Online Market Research Tips for Beginners

Since becoming a stay at home mom several years ago, I have steadily increased my money saving strategies and techniques. I am an avid coupon clipper and a fearless bargain hunter. Anything that is legal that will help save money is on my daily to-do list.

My internet bargain search led me to the market research industry. Companies often seek the opinions of consumers throughout the marketing process. The market research industry includes taking mail and internet surveys as well as attending focus groups.

I would constantly see advertisements boasting of how you can make easy money without leaving the comfort of your own home. I was a bit skeptical in the beginning. The skepticism was well justified. Everyday, people are being scammed out of their hard earned money or credit reputation.

I have never been one to back down from a challenge. I was determined to make some extra money without becoming the next news worthy scam victim. There had to be legitimate ways to make this happen.

After weeding my way through suspicious offers, I developed my own set of criteria for being involved with market research. The following tips are for people who are beginning to participate on the consumer side of the market research industry.

Never pay money to join a survey panel. I must admit, I made this mistake many years before I was a stay at home mom. I paid $39.95 to access a list of survey sites. These are in fact the same survey sites that advertise for free and are free to join. Not only did I lose my $39.95, I also had the pleasure of receiving tons of spam in my inbox. A simple internet search for survey sites will lead to lists of reputable survey companies. Voiliton.com is a great place to start on your survey quest. I would also recommend using survey police.com. A list of survey companies as well as user rankings are continuously updated.

Keep all survey panel profiles up to date. Survey and focus group invitations are often sent according to your personal demographics. For example, a company wanting to know consumers opinions of diapers would like to send invitations to people who have babies. If your data is not updated, you may miss out on relevant and rewarding survey opportunities.

Keep record of your survey completions. This includes recording the actual survey reference number, date, and reward offered for survey completion. Many survey panel websites keep track of this information for you. While this feature is useful it is not infallible. Human error could cause you to never receive the promised survey completion incentive.

It is extremely important to know how much and when you are scheduled to receive tour earned reward. I recommend sending completed survey to a designated email folder. Keeping a paper or computer based ledger is also highly recommended.

Answer survey invitations promptly. Surveys invitations have deadlines. If you are not quick to respond, you may not be able to participate in the survey in which you otherwise qualify . I recommended checking our email several times throughout the day to check for survey invitations. Surveys can be sent at anytime during the day or night.

Don't get discouraged. It can often be frustrating failing to qualify to take a desired survey. You will not qualify for every survey invitation that you are sent. After you have been completing surveys for a while, you will develop your own way of prioritizing your invitations. Some companies give preferential status to longtime faithful members. Many companies even give sweepstakes entries to everyone who attempts to qualify for a survey invitation. I have had the pleasure of winning money in the past.