post-event-survey

It’s not news that the world of marketing is changing; as brands – big and small – attempt to maximise the impact of their marketing campaigns while minimising spend, a new approach to gathering data about your target market is needed. The rise of the informed consumer, coupled with our ‘always on’ culture means that what’s relevant today may not be tomorrow. Make sure that you’re cashing in on this opportunity by incorporating a post-event survey into your marketing research.

Besides being expensive and laborious to implement, traditional consumer surveys and focus groups aren’t accurate reflections of consumer sentiment. In fact, studies have shown that people tend to cast a brand in a more favourable light when questioned in a group setting, as opposed to giving feedback that’s confidential. (I’ll find the article).

In short, keeping up to date with your target market’s sentiments requires a strategy that can be quickly and easily rolled out, without having to fork out a large advertising spend. Luckily, all hope is not lost. Collecting this invaluable information is as easy as conducting a post-event survey. You’ve got a veritable treasure chest of information about your target market right under your nose in the form of your event attendees. 

Still not convinced that a post-event survey is the focus group of the future? Consider the following:

Because a post-event survey is personal, a guest is that much more likely to respond authentically.

Sent to a guest via either email or SMS, your guests interact with a post-event survey on a one-on-one level. This means there’s a significantly higher chance that the information you receive is an honest reflection of their sentiments and experience, as they’re able to furnish you with information without having to share their sentiments with a group. They don’t have to risk having it come under scrutiny from the public as might happen if they were to post their opinion on a social media channel.

The immediacy of a post-event survey further encourages accurate feedback.

A post event survey is conducted immediately after someone’s experience with your brand, which means that their feedback is more accurate. Sending your guests a survey as soon as they’ve walked out of an event – or even just as the event is coming to a close – capitalises on the fact that their experience is still top of mind. In other words, the sooner you send out a post-event survey, the better.

A post event survey essentially gives you insight into your guests’ sentiments towards, and expectations of, your brand.

Being able to establish the ways in which your guests perceive your brand after having attended your event is crucial. Furthermore, finding out if their expectations were met, what their opinions of the event are and whether any disappointments were experienced provides you with an invaluable wealth of information.

A post-event survey is a direct line of communication with your target market – making the information contained therein a priceless resource not only for future events, but for your marketing strategies as a whole. Once you’ve established what your guests are thinking and feeling, you’re better equipped to create brand touch points that resonate and engage.

The post-event surveys that provide the best feedback are the ones that ask the right questions.

The quality of the information you’re able to glean from your post event surveys is directly related to the questions you ask. Each event has a different guest list, objective and unique quality; make sure to tailor your questions towards not only the event, but the brand itself too. Bear in mind that no one wants to answer a lengthy survey –ensure your questions need a simple  “yes” or “no” answer, and avoid respondents losing interest by sticking to eight questions at the most. Remember: you need to make it as easy as possible for people to answer; in our digitally-driven age, attention spans are shorter than ever.

If you’re ready to delve into the minds of your consumers and gather the type of information that can amplify the effect of your events and marketing campaigns, find out about our RSVP software here. (It’s for good reason that these leading international and local brands make use of event management software.

We’ve written before about the crucial role a post event surveys play in not only your ability to manage successful events, but in gathering invaluable feedback for your client’s brand as a whole. (You can read about that here and here.) If you’re still on the fence as to the importance of a post event survey, consider this:

A post event survey enabled one of our clients to get a 30k rebate on catering services that were sub-standard.

Our client was tasked with orchestrating a corporate event that had an extensive guest list of high-profile guests. In other words, the stakes were high. Every aspect of the event had been carefully thought-out, save for one glaring oversight – the catering. The client understood that their supplier would be serving gourmet burgers, hot dogs and prego rolls – hearty fare that would satiate even the hungriest of guests. What the caterer failed to disclose, however, was that these were to be miniature burgers, hot dogs and rolls. In other words, finger food.

Unsurprisingly, the post event survey indicated an overwhelming dissatisfaction with the food.

