Ensuring long-term business growth requires having actionable data at your disposal. Whether making important decisions regarding the structure of your internal teams, the type of marketing approaches you’re taking, or how to satisfy customers, having data insights can be an invaluable asset.
However, gathering this information can be time-consuming and expensive. This is where conducting surveys can be an effective, cost-effective solution for collecting this valuable data.
Getting the right level of participation in your surveys is critical. Offering digital gift cards is a proven way to motivate participation and elevate your survey’s success rate.
Why Should Businesses Place High Value on Surveys?
When properly structured surveys can be a valuable tool for businesses, and can positively impact the organization. Below are some of the reasons why businesses should place a high value on the surveys they create:
Helps to Better Understand Customer Experiences
When you conduct a survey, it helps to create a direct line to what your customers are thinking and feeling. This gives you the chance to understand what their expectations are and if your products or services are performing to their standards.
When you put the right questions together, it helps you uncover a range of insights that help you fine-tune your products while building stronger connections with customers.
Discovers Important Areas of Improvement
Every product or service you provide has room to create a better experience for your customers. But knowing where to focus your time and energy isn’t always easy. Simply relying on a product review scale doesn’t always explain the bigger picture. Often, additional context is needed.
Creating a survey provides a more controlled format to gather the helpful insights you need from your audience. This allows you to make improvements as needed—without needing to wait for public criticism.
Managing Brand Perception
How people see your brand plays a major role in whether or not they decide to choose to use your brand over others. The surveys you create can create a clearer view of your brand’s reputation, showing you where your brand shines and where there’s room to grow.
Start relying on real data to fine-tune your brand as much as possible. When you have regular check-ins for your brand to make sure you’re aligned with market needs, you’ll be able to quickly adapt when necessary and keep your brand image strong.
How Do Gift Cards Improve Survey Participation?
Surveys are a valuable tool for business. However, not everyone gets excited about spending 20-30 minutes out of their day just to help a business collect information that helps “them“.
This is where incorporating an incentive like a gift card can be so impactful. It’s important individuals feel compensated for the time they spend on company surveys, and this is a great way to achieve this.
Here is why gift cards can work so well for this incentive format:
More Convenient Ways to Spend Rewards
Digital gift cards are designed to be a ready-to-use, instant reward. The moment someone finishes your survey, they’ve got something to show for it – a reward they can use right away.
When individuals don’t have to worry about waiting in the mail for a discount or other type of reward, it leads to more participation. This instant gratification appeals to a broader audience, making your survey more attractive.
Flexible Reward Options
Digital gift cards put the power in your participants’ hands. You have a selection of gift cards or let participants decide which one they want. Many gift cards are flexible, allowing people to pick the rewards that matter to them the most.
Simplified Distribution
Handling physical gift cards for a large group can be a logistical nightmare. However, using digital gift cards can streamline the whole process.
Many providers offer all-in-one platforms for buying, sending, and tracking your gift cards. Even larger organizations can easily incorporate digital rewards into their surveys and have the transparency they need to ensure they’re getting the ROI they need in their survey programs.
Practical Ways You Can Incorporate Gift Card Incentives into Your Surveys
Integrating gift cards into your surveys is a smart move, but it’s important to do it right. Here are key factors to consider for success:
1. Pick the Right Gift Card Platform
Don’t rush to choose a gift card provider. Do your homework and compare different platforms. Look for a reputable company with fair pricing and a wide selection of gift cards.
The more choices participants have, the more likely they are to find a reward that motivates them.
2. Establish the Optimal Gift Card Value
The ideal gift card value depends on your business and the nature of your survey. Longer, more involved surveys warrant bigger rewards, so keep that in mind.
Don’t underestimate the value of the data you’re collecting. Assess what’s fair compensation for your participant’s time and effort, since they’ll likely be doing the same.
3. Consider How You Want to Distribute Your Rewards
Think about how you’ll get gift cards into your participants’ hands. Mailing physical cards can add costs, cause delays, and may lead to less survey participation.
A better option might be to collect email addresses at the end of the survey and deliver the rewards digitally. It’s fast, efficient, and keeps everyone happy.
4. Communicate the Incentive
Once your incentive plan is in place, communicate the reward value and any steps they need to take to qualify.
Helpful Ways to Get the Most Participation in Your Surveys
Incentives are great. But they’re only part of the equation. A well-designed survey is crucial to keep people engaged and prevent drop-offs. Here are some tips to boost your completion rates:
- Keep Surveys Short and Sweet – Nobody wants to have to go through a marathon survey. Stick to essential questions, use clear language, and break up the text with visuals, like images or charts, to keep things more engaging.
- Think About More Personalized Questions – Tailor your questions to participants whenever possible. Use demographic data or reference their previous answers to create a more relevant experience. This boosts engagement and leads to more thoughtful responses.
- Make Sure Your Surveys Are Mobile-Friendly – People often use their phones for everything. This is why you should make sure your survey looks and performs the way it should on smaller screens. Optimize layouts, use larger fonts, and avoid complex formatting that might not display correctly on different devices.
Generate Better Survey Results
Surveys provide a wealth of potential for businesses and offer valuable insights to help improve offerings and build deeper connections with customers. To tap into that power, you need people to want to complete your surveys.
By creating more engaging surveys and incorporating digital gift card incentives, you’ll maximize participation and unlock the maximum value in your survey data.
