A well-designed survey can provide valuable insights into your customers’ thoughts and behaviors. However, if the survey is poorly designed, it will likely result in low response rates and inaccurate data.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss effective survey tips you should use when creating surveys that generate quality data with actionable insights!
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1. Keep it Short
The first tip is to keep your surveys short and sweet. No one wants to spend their valuable time filling out a long, tedious survey. Keep your survey questions concise and to the point.
If you need to collect a lot of data, consider breaking up the survey into smaller sections. You can also offer an incentive for completing the survey, such as a discount or entry into a contest.
Another way to keep surveys short is to pick your survey questions wisely and use multiple choice or rating scale questions. These types of questions are quick and easy for respondents to answer.
Lastly, make sure your survey is mobile-friendly. People are constantly on the go and more likely to provide answers if they can do it on their smartphones.
2. Make it Urgent
Another tip for increasing response rates is to make the survey urgent. If people think they need to provide responses right away, they are more likely to do it.
One way to make a survey urgent is to set a deadline. Let respondents know that the survey will only be available for a limited time. This will encourage them to fill it out sooner rather than later.
You can also create a sense of urgency by stressing the importance of the survey. Let respondents know that their feedback is critical and will be used to improve your products or services.
Making the survey urgent will not only increase response rates, but it will also help you get more accurate data. Respondents tend to fill out the survey carefully if they feel like they need to do it quickly.
3. Make it personal
Another tip for creating great surveys is to make them personal. People are more likely to respond to a survey if it feels like it was made just for them.
One way to make a survey personal is to use the respondent’s name in the introduction. You can also use certain words in questions and customize them based on their previous interactions with your company.
For example, if you know that a respondent is a customer of your company, you can ask them questions about their experience with your products or services to gauge customer satisfaction.
Making the survey personal will make it more engaging for the respondent and increase the likelihood of them answering all the questions and getting accurate data.
4. Use positive language
When creating a survey design, it’s important to use positive language for best practices. This means you should avoid sensitive questions and biased language.
For example, instead of asking “How dissatisfied are you with our products?”, you could ask “How satisfied are you with our products?”.
Using positive language will make your surveys more objective and improve the quality of the data you collect. It will also make respondents more likely to enjoy filling out the survey and be more likely to complete it.
5. Use clear, concise language
Another tip for when you create surveys is to use clear, concise language. This means avoiding technical jargon or long, complicated sentences.
The question wording is important, so use simple language that can be understood by everyone. This will make your surveys more accessible and increase the likelihood of getting accurate data.
It will also make respondents more likely to enjoy filling out the survey and be more likely to complete it, so you get more answers for effective research.
6. Follow-up with non-respondents
Collecting data for reliable insights is vital for accurate market research. So you should aim to get as many responses as possible.
If you don’t hear back from a significant number of people, don’t assume they’re not interested in taking your survey. Sometimes people simply forget to respond, or they may have started but didn’t have time to finish. Sending a follow-up email (or even a postcard) can help you boost your response rate and get the information you need.
If you’re having trouble getting people to take your survey, then it’s important you research why this is. Closely monitor response rates for your own surveys and consider testing a range of survey templates for effective research.
You can then use the data trends to learn exactly what to improve in future surveys to maximize response rates.
7. Send it at the right time
The best time to send out a survey is often dependent on your industry and what type of information you’re trying to collect. For example, if you’re looking for feedback on a recent event, it’s best to send the survey as soon after the event as possible.
If you’re not sure when is the best time to send your survey, try sending it at different times and see what works best. You can also ask your respondents when would be the best time for them to take the survey.
Sending your survey at the right time will help you get the most accurate data from your research.
8. Ask relevant questions
One of the key factors to in survey design is ensuring the survey questions you include are directly related to the topic at hand. Asking irrelevant questions will only serve to confuse and frustrate your respondents.
Make sure all of the questions you include are relevant and that they’re in a logical order. If you’re not sure whether or not a question is relevant, ask yourself if the information you stand to gain from it is worth the time and effort it would take to answer it.
If not, leave it out.
Asking relevant questions is one of the most important things you can do when creating your own survey. By ensuring that all of your question wording is relevant, you’ll make the survey-taking experience much more enjoyable for your respondents.
What’s more, you’ll also be more likely to get the information you need to make informed decisions. So, take the time to carefully consider each and every question before including it in your survey.
It’ll be well worth the effort in the end.
9. Ask one question at a time
Another important tip to keep in survey design is to ask one question at a time when you collect responses. Separate questions are great at encouraging respondents.
This may seem like an obvious tip, but the survey flow is often overlooked. When respondents are presented with multiple questions at once, they can become overwhelmed and bogged down.
Asking one question at a time helps to keep things simple and streamlined and increases your chances of getting more survey responses as survey respondents will take the time to answer each question thoughtfully.
So, when creating your survey, be sure to focus on one question at a time. This will make the survey-taking experience much more pleasant for your respondents, and you’re more likely to get the information you need as a result.
10. Avoid leading or biased questions
Avoid biased and leading questions are those that are worded in such a way that they lead the respondent to particular answers, leading to inaccurate answers.
For example, a question like “Do you think our company is the best in the industry?” is clearly biased. The question itself implies that the company is the best, and respondents may feel pressured to agree with this statement.
Similarly, a question like “Are you happy with the way our company is run?” is leading. The question implies that the respondent should be happy with the company, and they may feel inclined to answer in the affirmative regardless of how they actually feel.
