Declining Response Rates for Online Surveys Got You Down?
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
Don’t fret. You’re not alone. Over the past few years, frustration has grown over declining response rates to online survey recruitment emails. Some of that decline can be blamed on emails being intercepted by spam or virus filters, which block them from reaching the in-box. And, for a variety of reasons, recipients don’t open and read many of the emails that do make it through the filters.
But we all know that online surveys have become more and more important for market research. So if you are looking for some tips on how to boost the open and response rates for your next online study recruitment…
Start with a smart “subject” line: Keep your subject line to no more than 45 or so characters (including blank spaces), and avoid personalizing it with the recipient’s name. You should consider testing subject lines by sending one option to half of a test sample and the second option to the other half and comparing open rates. If one significantly out-performs the other, send the winning subject line as a second email to those your entire sample.
Keep it concise and simple: Clearly convey in the first few lines of the email the intent and topic of the online study, the type of survey it is (an email questionnaire, a chat room focus group, and so forth), and the approximate amount of time required to participate. If you’re offering an incentive to participate, such as a charitable donation or a gift card, communicate that in your email text. Always include the desired call to action, putting live links to the sign-up form in a different color text. Always include a real name and their contact information in the body of the email in case a respondent wishes to learn more about the study or further assess the validity of the email. And, of course, always include a means of opting out of future requests.
Reduce undeliverable risk,?? Due to the high volume of spam complaints and viruses associated with unsolicited emails, spam filters are tougher than ever,?? especially those at some government agencies. As with any email marketing activity, it is important to ensure your survey recruitment emails avoid the specific words and phrases that many filters block.
Track your success,?? Ensure your software will automatically track deliverable vs. undeliverable data as well as open and click-through rates. Be aware, a high undeliverable rate points to an outdated list, while a low open rate indicates an ineffective subject line. Click-through rates can be impacted by a variety of factors, including the text and layout of the email as well as the incentive to respond.
Remember, your online survey success is dependent on an appropriate sample size of the targeted participants. Ensure that those charged with executing your study have mastered best practices for recruitment emails. At Market Connections, we’re experienced at gaining the participation of even the most challenging audiences for online research studies.
