10. Customize Error Messages
Customizing error messages provides participants with additional information and creates a positive relationship between you and your prospective survey takers. Customize your error message by thanking participants for participating in the survey. Inform the participant that the survey is a) closed or b) they have already taken the survey. Provide proper contact information so that participants can submit their opinions or address any questions to you.
9. Brand Your Survey
Branding gives your surveys instant credibility. You can brand your survey by using the Sogolytics color palate, hexadecimal codes, or the website matching template. Customizing your opening text provides the participant with necessary information to take your survey. To obtain a checklist of what information should appear in your opening text, select the light bulb icon to the left of the Opening Text field on the Settings page.
8. Choose the Appropriate Answer Format
Consider your survey goals before framing your questions. Ask the appropriate types of questions so that your reports will reflect your desired result. Learn about the available question types in the User Guide or via the view Answer Types link in the edit survey interface.
7. Is the Survey Too Long?
Encourage people to take your survey: 1) Ask the most necessary of questions, 2) Use branching, 3) Allow people to save responses and return later, 4) Offer incentives.
6. Do your participants know you?
Rule: The stronger the affinity, the higher the response rate. The lower the affinity, the lower the response rate.
Encourage participation: 1) Notify participants prior to launch. 2) Sender’s name should be well known. 3) Email subject line should not be ambiguous. 4) Launch your survey on the appropriate day and time.
5. Customize Your Survey Invitation
Personalize your email invitation using mail merge. Inform participants of: 1) Survey purpose, 2) What will be done with collected info, 3) Target audience, 4) How long to complete survey, 5) Saving & printing options, 6) Confidentiality & Anonymity, 7) Deadline for completion, 8) Incentives you are offering.
4. Place Sogolytics on Your Buddy List
Ensure delivery of your email invitations. Pass along the Sogolytics Readiness Plan to your organization’s email administrator.
3. Should Your Survey Be Anonymous?
Make your survey anonymous and/or confidential if you are asking sensitive questions to encourage participation.
Confidential: Survey Creator can associate response with individual.
Anonymous: Survey Creator cannot associate email or IP address with respondent’s response.
2. Choose the Correct Survey Type
The type of survey you deploy will ultimately determine the way you distribute your survey and how people will be able to respond. Determine what is most important in the survey initiative, what types of functions you’d like to use, and how scientific you would like your results to be.
Private with Unique Key: Remember the “one person, one invitation” rule. Functionality enabled: a) Saving & continuing later; b) Sending intelligent reminders; c) Pre-filling the survey with data; e) Tracking responses
CANNOT: Use group distribution lists OR post link on website for public use
Public without Key: a) as many people as desired can take the survey numerous times; b) URL for survey is short and often used on websites; c) used with group distribution lists
CANNOT: Track responses, save and continue later, send intelligent reminders, pre-fill the survey with data
Private with Common Key: a) multiple responses per person but special key needed; b) uses group distribution lists
CANNOT: Track responses, save and continue later, send intelligent reminders, pre-fill the survey with data
1. Send Test Surveys
Make sure your survey is error-free and ready for launch. If you don’t, you will be risking your survey’s integrity and the overall integrity of your organization. Send test invitations to your colleagues or yourself and ensure that the display is the same as it is intended to be seen by your participant. Sounds difficult? You can start with a free survey maker now!
