The critical ingredient for a successful survey project is a group of motivated respondents. There are some people who are naturally motivated to answer a survey, eager to share their opinions. Others couldn’t care less. So, how do you inspire every survey respondent to participate?
The study of human motivation has a long history in the fields of psychology and economics. One prominent way for businesses to look at motivation is the Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA).
Companies measure costs such as money, time, and reputation before sending a survey. The benefits are usually measured in anticipation of increased business and improvements to the bottom line. Successful surveys do not just improve the company, they improve your customer relationships and communication practices.
Whether we realize it or not, we as individuals use CBA to make daily decisions. For survey participants, the costs are the time and effort used to complete a survey. However, the benefits for survey participants are often unclear or meaningless. You’ll always have narcissists who get a thrill at the chance to share their opinions. But, if you want to increase your response rate, then you need to share the benefits, or survey recipients won’t bother.
You may know the survey benefits for your company, but what’s in it for your respondents? What are their benefits of taking your survey?
Want to learn more? Please read my report: Maximizing Survey Participation
Zarca Interactive Blog 