Recently, clients have been doing a decent amount of surveying. Their survey types include everything from post-event surveys for 2021 to pre-event surveys for 2022.
Here's something of interest. For all the surveys conducted in previous years, there has been a significant delta in survey completion rates. These rates vary anywhere between 26% to 78%.
There are numerous factors influencing survey response rates. Including, everything from the quality of your list to the relationship an organization has with those being surveyed.
And in case you're wondering, list size is one of the least important factors.
It doesn't matter if your list is big or small. One would think that a small survey list would perform better. Nope! The worst performing client survey in 2020 had a total of 16 people on the list. How so? Nobody completed the survey.
Thankfully, there is a single universal element of survey success. Your key to success with surveys is well thought out process. That means treating your surveys like a marketing campaign.
Even the most straightforward marketing campaigns have clear objectives, a well thought out process, and measurement.
When analyzing poor survey results from the past, the first place I start is getting an overview of the process being used.
In every instance of lackluster results, the lack of a well-defined process was glaring.
Before doing another survey, make sure you have a well thought out process in place.
If you're not sure where to start, look at what others are doing and ethically borrow their ideas! There is no reason to reinvent the “wheel” if someone else has already figured it out.
Want to get more event survey advice? Check out the articles below:
- Mushy, unicorn and rainbow event questions
- Your Ticket Buyer's Continuum
- Two Amazingly Powerful Event Survey Questions
- Getting Detailed Feedback To Improve Your Event
- Reviewing Your Event Marketing Strategy