in a manageable form.

5. Get inside their heads

You can lead a customer to an advertisement but you can't make them think. Surveys actively engage the respondents, who think about the question before giving their response.

6. Beautiful relationships start here

It needn't all end at the end of the survey while you have their attention and are in the mood you can ask if they want to sign up for more information or a regular newsletter making the most of the window when you have their interest.

7. If you like this, you'll love

Perhaps one of the strongest elements in a survey is the ability to make inspired or useful connections instantly to other areas. By including links within the survey to websites that offer detailed information you are able to reinforce the marketing message.

8. Subtly does it

Surveys can be used to associate a product with positive attributes. By listing the many features of a product and asking the respondent how important they are, regardless of their response, the product will be associated with the features; if they are rated as important the positive impact is endorsed by the customer.

9. It's not just about selling

A survey is an effective, quick and easy method to promote and gain acceptance for a difficult proposal; maybe a public body trying to gain acceptance and support for a particular scheme. Take the example of a city trying to gain support from the general public for their bid to host a future Olympic Games. A survey can explain each benefit putting the respondent in a much better position to appreciate what the real advantages are that might just combat any negative headlines. As well as promoting the cause, useful feedback is gained that can be used to fine tune the overall marketing strategy.

10. Fresh topics engage interest

Thinking laterally a lively and imaginative approach to surveys can provide the 'hook' to engage respondents. The survey subject can be focused towards a particular group on a subject close to theirs hearts. The survey's marketing message can take the form of a simple brand awareness message by stating that 'this survey was sponsored by brand name', or by finding a link from the subject matter to the product something that is surprisingly easy and highly effective. Discover the benefits of including in your website a Public Survey section as many people who enjoy completing crosswords and doing word puzzles enjoy completing surveys. Having a public survey notice board as part of a website is a low cost and automated method that helps to increase traffic and establish a loyal and returning following. Unlike discussion boards there is no opportunity for people to disrupt the site by inappropriate remarks as the survey results are displayed in summary form enabling them to dispense with moderators free and maintenance.

Many of the techniques and a few more to boot are contained in the following sample survey:-

http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=956

For an example of a Public Survey area please click on the following link:-

http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublic.asp

Martin Day is owner of Survey Galaxy Ltd. For more information visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com

martin.day@gmail.com

Paid Surveys - All You Ever Need To Know!

Ok another ridiculous attempt to make money on the internet right?

Wrong! This is great way to make some instant cash easily. Let me tell you a little about 'Paid Surveys'.

What are they exactly?

They are simply this - 'Paid Surveys conducted by major companies in order to better understand what their market actually wants, which intern will save them money on future productions.'

Due to the high risk involved in producing new products, these companies are willing to pay members of the public money to participate in their surveys. The amount of money you could aquire from participating is anywhere from $25 to $150.

Now this may not seem like alot, but what if you were asked to complete 10 paid surveys at $50 each? You would make $500. Not too bad for answering a couple of questions.

How do I sign up for Paid surveys?

The best way is to sign up with an 'Paid Survey Provider'. Market Research Companies(MRC's) who conduct the surveys, pay money for the data provided(you and me). The Paid Survey Providers then take their cut after and we take ours of course. Simple as that.

How do I know which Paid Survey Provider would be best for me?

The best Paid Survey Provider to be apart of, would be one that has the most clients, which would give you more opportunities to participate in more paid surveys. Another thing you must find out, is whether or not they mostly offer cash rewards, as many paid survey sites do not and instead offer you the chance to go in the draw for a prize.
Not Recommended*

So if you want to make some money through paid surveys, always keep this in mind.

Do you have any tips that can help me make the most of this opportunity?

Make sure you check your Paid Survey Provider often because they are updated all the time and you never know when a new company may become registered with them. It's best to register early with a new company as the old saying goes, 'first in best dressed'. In other words, the earlier you register, the better the chance you will have of being invited to participate in their surveys.

Another tip is to register with companies that offer cash rewards as we talked about above. Lots of companies will give out non-cash prizes as well as allowing you the chance to go in a draw for a cash reward. Make sure you register with companies that offer you money first.

