Unstoppable customer attention arms race The disadvantage is that consumers will ignore all “unimportant” emails and pop-ups. But what can you do to break past this wall of apathy? Get people to fill out a survey.
Examining what motivates people to provide data and provide honest comments In this piece, we’ll look at free ways to boost survey response rates.
Why does your survey response rate matter?
Let’s start with some vocabulary. The survey response rate is the percentage of respondents who finish your survey. It’s not an email open rate because someone may open your email or web form but never complete it.
Broader audiences yield lower survey response rates. If there is no personal connection to your brand, just 10–30% will respond. If it’s an employee survey, you can expect up to 50% engagement. A 5% response rate on a cold email is a success.
More responses equal more data, which means more precise marketing activities and decisions.
How to calculate your survey response rate
No complex arithmetic abilities required: simply divide the number of completed surveys by the number of persons who received your survey. Then multiply the result by 100 to get a percentage.
People prefer to remember big events and forget small ones. The replies must reflect the perspectives of your entire population, not just the most satisfied or dissatisfied customers.
How to get more survey responses
Our advice applies to emailed or website-based surveys, polls, and questionnaires. Use these tactics to boost survey response rates for both in-depth marketing research and brief customer satisfaction surveys.
Market to niches
Instead of going big, use targeted emails to target a specific demographic. Avoid instances where clients are bombarded with questions regarding a new product. You can target first purchases or service requests.
Motivate reactions
Customers are taking the time to take the survey, so make it worthwhile.
You can make this procedure more enticing to your audience by:
- post-survey reward (freebie or discount);
- how you’ll use customer input to improve products;
- be genuine and human, show that you care about your consumers’ opinions.
Helping your brand and getting something wonderful in return is easy.
Respondents spend a lot of time on your survey; thank them for their time. Even if you don’t compensate them, it’s a kind gesture that will increase brand loyalty.
User experience rework
40 percent of participants claim they misunderstand survey questions because they are too long or complex. Making your survey user-friendly doubles the trustworthiness of your results. That means asking fewer questions that are straightforward and direct. Make sure all questions are relevant or that some can be skipped.
An email survey should not ask users to register elsewhere. When writing copy, use direct, unambiguous language. Avoid legalese, slang, and imprecise language. Aim for anonymity Because customers appreciate brands that respect their privacy.
The subject line
Create urgency and emotion. Help us improve our product. It’s nice, and it’s promising. Another is “We need your ideas.” Also, “Customer survey” is a horrible subject line because it gives users no reason to open an email.
Avoid being marked as spam: algorithms cruelly block most emails with the subject “survey” and from senders not on the recipient’s contact list.
Take a poll
For example, SurveyMonkey’s survey builder changes the survey’s design and content based on responses. Using “if this, then that” logic, you can build rules and paths. Using question and page logic, you can delay the appearance of questions or pages.
Tell your clients how long it will take
Only a third of survey participants are willing to spend up to 10 minutes on a survey. This is a good sample timeframe. Make sure your survey doesn’t take much longer than that to complete (unless it’s a complex questionnaire).
Send short surveys early in the morning: people can respond even while driving. Send detailed surveys before 3 p.m. Also, send your surveys promptly – preferably, immediately after a transaction. In addition, consumers will be more willing to respond to your survey.
Simplicity
Don’t terrify your audience with vast blank fields. If you want an opinion, ask open-ended inquiries. Don’t forget to measure satisfaction with a five-point Likert scale.
Make sure it works on all devices
Finishing a 20-minute survey with a technical problem is aggravating. To improve your survey response rate, test it on several platforms and use a responsive design. Remember that larger screen devices have better survey completion rates than smartphones.