Getting your customers’ attention is a challenge and it feels like an even bigger one when you want to increase survey participation. Fortunately, there is an easier way to ensure people take your survey: use a sweepstakes!
To help you get started, here is how to use sweepstakes and prizes to increase survey participation.
Require Survey Participation to Enter Your Sweepstakes
In order to ensure that entrants take your survey, the best way to combine a sweepstakes with a survey is to have them complete the survey first in order to receive an automatic entry into the sweepstakes.
By having entrants take your survey first, they are required to complete the task you want them to do before they get what they came for. There is one drawback to this approach: sweepers, people regularly who enter sweepstakes as a hobby, may skew the results.
Add Questions to Screen for Sweepers and Bots
To avoid having sweepers and bots skew the data, add survey questions that gauge survey takers’ familiarity with your brand, as well as, attention check questions. You can also ask them if they would mind if you follow up with them via phone or another contact method at the end of the survey.
Then simply eliminate those responses from your data if they don’t provide the right answers to your questions.
When and How to Launch Your Sweepstakes Survey Promotion
Now that you know how to ensure participation and get valid responses for your sweepstakes survey promotion, here is how to ensure a successful launch:
1. Check for Competition
Make sure to schedule your sweepstakes survey for a time when you won’t be competing with other brands for attention (such as during a major holiday). By launching a sweepstakes at a time when there is not much else going on in your industry, your promotion will garner a lot more attention, thus increasing your participation rate.
2. Set Reminders
Since you only have a limited amount of time to conduct your survey, send reminders to your customers to encourage them to enter before the sweepstakes ends.
3. Make It Easy
The most important factor that will increase your survey participation is to make it easy. Make sure that the survey length is appropriate for the prize that a potential sweepstakes winner can win.
For example, don’t require participants to take a 10-minute sweepstakes if the prize is a discount coupon. On the other hand, if you plan to give away a high-value prize to one or multiple winners, you may be able to get entrants to take slightly longer surveys.
4. Manage Expectations
Let participants know exactly how long the survey will take before they start. Provide a progress bar that shows how much of the survey has been completed as they are taking it.
Once they have completed the survey, thank them for their participation. Make sure to also follow up regarding when and how sweepstakes winner announcement will take place.
Survey Sweepstakes: A Win-Win for Businesses and Customers
A survey without a prize or reward is just not that enticing to most people and will likely result in a low survey participation rate. However, by following these tips to combine a survey with a sweepstakes and prizes, you can delight your customers and thank them for giving you the valuable insights your business needs!
Need help with sweepstakes or contest management? Call 305-505-5393 or email us with your questions.
