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3 Methods for Leveling Up Survey Participation Rates
Contributed article by Rick Kelly,
CPO of Fuel Cycle
Surveys are the bread and butter of market research. They
offer an invaluable view into a consumer's mind — how they feel about brands,
what trends influence their behaviors, what they value in experiences, what
they're looking for in a product, etc. — which is why they remain a popular
methodology in market research. Unfortunately, this popularity doesn't extend
to the consumer.
One of the biggest challenges facing market research
companies today is unwilling participants. This lack of participation adversely
affects survey response rates, causing them to drop each year. The reasons
consumers aren't taking surveys range from question
misinterpretation to lack of compensation for their time to too many questions
asked. In fact, according
to a study conducted by Customer Thermometer, 67% of respondents will
abandon customer feedback surveys if they're too long.
For surveys to continue being an effective method of
gathering consumer insights, they must be improved so consumers will want to
participate in them. That way, market research can provide accurate data to
companies about what their customers want from them — especially since now 73%
of people factor customer experience into their purchase decisions.
Here are three methods for leveling up survey participation
rates:
Think Like a Respondent
Because surveys are intrinsic to gaining intel on consumers,
it can be tempting to fit in numerous questions, make them complicated and send
them frequently in order to gain a lot of information as quickly as possible.
But this factors into why consumers avoid taking surveys. Today's consumers
have limited attention
spans that last around eight seconds. That means surveys have a limited
time to get and keep their attention. Maximize the opportunity by being
economical with wording and purposeful with survey content so that this time
isn't wasted.
One way to do this is by evaluating survey questionnaires
with three queries:
- Is the question understood?
- Can the respondent answer the question?
- Will respondents answer the question?
The wording in survey questions should be clear and
well-defined for participants to easily understand it and provide responses.
Using technical terms or industry jargon will only confuse them and,
eventually, cause them to abandon the survey. Participants should also be able
to answer questions either with their prior knowledge or with enough
information provided. Avoid using vague language so that they know what kind of
response is needed and can accurately give one. Finally, once the questions are
understood, and respondents can answer, ensure they'll want to answer by not
asking anything too personal or sensitive.
Be mindful of how long surveys are by making them concise
and easily digestible. Respondents don't want to spend too much time filling in
open-ended responses or choosing from multiple-choice options. Keeping surveys
at a reasonable length will make them more likely to be completed.
Make Surveys Engaging and Interactive
Surveys aren't inherently exciting, which plays a role in
why they're viewed as a chore to complete. But by making surveys engaging and
interactive, respondents will be interested in taking part more often. With
consumers spending
around four hours per day on mobile devices, incorporating a mobile element
into surveys is one way to help heighten interest and increase
participation.
Using mobile devices in conjunction with geo-targeted surveys
— surveys based on a consumer's location — can help capture in-the-moment
feedback from consumers. For instance, while consumers are shopping at a store,
they can answer questions based on the store they're shopping at in real-time.
This is important for understanding what respondents are doing in-store and
identifying pain points as they occur.
Mobile devices can also help interactivity by allowing
respondents to share their shopping experiences through videos, images or
posts. This can help elevate their survey responses by showing how their
experience went, what they bought, products they liked or didn't like,
etc.
Prioritize the User Experience
Surveys aren't only about the content within them but also
about the experience. Does the survey look dated or modern? Is it easy to
navigate? Are respondents updated with their progress? These are some questions
to ask to determine whether a survey provides an optimal user experience
(UX).
One way to ensure surveys are hitting the mark with UX is to
keep survey technology up to date. That way, surveys will resonate with modern
consumers and what they value in experiences. Another way to improve survey UX
is by ensuring questions have a logical flow that respondents can follow.
Questions that are disjointed and chaotic only make respondents lose interest
and avoid completing the survey.
Implementing incentives is also good for UX because it
rewards participants for their time and effort in taking the survey. While it's
easy to provide monetary incentives, think outside of the box and give a
meaningful reward to respondents — something unique to their audience. Some
respondents may want to know how their feedback was used to improve a product
or service. Others could want recognition for participating in a survey. It all
depends on the individual.
Surveys are still an effective method for gathering consumer
insights. But getting consumers interested in participating requires seeing
surveys from their perspective, making surveys more engaging and prioritizing
UX. By doing so, participation rates will increase, and more high-quality data
will be collected, making for better market research.
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About the Author
Rick Kelly
is the Chief Product Officer at Fuel Cycle.
Rick has been with the company since May 2014 and headed multiple departments
in both its NYC and LA offices. His passion lies in positioning Fuel Cycle as a
leader in the insight platforms space through innovative products. Prior to his
tenure at Fuel Cycle, he held roles at First Opinion, a medical technology
company, taught political science at BYU-Idaho, and worked at Survey Sampling
International. Rick holds an MS in Political Science from Utah State University
and an MBA from The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.