December 2020: Why & How to Survey Your Email List
Happy December, friend!
No matter how you feel about 2020, the curtain is closing on her second act.
We have officially entered "the holidays." It's the most jovial and stressful month of the year! The month of asking and being asked for so much: to give, to buy, to get... All the money is changing hands. Those of you who work in the nonprofit world likely made a big ask on #GivingTuesday that's dovetailed right into end-of-year fundraising requests. And those of you selling products and services likely have a holiday promotion running.
No matter where you work, it’s the most wonderful time of the year to ask your fans for something free:
"Will you answer a few brief questions so we can better serve you in 2021?"
By sending out a survey this month, you are inviting your fans to help you write your 2021 marketing plan. It's also a lovely way to build the relationship; you're taking a break from asking for money to ask them for their thoughts and feelings. And you can wrap the ask in a heart-felt message of thanks.
When I say you should only ask “a few brief questions,” I mean it! I recommend 3-6 questions that are all required* for higher quality data. Each question should be thoughtfully designed to garner responses that will directly inform your marketing efforts.
What are the 3-6 things you're dying to know about your email list?
Perhaps...
🎂 Their birthdays—so you can offer them a birthday gift or ask them to host a birthday fundraiser for you in 2021
Added bonus: Knowing birthdays also allows you to segment your list by age group.
📱 Which social media platforms they use—so you can focus your 2021 energy on the platform where they're most engaged
💼 Where they work and what they do—so you can follow up selectively to build partnerships
🤝 Who's interested in promoting your work—as a volunteer, ambassador, influencer, or referral partner
❤️ How COVID has changed their outlook and needs—because it certainly has, for all of us
Or perhaps you have a bunch of content ideas for 2021 that you can prioritize simply by asking your readers which topics they find most pertinent.
Here’s a Hubspot article on how to write good—even great!—survey questions. If you’d like some help, I genuinely love survey design. 🤓
Is an incentive required?
No, but offering an incentive to a few lucky respondents will definitely boost your response rate. Who doesn’t want a gift, especially in December?
The incentive doesn’t need to be huge. Offering smaller gifts to a few lucky winners is more motivating than offering one prize to one person.
These people are (hopefully) on your email list because they like what you do, so you can give away what you already offer. If you're a museum, raffle off free sets of tickets the lucky winners can use when you open up again. If you're an animal shelter, wave adoption fees so the winners (or someone they know) can adopt a pet for free. If you sell products or services, give those away or pull in a brand-aligned partner to contribute some free product.
How to get responses:
Promote your survey in at least three emails, avoiding the week of Christmas when very few people will pay attention. You can also carry out your survey in January if you already have a full editorial calendar this month.
Happy learning!
At the end of a year that has been beyond challenging for many, take the time to ask your fans about themselves so you can fill those Swiss cheese holes in your marketing personas and provide true value in 2021. It’s a lot easier to develop a winning marketing strategy when you have an up-to-date understanding of your audience: their demographics as well as their pain points, pet peeves, hopes, and dreams.
I wish you all the best as you wrap up the year and plan for what's ahead. Happy holidays to you and yours!
P.S. As you're setting your 2021 marketing budget, shop my new service packages! While we can always build a custom program together, many of my clients benefit greatly from starting with one—or a few—of the foundational packages listed there. Feel free to reach out with questions or to set up an info call.
P.P.S. Many thanks to my wonderful Q4 clients for supporting my 5% racial justice giveback program. I'm so proud of the contributions we've made to The Sisters Network, Rise St. James, Black Voters Matter, Color of Change, and The Conscious Kid. I will continue to honor this giveback for all new clients and projects booked in December.