Register all of your family members for as many companies as possible. This gives you a better chance to be offered more surveys, which would mean that you can make more money in the long run.

Make sure you stay patient. There are databases that are free to sign up with, but they give you a small chance of gaining invitations to surveys. That's why I suggest signing up for a membership with a Paid Survey Provider. You will gain access to more companies providing surveys which will help you prosper more in the long run.

So is it worth it?

Of course it is! It may not make you filthy rich, but it is a fun and easy way to make a few extra bucks. I find the surveys to be enjoyable to participate in aswell as the rewards being quite a welcome bonus. It's great when I recieve a check for $50 that I can't even remember what for!

Josh Stanton - www.infotrate.com

Josh Stanton is the Owner of infotrate.com which provides free information all about Paid Surveys. Visit his site to find out what the Top Ten Paid Surveys are. You can also view infotrate.com's free list of Paid Survey articles - infotrate.com/articles

 

An online survey will kickstart your business for 2003 - here's how and why

Online surveys are simple to make, generate excellent response rates and will give you new ideas, insights and directions for your business. Here are 5 essential tips for successful surveys.
How many times have you sat down and thought 'I need more business - should I be offering more products? Are my prices scaring people off? Do I need to do raise my profile?...' etcetera. Rather than getting out your crystal ball, there's only one sure-fire way of finding out what people think of you - and that's to ask them. Before the internet, a customer survey was a pretty tedious task - you had to design your questions, print it out, send the survey to your customers or prospects and hope that they would take the time and trouble to fill it in and mail it back to you. Weeks later, if you were lucky, you would have a little pile of replies to go through and results to collate and interpret. It was more than likely that the sample wasn't large enough to be meaningful, so the time and expense was hard to justify.

With the internet, you now have the possibility of conducting online surveys. And if you're not already, then this is the time to get started. Here are 5 top survey tips to get your business kickstarted for 2003.

1. Design questions carefully around what it is you wish to know

Sounds obvious, doesn't it? But it's easy to be drawn into 'survey cliches' - asking for things such as age and location, just because that's what surveys always seem to ask. Each of your questions should have a rationale - why do you want to know that? To what use will you put that information? And pare it down to as few questions as possible. Finding out 5 key facts is more useful than 20 general ones - and remember the longer your questionnaire the more likely your respondents will be to drop out and leave it incomplete.

2. Unless you are a real techie, use an ASP service

There's no need to sweat over Perl scripts and importing tab-delimited files. There are many services which allow you to create online surveys very simply, store the responses in a database and provide you with the results in user-friendly graphical format. You are given the code to insert into your webpage or email which takes the respondent to the survey. You can usual customise the look of the survey, and set the criteria so that people can only fill it in once, for example. Some of the solution providers are more pricey than others, but one that it easy to use and reasonably priced is SurveyMonkey. Their basic service is free.

3. Online surveys enjoy far higher rates of response than offline surveys

Clicking through an online survey really does only take a few minutes. People are simply more likely to fill it in when it's this straightforward. If you combine your survey with a small incentive or 'thank you', or entry into a prize draw, response rates climb even higher.

4. Send your survey to your email subscribers and encourage it to be forwarded

Permission-only email lists already enjoy higher open and click-through rates than unsolicited email. Utilise the goodwill of your list and encourage (or incentivise) them to forward the email to a friend. That way the link to the survey is likely to reach more people with similar interests/tastes.

5. Remember to thank them - and act on the information gathered

The final question should be followed by a thank-you page. Don't forget to gather respondents' email addresses, and permission to contact them again with future surveys. Survey results should be acted on, not sat on for months. Your customers have gone to the trouble of giving you feedback, so the worst thing you can do is to appear to ignore it. You could mention some of the results in your email newsletter, on your website, or in a press release - together with how you are answering the issues raised. Your survey results may even be newsworthy. But if you do make this information public, be sure to respect your respondents' privacy and not mention individual names.

One thing's for sure - you'll learn a lot, and the knowledge you gain will help rejuvenate your business in 2003. Good luck!

