Got a question over the weekend about creating a good audience survey. Thought I would share some of the thoughts I had with you . . .
Here are some ideas on how to make an audience survey effective.
1. Have a purpose. The road to hell is littered with surveys that artistic organizations wrote that doesn't help them in the slightest once they are completed. So take some time and figure out what you need to know before you write the survey.
For example, you may decide to do a survey so that you can figure out how to spend your advertising money, or you may do a survey to help determine how much your ticket prices should be.
2. Don't have too many purposes in a survey. Yes, I know it is bad english but you get the point. Don't decide in a survey that you want to see how to spend ad dollars AND set ticket prices AND see where the audiences live, etc.
The longer a survey is the less likely it is too be answered so limit your purposes and keep it short (ideally no more then 5-7 questions).
3. Have a plan for what you going to do AFTER you get the info. Be honest with yourself. If your organization does not have the time or resources to total up the data after you get it then don't waste your time doing a survey.
Once you do total up the info be sure to share it with everyone in your company and then come up with some tangible things you plan on doing as a result of the survey.
4. Survey often. You know those old surveys you have in a box somewhere? The ones you got from the show you did three years ago. Throw them out. They aren't worth much now. Try to come up with a fresh survey round every year.
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