You Don't Know If You Don't Ask

Earlier this month Easthampton held its 5th Annual WinterFest. As the chair of the event, one of my roles was to communicate with venues, performers, participants, vendors and volunteers. Using email marketing, online registration tools and social media, I worked with my committee to make sure the day ran smoothly.  Of course, planning an outdoor event in February in New England often involves the possibility of weather interfering with activities -- too much snow, not enough snow, melting ice, cold and windy conditions -- it all happens and we've learned to plan for contingencies. 

Luckily, we were fortunate to have perfect weather. As the day unfolded, I made my way to many of the 15+ venues, monitoring volunteers, resupplying programs, checking donations, All in all, everyone seemed to be having a great time, so our job was done, right?

While we could have relied on our observations during the event, did we really know how well we did? 

The day after WinterFest I emailed surveys to attendees, volunteers and vendors at our craft fair to ask for feedback. By segmenting the surveys, I focused on specific content that was pertinent to the recipient. I also made the surveys anonymous to encourage participation.  The responses we received will help our committee plan venues, signage, pricing, volunteer needs and more for next year.

Surveys can also help our small businesses and non-profit organizations.  We can ask our customers, clients and donors how we're doing, gauge interest on new products or services, and get valuable feedback on fundraising events.

A big reason why businesses don't survey is often due to the fear of hearing negative comments, similar to fearing bad reviews on Yelp or Facebook. Please don't let that fear discourage you from using surveys. The information you receive  is important and any negative feedback can help you make positive changes.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Don't make them long. No one has time to fill out a 20 minute survey. One to three minutes is best.
2. Do tell them how long it will take to complete.
3. Don't use open ended questions as they are difficult to assess.
4. Do offer at least one open ended text box to let respondents provide more information.
5. Mix up the type of questions: scale of 1 - 6, yes/no, multiple choice, etc.
6. Consider making the survey anonymous to increase responses.

Ready to get started? Decide what kind of survey you want to send (customer satisfaction, event follow up, product survey, etc.). Choose a survey template. Hint: If you use Constant Contact for your email marketing you may already have surveys built into your product, or it can be added. If you don't have an account you can try it free here.

Other options include Survey Monkey, Zoho, Google Forms, and Survey Planet. Some offer free versions which have limited capabilities or export options.  Happy surveying!