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Tips on running a B2B cybersecurity survey

Top suggestions on how to run a B2B cybersecurity survey

GrapeData
Aug 22, 2022
Cybersecurity
B2B market research

What is a B2B cybersecurity survey

In simple terms, a B2B cybersecurity survey gathers information from B2B customers or workers in the cybersecurity world. A B2B customer is an end user of a product or service in an organisation. Let’s take an example to understand this better. In the context of a B2B cyber security survey, a B2B customer could be an employee working in an organisation such as a software engineer. It could even be a CTO or any of the C-level executives. The survey scope could include sentiment analysis on cybersecurity, for instance. A data collection panel such as GrapeData could help the IT company run this survey if they choose to. Essentially, a data collection panel would facilitate the survey project from end to end. We’ll look at the role of a panel later on in this article.

Having understood a B2B cybersecurity survey, let’s look at some survey questions to ask for a B2B cybersecurity survey. 

Questions to ask for a B2B cybersecurity survey

Generally, the kinds of survey questions will depend on the end goal of the survey project. In the realm of cybersecurity, there’ll be a lot of information that can be gathered. For example, a cybersecurity survey could be collecting data about best practices in the industry. Depending on the nature of the B2B survey, survey questions will be different.

For an in-depth guide on B2B survey questions to ask, check out our article on our blog.

Some of the tips that will help you create a good B2B cybersecurity survey

Make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with the survey. When creating a B2B cybersecurity survey, it is important to consider what exactly your objectives are and whether they will be met by this particular method. What exactly do you hope to find out from these responses? How can these discoveries help your team make decisions about their products or services?

  • Think about the target audience for the survey. It is tempting for most companies to send out surveys that can gather information from anyone who might be interested in them (e.g., clients, or partners). However, this approach may not yield as much valuable data as one focused specifically on people who are buying into their product.
  • If possible, try asking potential customers before releasing any surveys so that they feel like part of a community!

List down everything that you need out of the B2B cybersecurity survey

For instance, you can ask the following cyber security questions:

  • How do you feel about cybersecurity in 2022?
  • Does your organisation have cybersecurity measures in place?
  • What’s a major threat to cybersecurity in your opinion?

Once you have a list of all the questions that matter, make sure that they are relevant and useful for your business. You don't want any unnecessary questions in there because it would just waste time and effort on both ends.

Keep it simple! Don't try too hard with fancy words or phrases, but rather keep it short and sweet by using simple language. You can also use bullet points instead of paragraphs if needed. For example: "What was the one thing about the cybersecurity feature that made an impact on your decision-making process?"

Try and include different types of cybersecurity questions

  • Multiple choice: The survey should have at least one multiple-choice question in it. This allows you to get answers from your audience quickly, and will help you gauge how much of the user base understands the product.
  • Scale: Consider including a scale for users to rate their satisfaction with the software on a scale of 1–5 or 1–10. You can then use this data to compare responses across different groups and see if there are any differences between them. For example, customers who are very satisfied with your product might also be willing to pay more than those who are only moderately satisfied with it.
  • Open-ended questions allow you to collect qualitative information about what users like or dislike about cybersecurity. You can use this data when making design decisions later on in the development process.

Keep it simple and short

As you're developing your IT survey, keep in mind that you want to ask as few questions as possible.

This will help your respondents better remember the information they are being asked and make it easier for them to answer questions correctly. Also, keep in mind that each question should have one purpose; don't ask too many things at once (a strategy called "information overload"). For example, instead of asking "How do you feel about cybersecurity measures in your company?" try something like, "On a scale from 1-5 with 5 being 'excellent' and 1 being 'poor,' how would you rate the measures?"

Finally, when writing your survey script, try not to use more than two words per question or response option. This also helps make sure that respondents understand what is being asked of them.

Try and make your B2B cybersecurity survey questions engaging

You will get more responses if your questions are engaging in your B2B cybersecurity survey:

  • If you have a question that sounds too complicated, most people won't take the time to answer it.
  • Ask a question that is relevant to the customer's needs and wants. Don't waste their time asking about things they don't care about! For example, if they're looking for a software program, you would ask things like: "Do you plan on using this cybersecurity feature in-house or remotely?" Or "What types of employees are using this software?"
  • Ask easy-to-answer questions where possible so customers can help themselves (such as asking how many employees work at each location).

Offer help when necessary

If you’re going to ask cybersecurity-related questions, it’s important to be ready for counter- questions. Don’t just expect your respondents to know how to answer the survey. Make sure that if they are confused about something, you have the resources available to help them out. 

This can mean including a help button on your survey or even providing a FAQ page with common questions and answers as part of the support toolkit available on your website.

A B2B cybersecurity survey is one of the best ways to ask your customers questions regarding their experience with your products

B2B cyber security surveys are one of the best ways to ask your customers questions regarding their experience with your products or services. They help you understand your customers, which can lead to improvements in your product and service offerings. For more information on product improvement, check out this article by the Marketing Study Guide

If you want to find out more about a B2B cybersecurity survey or want to create one for yourself, then visit GrapeData today!

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