1 Define your objectives

Before you create your online survey or focus group, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to learn from your target audience. What are the specific questions or hypotheses that you want to test? What are the key insights or outcomes that you want to achieve? How will you use the data to inform your social marketing strategy or tactics? Having a well-defined objective will help you craft your online survey or focus group questions, select your sample, and analyze your results.

2 Choose the right format

Depending on your objective, you may want to use different formats for your online surveys and focus groups. Online surveys are typically quantitative, meaning that they collect numerical or categorical data that can be measured and compared. Online surveys are useful for assessing the size, characteristics, preferences, or behaviors of your target audience. Online focus groups are typically qualitative, meaning that they collect textual or verbal data that can be interpreted and explored. Online focus groups are useful for understanding the motivations, attitudes, emotions, or experiences of your target audience. Choose the format that best suits your research question and the type of data that you need.

3 Design your questions

The quality of your online survey or focus group questions will determine the quality of your data. You want to design your questions to be clear, concise, relevant, unbiased, and engaging. Avoid using jargon, acronyms, or technical terms that may confuse or alienate your respondents. Avoid using leading, loaded, or double-barreled questions that may influence or distort your respondents' answers. Avoid using too many or too complex questions that may overwhelm or bore your respondents. Use a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions to balance the depth and breadth of your data. Use scales, ratings, or rankings to measure the intensity or importance of your respondents' opinions or behaviors.

4 Test and refine your online survey or focus group

Before you launch your online survey or focus group, you need to test and refine it to ensure that it works as intended. You can do this by conducting a pilot test with a small sample of your target audience or a similar group. Ask them to complete your online survey or participate in your online focus group and provide feedback on the clarity, relevance, length, and ease of use of your questions. You can also use online tools or software to check for errors, inconsistencies, or gaps in your online survey or focus group design. Based on the feedback and results of your pilot test, you can make adjustments to improve your online survey or focus group before you roll it out to a larger sample.

5 Analyze and interpret your data

After you collect your data from your online survey or focus group, you need to analyze and interpret it to answer your research question and achieve your objective. You can use online tools or software to help you organize, visualize, and summarize your data. You can also use statistical or thematic methods to identify patterns, trends, or relationships in your data. You can also use descriptive or inferential techniques to draw conclusions, make inferences, or test hypotheses based on your data. You should always interpret your data with caution, considering the limitations, biases, or uncertainties that may affect your findings.

6 Communicate and apply your findings

The final step of your online survey or focus group is to communicate and apply your findings to your social marketing goals. You can use online tools or software to create reports, dashboards, or presentations that showcase your findings in a clear, concise, and compelling way. You can also use stories, quotes, or visuals to illustrate your findings and make them more memorable and persuasive. You should always tailor your communication to your audience, purpose, and context, highlighting the key insights, implications, or recommendations that are relevant and actionable for your social marketing strategy or tactics.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?