The food ran out after only 400 out of the 1000 guests had eaten, and as you know, hungry guests are unhappy guests. The post-event survey showed that the guests were impressed with every other aspect of the event, save for the food. It can be tricky to justify the whys and hows of a supplier’s shortcomings, which make a post event survey essential.  In this case, it equipped the client with concrete evidence as to the short-comings of their catering supplier. After some negotiation, the client was refunded 30k by the venue and catering company, who admitted their shortcomings.

If you’re not using a post event survey – it’s high time you started.

Post event surveys provide you with crucial feedback on the event as a whole. Did the entertainment live up to its name? Was the parking too far from the venue? Was the presentation content and presenter style engaging? Who would a guest like to see perform? The questions you include in your post event survey are determined by your client’s marketing objectives. Was the event experience something they’d share on social media? If yes, why? If no, why not?

All of the information gathered in a post event survey contributes toward gaining a thorough understanding of your guests.

Being able to gather invaluable feedback from your guests enables you to tailor your future events towards their needs. The result? Events that meet and ideally, succeed their expectations. When used as part of a marketing strategy, relevant experiences are priceless, which means that gathering all the information you can about your guests is crucial.

If your insight into your guests is vague, your events won’t resonate.

Competition among brands is fierce, so speculating about the things that make your guests tick isn’t enough. You need to know what makes them tick, if you want to provide them with an event that excites, intrigues and impresses. Without a post event survey or the tools to conduct one at your disposal, this becomes impossible.

Making use of event management software that incorporates a post event survey is essential.

Compiling, conducting and collating the information contained in post event surveys rely on a sophisticated tool that streamlines the process, and stores this information for future use. Our RSVP software enables you to send post event surveys to your guests via SMS or email. What’s more, it stores this information in a central data base for future use.

Find out more about how our software assists brands like Coca-Cola, Jaguar, Nedbank, and more, in orchestrating events that meet and then succeed their guests’ expectations.

Data gathered from a post-event survey is often passed off as information that pertains to an event, and the event only. In fact, this couldn’t be more wrong. Brands that neglect to use this valuable source of insight are doing so to their own detriment. When collected and collated with the right tools, your event statistics are transformed into a source of valuable insight into your market’s sentiments towards your brand.

Besides enabling you to gauge the success of an event, a post-event survey is essentially a form of market research.

The power of your post-event survey is determined by the tools you’re using to generate them.

If you’re collecting this data properly, your post-event survey becomes that much more insightful. Instead of a vague idea about the event’s success, you’ll be able to collect accurate information, and break down each event touch point into hard data. The result? Being able to calculate whether your event resulted in ROI, and more importantly, why. You’re able to see where money went to waste, and where money was well spent. What’s more, you’re able to establish how your guests (your target market) view your brand as a whole.

When combined with data from your guest lists, a post-event survey gains even more meaning.

By bolstering your post-event survey with the information in your guest list, you’re able to shed even more light on your market’s attitude toward your brand. For example, if you’ve established that most guests didn’t like the food, but you spent a large portion of the event budget on a new up-and-coming chef, you’ll know that this money could have been put to better use on another aspect of the event.

All of this information, when collected and collated in the right way, enables you to evaluate your marketing spend and determine what’s working, and what’s not.

This data isn’t just about the event itself, but about the guests’ sentiments towards the brand.

In other words, this essential information can inform marketing campaigns and shape the way a brand interacts with its market. Instead of having to spend money on focus groups and market research, you’re able to use this information to tailor your products, services and marketing strategies accordingly. In short, your brand has the inside scoop on what makes your market tick. When implemented correctly, you’ll be able to make your brand’s touch points even more relevant and engaging. This ultimately results in increased brand advocacy, loyalty, and most importantly, revenue.

If your brand isn’t managing this data via the correct tool, you won’t be able to put this information to use.

It’s one thing to be aware of the potential goldmine of data that your post-event survey holds, but harnessing this can be another thing entirely. Your ability to make the most out of this data hinges on the software you’re using to collect and store it in the first place. The solution? Event management software that’s updated in real-time.

Making use of software that collects and collates all of your guests’ information is imperative in order to transform this information into a useful source of data. RSVP and guest list software that combines every single piece of information you’ve collected, right from the save-the-date to the post-event survey.

Image Credit: Americans for the arts