6 simple ways to make online surveys engaging

Data is the new gold! Gathering important data has become so much easier with the increasing popularity of online survey platforms. Whether they’re used for market research, customer feedback, in education or for organizing events – they’re usually very time and cost efficient. On top of that, getting responses from a large quantity of respondents with the help of online surveys is a much more conventional way compared to other research approaches. So let’s learn how to make online surveys better!

Often, however, one needs more than just put the survey together, send it out into the world and expect loads of responses coming their way. What if it doesn’t go as smoothly as one expects? What if people don’t really feel like spending time answering your questions? Tedious and laborious surveys might achieve the opposite to their desired outcome. Research shows that approximately 20% of respondents who start a survey do not finish filling it out and abandon it.

Let’s take a look at how you can improve your survey, make your respondents enjoy taking part in it and prevent wasting your time and energy!

1. Motivation

If your respondents feel motivated, they’re more than twice as likely to complete your survey. Offer them a little incentive such as a discount in your e-shop, involve them in a competition, enter their responses to a draw or prepare a prize for the first few of them who finish your survey. You can also reveal the overall results for everyone who completes your questionnaire to make it more attractive. However, make sure to keep the incentives on a reasonable level so that the responses don’t get skewed.

2. Good questions

Make the questions and the survey generally sound fun and upbeat! It all doesn’t always have to be merely serious, foreign terms and strict instructions. Ask questions with an occasional air of joviality, use fresh and friendly language, ask directly and clearly. It will make your respondents feel like they know what to do. They’ll become more engaged as well as more likely to complete your survey. Plus a short but accurate and most importantly relevant title will help you win over their interest. However, make sure to only use appropriate language and treat the humour with sensitivity in order not to give your research a wrong vibe. Also, always remember: good grammar = good survey.

3. Visual aids

Sometimes, it might be hard for your respondents to imagine the situation they’re asked to express their opinion on. Adding some visual aids like uploading images, embedding a video or adding an occasional descriptive comment in between questions might be of great help! People, in fact, react more positively to pictures rather than blocks of text so such variety can keep them more focused and engaged. By choosing the “image choice” type of question, you can avoid long descriptions completely. Although, always make sure not to make things too complicated. You don’t want to leave your respondents sitting and wondering what you meant by this little brain teaser.

4. Types of questions

Speaking of which, try to play around with using different types of questions in general. There’s much more than just a simple yes or no and the final results can give you a much more interesting insight into what your respondents really think. With clever survey platforms like Survio, you can choose from up to 12 different question types and mix it up a tad. Add question types like star rating or let people drag and drop individual answers in an order according to their importance or relevance. If you have a more complicated question to ask that involves a combination of various criteria, use a single or multiple choice matrix and enjoy a complex analysis in a single summarizing graph. It’s always useful to consider what kind of output you wish for before you decide for a certain type of question as each type of chart and diagram can include and describe different kinds of data. The number of questions included is also worth a proper consideration. Time spent filling out your survey should always feel comfortable.

5. Make online surveys with good-looking design

Don’t be scared to make your survey look good by using original background patterns and styles. Adjusting your survey’s design will make the overall experience deeper, more relatable, memorable and personal. Some funky colours can also help you drag attention to your survey and support your respondents’ imagination. With Survio, you can even use your company logo and adjust your survey’s entire look to the design of your brand. It’ll look professional, important and reliable.

6. Let them know that you care

Let your respondents know you care and follow up with them. Nobody wants to engage in writing an extensive feedback if they feel like it’s a waste of their time. If possible, try to reach out to your respondents having received their responses! Tell them you read their feedback and that you’re grateful for them finding the time to conduct it. If they feel like what they say is truly important to you or your company and they’re seen, they will not hesitate to share more valuable information or vouch for you in the future. Besides, positive and relevant feedback, of course with the author’s approval, can serve as a great review on various portals that are nowadays gaining popularity.

As you can see, there’s a myriad of original ways to make your survey more engaging and thus step out of the crowd. Your respondents won’t have to go too far to find interest in filling it out. It’s only up to you and your imagination if and how you decide to take the initiative and compose an encouraging survey. An innovative, fun questionnaire will surely help you gather the right data and make it worth your time and effort!