Asking the right questions in the quiz
When I was faced with the task of improving business results multiple times, the skill of asking the right questions was probably the most useful. The ability to ask about what is really important is an art. I never claim to be an expert in this question, but still, I dare in this article to share observations and a bit of recommendation that have helped me more than one time.
As I said earlier the conversion of the quiz depends on the conversion of the three key stages of the funnel
- How many people started passing the quiz
- How many people answered all the questions
- How many people passed the quiz (left their contacts or were redirected to the desired page)
After reading this article to the end you will have 5 recommendations on what questions to ask in the quiz so that as many people as possible will answer everything
Recommendation #1 - Closed or open questions?
Just a reminder that a closed question is considered an answer, most often including suggested options, such as «yes» or «no», «red» or «white» and so on
In open questions, we offer a person to answer a question by himself, without limiting their choice. Now compare two examples.
Do you prefer red or white wine?
What kind of wine do you prefer?
Which option will work better in your case is unknown, more precisely it depends on the goal. If you have a task to get as many answers as possible - it is better to give the right to choose. In this case, we put less stress on our client, which increases the conversion rate.
If the goal is to get detailed information, for example, you are looking for an employee using a quiz and would rather see a detailed answer with a train of thought than a dry "yes " or "no" - use the open question type. There will be fewer answers, but you will get more qualified responses.
Recommendation #2 - sequence of questions
Over the past few years, quizzes have become more popular among marketers due to their high efficiency. The reason of this efficiency I will explain in the fifth recommendation. With the same amount of traffic, you can get 2 or 3 times more leads. This result is strongly influenced by the sequence of questions.
Use a strategy from simple to complex. Try assigning each question a difficulty rating from 1 to 5. For example, "Have you ever tried espresso?", it is an easy one so you can assign it 1 point, but on the other hand, this one will pull you to a solid five: "What degree of coffee roasting do you prefer?"
The last question requires expertise, to answer such a question, I must a) understand what degrees of roasting exist; b) really understand what kind of roasting I like.
If you need to ask a difficult question - put it at the end, so that a potential client who previously answered 3 simple questions has a higher level of involvement and a higher level of possibility to agree to answer it. That is why we ask for the user*s contact information at the end of the quiz, rather than at the beginning because it is easier for them.
But try to use a couple of simple ones.
Recommendation #3 - questions about future or past
If your task is not only to collect a lot of leads but also to get truthful answers – give preference to questions about the past. So it will be more difficult for the future customer to "trick" you. To make it clear, let's look at an example of a question about learning English
❌ For How long do you need a language course?
- For month
- For three months
- For six months and more
✅ How regularly did you study English before?
- Did not study regularly
- I stood it for a week
- I stood it for a month
- I have been studying for several months now without missing one time
When we talk about the future, we always feel more powerful and we always exaggerate the promises even to ourselves. We say that we will regularly exercise, read books, learn English, or we promise to become a client of a friend who is launching a startup.
Though, in reality, we do not become a client of our friend's startup, because we do not really need his product, and we can start playing sports later. We have deceived our friends and ourselves, not because we are bad, but because that is how the brain works. If you want to get a truthful answer, then rely on the past experience of your potential client. If he has never regularly studied English, then it will be more profitable for you to sell him a subscription for several classes, rather than offer to pay for each separately.
Recommendation #4-Explain why you are asking this
In my article about the key errors that kill the conversion of the quiz, I have already given this recommendation. Sometimes it is not clear what exactly we are asked or why we need it at all? For clarity, here are a couple of examples.
What is your English level?
In this question, it is not clear what exactly I should answer. On what scale to measure the level, do I take it out of my head or should I rely on the Oxford test? And if I misjudge my skills, then I won't be able to start classes effectively?
As a result, having hesitated at this step, instead of one question, at least four are already spinning in my head. I feel uncomfortable and close the quiz.
It is better to reformulate the question: "If you took the English skill test, what was your last result on the scale from Beginner to Advanced?” In the quiz, you can transfer part of the question to the answers, for example, "What was your last English test result?” and answer options:
- I didn't take the test
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
What is your budget?
A common question from ad agencies and interior designers. This question is bad for two reasons. First, it implies a question about the future, so reformulate the question about past experience or add a clarification: "What is your minimum / maximum budget?”
Secondly, when answering this question, a thought appears in my head: "If I answer a lot, they can bill me more expensive, if I answer a little – they can count me as unserious and will take a long time to calculate the estimate." To avoid this, add a clarification to your question: "This will help us choose advertising channels or materials." You can make an addition in the form of a hint on behalf of the consultant in the quiz.
Recommendation #5 – Don't forget about emotions
A quiz is a tool for business, but it is the fan approach that helps marketers effectively manage their marketing budget and attract leads cheaper than their serious colleagues.
When making up questions for the quiz, try to imagine a scale of emotions that changes with each answer to the question Instead of a boring choice between " yes " and "no“, offer to answer the same question with emoticons, and attach pictures to the question” What style of interior do you like" – as a result, for each thoughtful question, your future client raises the level of their emotions. The higher this level, the more leads there will be at the last step.
Another way to raise emotions is the method of the screenwriter. Arrange the questions in such a way that I want to know what will happen next. Go to the end to find out the result or leave a request to watch the” second " series – get a more accurate calculation of the estimate or buy your recommended skates to enjoy the smile of your daughter, who is spinning on the ice rink in these skates.
I will tell you more about building a story in the quiz in a separate article, but for now, I suggest that you go to practice and look at the questions in the quiz from a new side.
If you don't have a quiz yet, you can create it yourself without programmers and designers in the marquiz service.