Online surveys are a fantastic marketing tool and can assist in understanding your target audience more intimately.
People are more likely to participate in surveys when they receive a reward to thank them for their time and effort. A Prepaid gift card is the ideal solution in this scenario.
The traditional marketing philosophy of sending a one-way advertising message to consumers is no longer effective. Today, marketers must be incredibly savvy in their marketing strategies to survive. The net has given consumers more power; they have more of a voice and expect more. Understanding your customers intimately, knowing what they want from you and fulfilling their desires are all key to success in today’s market. Having a sense of empathy is particularly critical.
Surveys as a marketing tool
Surveys are a great way to gain feedback on the products and services you are offering and can enable you to understand your target audience at a deeper level. From here, you can understand how to position your product and services. You will also have a further understanding of the kind of messages your customers respond to and how they want to be communicated to. Your customers will appreciate the time and effort you have spentlistening to their needs and wants and consequently you will grow your business, retain customers and improve your ROI.
You can gain insights into what kind of content they consume and design your marketing plan and key messages around exactly what they want. You can start to build those meaningful relationships every marketer dreams of by simply putting some attention into listening and taking action on the findings. Everyone likes to be heard and given an opportunity to contribute. Companies that really listen and implement what the customer wants are currently reaping the rewards. It really isn’t rocket science.
Surveys can be a one off – or a series of questions, depending on the information you would like to gather. They are perfect for market research; i.e. testing a new product or service concept, gauging brand awareness, or learning where to position your product or service. You can gain a better understanding of your audience by using closed questions, which will give you qualitative results. These results will give you a clearer picture and will be easier to interpret.
The best way to formulate your questions is to first understand your problems – what is the problem you are trying to solve? What kind of answers will help you solve these problems? Then the actual questions should come easily once you have figured out these key elements.
Keep the questioning clear and concise and make it easy and quick for them to participate. A study by Opinion lab revealed that 80 per cent of participants do not end up completing online surveys. Offering an incentive such as a prepaid gift card could make all the difference in guaranteeing completion rates.
Offering rewards as incentives
There are some people that would participate in a survey simply because they love to provide feedback and truly believe in the cause. Unfortunately in today’s marketplace there are many good intentions but the reality is that no one has enough time.
Offering an incentive such as a Mastercard, Visa or eftpos Prepaid Gift Card could be just the sweetener you need to encourage higher participation rates for your survey. The prepaid gift card can be issued in any denomination up to $10,000 and you can order them in bulk from Corporate Prepaid Gift Cards, owned by Zenith Payments Pty Ltd. These prepaid gift cards can be used anywhere that Mastercard, Visa or eftpos cards are accepted.
You can choose from a generic design or you can personalise the Prepaid cards with your brand. If you choose the branded Prepaid Gift Card, the customer will be reminded of your company every time they open their wallet – a much more memorable reward than cash. The card can be sent via Australia Post or registered mail direct to the recipient.
Deciding on the amount to offer the research participant is the next challenge; this will be dependent on your target audience, the number of questions asked and the amount of time taken to complete your survey. Offer too much and they could always expect that amount and be dissatisfied with anything less. If you don’t offer enough, it may not encourage them to participate. This decision will ultimately be up to you.
If you would like your customers to answer a number of surveys over time, you can form a loyal research community for your brand. A reloadable Mastercard ,Visa or eftpos gift card in this instance would be ideal. You can issue them with the card and every time they participate in your survey, they receive a cash benefit, adding up over time. This would encourage them to continue participating and become a real contributor to your company. This is a great example of brand loyalty and advocacy in its finest form.