Robin Houghton advises small businesses and non-profits on how to make the most of their marketing budget, specialising in online. With a masters degree in Digital Media, she also writes for a variety of offline and online media.

Forget 'I need hits' and start thinking 'how do I get customers?'Robin Houghton

Why search engine marketing should be about attracting customers, not 'driving traffic'. Includes a case study illustrating how 'visitor hijacking' doesn't work.
I've always had a problem with standard online marketing industry terms such as 'driving traffic' or 'generating hits'. When we use search engines we have a goal in mind. We are looking for an answer and the majority of us don't want to be hijacked, hoodwinked or driven down a blind alley. Think of how you use the Yellow Pages. How would you feel if you called what you thought was a plumber, only to be told 'Sorry, we can't mend your burst pipe - but can we interest you in a swimming pool?'

On the internet, this happens all the time when we follow search engine results that appear to be what we are looking for. Whose fault is it when they are not? The accuracy of these results (or lack of it) is for the most part down to website owners. Whether it's due to stealth tactics or plain sloppiness, we are constantly being misled, and certain industries seem more prone to it than others. I have a particular bone to pick with travel sites. Since travel was one of the earliest industries to embrace e-commerce, researching and booking travel online should be a stress-free experience ... shouldn't it?

Case study: searching for ferry information online

September 2002: We wanted to take the car on a day trip to France to stock up on wine in time for Christmas. We preferred the Newhaven-Dieppe route because Newhaven is only a 15 minute drive from home. We knew that during the winter months the Seacat catamaran didn't run - but we HAD seen a big yellow ferry in port. So all I needed to know was whether there was a ferry operating throughout the winter, and the times/prices of crossings.

Solution: go online and search for 'Newhaven-Dieppe ferry crossings' on Google.co.uk

The first result is: 'P & O Stena Line' - hmm, didn't think POSL covered the Newhaven-Dieppe route? Still, I click to see. I'm faced with a page saying 'Welcome to POSL', a menu of 10 links across the top and 13 links down the side, a large ad for a sales promotion blinking at me plus a booking form centre page. No indication of where I am in the site. After reading all the menu links, none of which appear to be what I'm looking for, I decide to just try going through the booking process and see what happens. The first drop down menu is 'Departing from' - and the choice is Dover, Calais or Zeebrugge. Nul points.

Back to Google - 2nd result: Newhaven to Dieppe Ferry Tickets - http://www.cross-channel-ferry-tickets.co.uk/newhaven-dieppe/

This sounded promising. I clicked on the link and then a second link to 'book Newhaven to Dieppe Ferry tickets' which brought up a booking form. This time, although the route is available, I have to specify an exact date, the make of car and even the registration number before I can get a quote. The result? 'Sorry, we were unable to find any matches for your search, please try again.' Does that mean there's only one ferry a week, and I happened to ask for a day when it didn't run? Does it mean there is no crossing all winter? Or that this agent only deals with Seacat and no other operators? I've no way of knowing.

Back to Google - the next two results turn out to be short break operators selling 3 or 5 day packages - not what I'm after.

Next up was 'Ferry Crossings :: SUSU Travel :: Travel at its finest' - but it brought up only a 'Error 404 - this page cannot be displayed' message. Grrr.

Finally I try clicking on 'Yahoo! Travel Deals Ferry Savers' - this took me to a page with a list of current deals from a variety of operators. One is 'Newhaven - Dieppe, standard return for car and up to 9 passengers - 318 book before 30/9/02' Although this seems expensive, I click on it anyway and am taken to the homepage of Ferrysavers.com. This lack of a specific 'landing page' is particularly annoying since it means starting the search all over again. And, - surprise, surprise - the advertised fare is not to be found.

The result: half an hour later, no one had answered my question, and my negative impression of online travel agencies in general had been reinforced. The internet is my profession - so if I can't navigate my way through the murky online travel waters successfully, who can?

What we can learn from the mistakes of others

In an ideal world, good search engine marketing helps both advertisers and customers. It matches up needs with solutions, it filters out timewasters (from an advertiser's point of view) and it makes searching a simple and fruitful task. Higher standards of professionalism would up the credibility and reliability of the internet for many people. It would encourage more of them to actually use it, more often, and for humdrum, daily tasks.

