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We Want to Hear From You
A more compelling invitation will result in more helpful feedback from your customers
There are many good reasons for doing a survey, but one of the most important ones is that you want to learn from your customers and members what you do well and what you can do better. Of course, even the best survey won't produce results if your recipients don't open it. That's where your invite comes in.
Inviting people to take a survey takes more than a link to a URL. It requires a bit of creativity and flair to pique people's interest, and an ability to communicate that the survey will have benefits for the customer, not just you. Here are five suggestions for making your invite more compelling.
Give customers a heads up
One way to increase the odds that more people will fill out your survey is to send a message 3-7 days before your actual survey invitation. This pre-invite tells your customers that a survey is coming, and includes many of the same components of your actual invitation, but no immediate call to action or link. The wording acknowledges in advance the importance of customers' opinions and participation, and gets the customer thinking so that when the invite does arrive, the customer is more prepared to fill out your survey.
Change the subject (line)
Much like in other email correspondence, the subject line for your survey invite should be short, identify you, and identify the purpose of the email. Use simple, direct language without any flourishes, and explain that this email will be different from the normal communications you send out. Good examples are "Tom's Pet Care would like to hear from you," "Your opinion is important to us," or "What is your opinion about [topic]?" Don't be afraid to use the word "survey," though -- it will make some of your customers curious or glad to have the opportunity to share their experiences.
Get personal
By using your customer's name and by targeting their interests, you are making your invitation much more relevant and therefore more compelling to the potential respondent. Make sure to match up this information so your needs and subject matter are communicated to those who can appropriately respond. For example, only send a survey about product x to the people who use product x. Use this same information to write a more compelling subject line. After all, if your recipient doesn't use product x, he or she will likely not be interested and your response rate will decrease.
Explain the benefits of participating
The first sentence of your invite should be direct and engaging, and it should be all about the recipient. Why would they want to take it? How it will benefit them? It could be simply that their time spent will help improve a product or service they use often. Explain what you hope to learn and how your customer can help -- without being too specific. Your invitation should also include wording that indicates why your recipient was selected. If you send invitations to everyone on your list, then the wording can note that you wish to hear from all your customers or members. But if it is being sent only to selected groups, identify that special quality and reinforce it in your email text: "This survey has been sent to select customers regarding ..." or "As someone who has made a purchase from us in the last 30 days, we would like to hear from you."
It's not essential that you include an incentive beyond just providing feedback. That said, a small incentive, such as a coupon or some other special offer, typically will boost response rates. They are particularly helpful with customers who have no direct connection to the results. If you offer an incentive, be sure to explain what is being offered, who will qualify for it, and how it will be delivered. If you choose not to offer a physical reward for participating in your survey, you could also offer to share the results of the survey. It's human nature to wonder how others responded, and your customers may enjoy knowing how their views fit into the larger trends.
Include a call to action
Your invitation should have a polite request to participate in the opening, but it should also have a motivator -- a call to action -- in the closing statement. You want something that is simple and direct, perhaps even with a note of urgency, such as: "Please click on this link right now to complete this important survey." You would like respondents to know it is important to act so you can get the information you need from them.
It's ideal to only send two emails in total -- the pre-invite and the invitation itself -- but sometimes you'll also need to send a reminder to those who have not yet responded. Your survey should be available for a reasonable period -- 7-10 days is typically enough time for your customers and members to respond -- before you send a reminder. Only send one reminder to your list, and make sure it only goes to those people have not responded. It's likely that if you do not get a response to the first reminder, that another correspondence wouldn't make a difference other than to annoy the recipient. After all, that is not the feedback you really want to get.
