As a consumer, your opinion is important to companies – big global brands want to know what the buying public think before they introduce a new product or service to the market.
Paying to have consumers like you take surveys, take part in an online focus group, or even watch a movie trailer and give your opinion is a very cost-effective way for them to carry out research, as the company cannot afford to introduce a new product or service that nobody will buy.
And you can get paid for your opinion – and sometimes even get free products, too – all in your own time, and often from home.
How you can make money with surveys
There are a number of ways you can make money with surveys that you either complete, or give to other people to complete. Here is the lowdown.
Statistical Surveys
These surveys are used to collect information about the population, like the Census. These surveys are used to measure political polls, for governmental use, health, social activities, and marketing research. The surveys a focus on facts or opinions, depending on the type of the information the company or institution is looking for.
The questions on this type of survey are standard and structured. Questions are offered in an order that will not influence a response to questions that came after and every person receiving the survey will receive the exact same questions.
Serial Surveys
These surveys repeat the same questions at different times to track changes in opinion. There are two types of serial surveys:
Cross-sectional Surveys
These are given to a variety of people at the same time; and
Longitudinal Surveys – these are given to the same person at different intervals.
Telephone Surveys
Telephone surveys are a popular way to get public opinion and are low cost for organisations to carry out. The responder is not able to view, smell, or touch the product, so they depend on what they hear from the person conducting the survey.
Mail Surveys
These surveys, as the name suggests, are posted to the respondent and are returned in the same manner. When bought in bulk, postage is usually quite reasonable, making this type of delivery cost effective for organisations. The biggest drawback to this type of survey delivery is the long wait to receive all of the responses, from people, which can sometimes take several months.
Online Surveys
Web surveys are sometimes preferred over email because the response rate is instantly available. Online surveys can be lower in cost to the company, and more convenient for the person filling them out because they are automated.
If you are reading this article, then clearly you use the internet. Wouldn’t it be great to earn money every time you go online? You can do online surveys in your own time, spending as little or as many hours as you want to do them, and check the status of your payment from the survey company you are registered with.
While there are some unscrupulous companies online who try to scam people, there are some legitimate online survey companies, like www.paidsurveys.uk.com that help mums like you earn money by doing online surveys.
In-Home Surveys
People are interviewed on their doorstep or in their home. These surveys are very high in cost and the company will get about a 40 to 50% response.
Man-on-the Street Surveys
The next time you go to your local shopping centre, especially during weekdays, watch out for people asking you for a couple of minutes of your time to ask you some questions – that’s how these surveys are carried out. Sometimes, they may even have a booth, where you will be asked questions in exchange for a free chocolate bar or drink or something else for free.
So, as you can see, there really is money to be made with surveys, and there are options for every type of busy mum.