I can only plea to advertisers: re-craft your search engine key phrases and descriptions so as not to waste people's time. Make sure search results link to the relevant pages on the destination site, not the homepage. Give visitors a site map. It makes sense not only from the customers' point of view, but from a commercial one also.

C'mon, folks - this is 2003! Why are so many websites still applying mediocre and unprofessional tactics? I for one am looking forward to the day when website owners think less about 'I need hits' and more about 'I need customers'.

Robin Houghton advises small businesses and non-profits on how to make the most of their marketing budget, specialising in online. With a masters degree in Digital Media, she also writes for a variety of offline and online media.

10 Reasons To Survey Your Visitors, Subscribers And Customers!

1. You'll find out what type of content visitors want
to see at your web site. This will attract your visitors
to revisit and read the content.

2. You'll find out how to improve existing products
or services. This will attract new customers to buy
from your business.

3. You'll find out which products or services your
customers would like to see you sell in the future.
This will increase your back end product sales.

4. You'll find out how to improve your customer
service. This will cut down on customer complaints
and how to better resolve problems.

5. You'll find out how to improve your sales letters
or ads. This will increase your sales, traffic or ezine
subscribers.

6. You'll find out what kind of articles or interviews
they want to see in your free e-zine. This will raise
your e-zine's readership.

7. You'll find out how to design your web site to fit
your visitors needs and wants. This will increase
the time your visitors spend on your web site.

8. You'll find out what kind of non related products
or services your customers would buy. This will help
your business easily move into a different market.

9. You'll find out how to better price your products.
This will help you sell your products or services at
at a price that will pull the most orders.

10. You'll find out were your potential customers are
hanging out. This will inform you where to market
and promote your products.

Larry Dotson
Over 40,000 Free eBooks & Web Books when you
visit: http://www.ldpublishing.com As a bonus, Bob
Osgoodby publishes the free weekly "Your Business"
Newsletter - visit his web site to subscribe and place
a FREE Ad! http://adv-marketing.com/business

How To Get Paid For Taking Online Surveys

Would you like to get paid for surveys? Could you use an extra
$300 to $1,000 a month? Did you know you can make good money
filling out online surveys sitting at home in your pajamas?

Did you know companies in the United States spend over $250
Billion Dollars a year trying to convice consumers to buy their
products? That money is spent on advertising as well as
research. If you would like to get paid for taking online
surveys and participating in focus groups or doing phone surveys
then you can make money at home.

Getting paid for surveys is not anything new. For years
companies asked people quesions in malls, on street corners or
by telephone solicitaion. This for the most part did not work
well. I don't know about you, but I walked down the other side
of the mall to avoid getting asked questions by a surveyor. I
never took the time to talk to them on the phone either. I can
remember filling out surveys and mailing them in for rebates or
some small amount of cash.

The internet has changed all of that. Now you can go online and
find surveys you are willing to participate at your leisure. The
nice thing about getting paid to complete surveys is you can do
them around your own schedule. Morning, noon or night there are
companies willing to pay you for your opinion.

Realistically you can expect to average $10-$15 per survey. You
won't get rich, but this can help you make some extra money and
can go up depending on the amount of time you ant to put into
it. If you are interested in making money at home doing surveys
then click the banner below.

There are a tremendous amount of online survey companies to
choose from and unfortunately many of them are only interested
in taking your money not helping you make money. For that reason
we are not going to give you a long list of survey companies,
but rather give you one that has a solid reputation for helping
people get started. Here's who I would suggest you start with
getting paid to take surveys online:

http://www.team-schuman.com/survey-scout.html

Whatever your reasons for needing more money getting paid for
surveys is a legitimate way to do it and thousands of people
around the world already are. Why not you?


Jeff Schuman is the owner of Team-Schuman.Com a make money company.
Team-Schuman.com contains the best of everything you need to
make money online. Their survey website has the Top Ways to get
paid taking surveys online. Get more free information here:
http://www.team-schuman.com/surveys.html