How to Add a Question to an Omnibus Survey

If you’ve stumbled upon this post, you likely are already aware of how an omnibus survey is conducted and its perceived benefits.

Now you’re wondering, “How can I include my own question(s) to a third-party omnibus survey?”

  • The short answer: Contact our market research company. We administer weekly online surveys and can include your questions as quickly as needed.
  • The long answer: Continue reading this blog post to understand more about the process of sponsoring a question or series of questions in an omnibus survey.

How to Add a Question to an Omnibus Survey | Market Research Company


Quick Recap: What is an Omnibus Survey?

An omnibus survey is a unique type of market research that allows brands to pool their money and add questions to form a large online survey.

For most studies, an organization will contact a market research company to sponsor a methodology in its entirety. Think, customer surveys, employee surveys, and focus groups.

Whereas omnibus surveys are sponsored by several organizations and ask respondents seemingly unrelated questions. Here’s more on how omnibus surveys differ from traditional online survey projects.


Step 1. Identify Target Criteria and Omnibus Survey Questions

Before contacting an omnibus survey company, it is helpful to have an idea of who your target respondents are and how many questions you want to include.

These criteria will determine the cost of adding questions to an omnibus survey.

For context, most omnibus market research studies are conducted with the general population – consumer adults that are 18 or older.

While it is possible to target respondents by age, gender, and other criteria keep in mind this will increase costs in comparison to conducting a survey with a general population.

Still thinking about criteria and omnibus survey questions?

If you are unsure of the audience that is best to target or the exact questions you’d like answered, consult your market research company.

For instance, Drive Research likes to add a consultative piece to every market research project. We can offer recommendations on question type and phrasing that will offer the best insights.


Step 2. Contact an Omnibus Survey Company

Once you have determined the details of questions you’d like to add to an omnibus survey, it’s time to choose a market research partner.

Most commonly there are two types of vendors you can choose from.

  1. Full-Service Market Research Companies: This type of partner offers end-to-end project management. From survey consultation, design, programming, fieldwork, data cleaning, and reporting – they take all of the legwork off your plate.
  2. Online Survey Platforms: This approach puts more of the project management into your hands. Many platforms allow you to build the survey, select target respondents, and analyze the data in-house.

Conducting market research in-house vs. outsourced has its respective advantages and disadvantages. Your choice is likely dependent on the timeline, objectives, and budget.

There are many factors to look for in an omnibus survey company.

Watch this video to learn the three factors that always make it to the top of our list.


Step 3. Sign a Market Research Proposal

If you decide to partner with an omnibus survey company like Drive Research, you’ll likely be asked to sign a market research proposal.

This is typically a one-to-two-page document that outlines key aspects of the project.

A proposal for an omnibus survey includes details such as:

  • Goal number of responses
  • Criteria of target respondents (age, gender, target market, etc.)
  • Timeline
  • Project costs

Having a proposal on hand is helpful to understand what each party is responsible for. Once it is signed, your project is underway!


Step 4. See Real-Time Results with a Client Dashboard

After signing a proposal, the market research company will begin adding your questions to the omnibus survey.

In most instances, our omnibus surveys are up in running 24 to 48 hours after project sign-off.

A great benefit to sponsoring online surveys is gaining access to a client dashboard. This platform shows your team up-to-the-second results.

In other words, as soon as a question is answered, you have access to that data.

Here is a preview of a client dashboard by Drive Research.


Step 5. Receive Omnibus Survey Results and Data

Last but not least, your team receives a final report of the questions you added to an omnibus survey. Depending on the reporting package purchased, this could mean varying types of deliverables.

Because omnibus surveys are shorter in nature, most clients choose a topline summary of findings.

This includes an executive summary of high-level findings and a breakdown of question-by-question results.

However, if you are looking for a market research report with more details such as an infographic and recommendations for how to use the data, a full-service market research firm can provide that too.

Recommended Reading: What is the Difference Between a Topline and Comprehensive Market Research Report?


Contact Drive Research to Add a Question to Our Omnibus Surveys

Drive Research is a full-service market research company specializing in online surveys.

Our team of certified market research professionals partners with brands such as Walmart, Amazon, and Toyota to administer omnibus survey projects.

Interested in adding a question to our next omnibus survey cycle? Contact our team today.

  1. Message us on our website
  2. Email us at [email protected]
  3. Call us at 888-725-DATA
  4. Text us at 315-303-2040

emily carroll about the author

Emily Carroll

A SUNY Cortland graduate, Emily has taken her passion for social and content marketing to Drive Research as the Marketing Coordinator. She has earned certificates for both Google Analytics and Google AdWords.

Learn more about Emily, here.


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