Leading questions can skew your results, so it’s important to avoid them when creating a survey design. Instead, focus on asking neutral questions that allow respondents to answer freely without any sort of pressure.
11. Avoid double-barreled questions
A double-barreled question is one that asks two or more questions at the same time. For example, a question like “Do you think our company is the best in the industry, and do you think our products are the best?” is a double-barreled question.
Double-barreled questions can be confusing for respondents, and they may not know how to answer them. As such, it’s best to avoid them when creating a survey design.
To ensure your research provides insights that prove helpful, then it’s best to stick to these best practices.
12. Incentivize participation
One of the best ways to get more survey results from your target population in your online survey is to offer incentives for taking it.
You can offer respondents a discount on their next purchase or enter them into a drawing to win a prize. Whatever you choose, make sure the incentive is something that will appeal to your target audience.
Incentives are a great way to increase participation in your survey, making your market research more effective, so be sure to use them to your advantage.
13. State the purpose of the survey
When creating an online survey, be sure to state the survey’s purpose in your own words clearly and at the start.
If you’re not clear about the purpose of your survey, respondents will be less likely to complete the survey altogether. A clear purpose also lets respondents know what to expect from the survey and why their input is important.
So remember, be sure to state the purpose of your survey loud and clear, so that respondents know what they’re getting into and the reason for your research.
14. Use multiple modes of contact
Don’t rely on just one method of contact when sending out your survey. While email is the most common method, you may also want to consider using social media, or even snail mail.
The more modes of contact you use, the more likely you are to reach your target audience and result in more reliable research from customer feedback.
Possibly the most survey mode to reach potential respondents is through email. You can create a list of email addresses yourself, or use a service like Survey Monkey that will send out your survey to a pre-existing list of contacts. However, because email is often seen as spammy, it’s important to make sure your survey invitation is well-written and interesting enough to get people to take the time to respond.
Another option is social media. You can post links to your survey on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platforms.
There are of course a variety of ways to reach out to potential respondents, and the mode of contact you choose will depend on your target audience. As such, consider the purpose of the survey, and your budget, when deciding on the best mode to use.
15. Test before sending
When creating a survey, it is important to test drive it before sending it out to respondents. This will help ensure that the survey is formatted correctly and that the questions are clear and easy to understand. It will also help identify any potential problems with the survey or questions.
To test your survey, create a few dummy responses and send them to yourself or a friend. Then, take a look at the results to make sure everything is working correctly. Check that all questions are displaying properly and that responses are being recorded correctly. Also, be sure to test how the survey behaves when responses are submitted.
It’s also a good idea to test your survey in different browsers and devices. Make sure it looks good on computers, tablets, and phones. And be sure to test how long it takes to complete the survey on different devices.
So before you send your survey out to the masses, be sure to test it first. This will help you catch any errors, and ensure that everything is working as it should. Once you’ve tested your survey, you can be confident that it’s ready to go out into the world.
Conclusion
Creating an online survey can be a daunting task, but following these best practices will help make the process easier. By incentivizing participation, stating the purpose of the survey, and using multiple modes of contact, you’re sure to reach your audience. And be sure to test the survey before sending it out to respondents!
Following these tips will improve your survey creation skills and ensure you get the results you’re looking for. Get in touch if you think there’s anything we should add to the list!
Want To Know More? Check Our FAQ Below!
What makes a good online survey?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the quality of a survey depends on a variety of factors, including the survey software you use and the target audience. However, there are some general tips that can help make any your survey design better.
First, it’s important to think about what you want to achieve with the survey research. What is the purpose of the survey? What information are you hoping to collect? Once you know what you want to accomplish, you can start creating questions that will help you gather the necessary data.
It’s also important to make sure your answer choices are clear and concise. Respondents should be able to understand what they’re being asked, and they should be able to answer the question without too much difficulty. Additionally, questions should be relevant to the purpose of the survey. Asking irrelevant questions will only serve to frustrate respondents and will not provide you with useful data.
Finally, it’s important to think about how you’re going to reach your target audience to maximise changes of getting responses.
How can I improve my online survey?
Also, be sure to test the survey before you launch it. Make sure that all of the questions work properly, and that the layout is easy to use. You may also want to consider using different types of question formats, such as multiple choice or open-ended questions.
Finally, be sure to promote your survey widely. Let your friends and family know about it, and post links on social media sites and other websites. The more people who take the survey, the more accurate the results will be.
What makes a successful survey?
When you are conducting a survey, there are certain things you can do to increase the likelihood of its success.
First, make sure that the questions you are asking are relevant to your target audience.
Second, be clear and concise in your questions.
Third, make sure the survey is easy to complete – ask no more than 10 questions, and keep the format simple.
Fourth, test the survey on a small group of people before sending it out to everyone.
Finally, promote the survey widely and encourage people to participate. By following these tips, you can create a successful survey that yields valuable data for your business or organization.
Which survey techniques is best?
When it comes to surveys, there are many different techniques that can be used. Which one is best for your survey? It depends on the type of survey you’re doing and your goals.
One popular technique is the questionnaire. Questionnaires can be used to collect data from a large number of people in a short amount of time. They can also be used to gather information about people’s opinions and experiences. However, questionnaires can be difficult to create and can be time-consuming to administer.
Another common survey technique is interviews. Interviews allow you to collect data from a smaller number of people in a more personal setting. This can give you more detailed information than you would get from a questionnaire. However, interviews can be expensive and time-consuming to conduct.