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How Surveys Create Perceptions…Or Not!

Posted on | September 15, 2009 | No Comments

Surveys interest me.  One, because they are a mainstay of the marketing and public relations profession – or should be.  (Too often they’re not.)  Two, because there are online software tools available (including ours) that make creating and managing surveys and delivering survey reports so easy that there’s no excuse for marketers NOT to be using them.

Clearly, lots of marketers have glommed onto online surveys as a convenient way to collect data on their prospects and customers, assess the quality of their service delivery, and test new business ideas.  But surveys have more and more become a tool that’s used to create a perspective around a particular point of view. 

Case in point:  I just read an article on PR News Online entitled, ”Social Media: A Company’s Asset or Liability?“  (I’d encourage you to read the article to get the full report. Registration is free.) 

The article discusses a study from Russell Herder and Ethos Business Law that investigates what executives think about social media.  It reports that an overwhelming majority of execs who were surveyed saw social media as a security risk, bad for employee productivity, and potentially damaging to an organization’s reputation.

If I had stopped reading at this point, I would have been left with a distinct impression that company executives are clearly feeling threatened by social media.  But, in fact, the article goes on to talk about the positives that execs see in social media – and there are many!  (It also provides tips for social media policies that can mitigate the risks.)

But, the contrast got me to wondering:  what perception does the article want me to walk away with?  That execs were against – or for – social media?  Does the good outweigh the bad? Would love to hear your thoughts on this…

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