When an audience survey is all you’ve got, make it count
Many arts organizations depend on post-concert surveys to understand their audiences. But most surveys miss the mark.
The problem? Confirmation bias. As an Insider, it’s easy to assume a positive perception and frame your questions in ways that pressure respondents to agree. But this severely limits the scope of actionable data.
Confirmation bias also leads many arts organizations to simply validate their current brand and positioning—rather than uncover genuine customer feedback and potential areas for growth.
Additionally, many arts organizations ask the wrong questions—about the quality of the art or the affordability of the ticket —without seeking real insight into what motivated audience attendance and how well their needs were met.
For example, the Post-Concert Evaluation Survey for Choral Audiences created by Chorus Connection asks audiences to do the following:
Rate the musical quality of the performance.
Problem: Most audiences aren’t sufficiently trained to do this—and we shouldn’t expect them to be.
Indicate whether they were happy with the price of the tickets.
Problem: The tickets wouldn’t have been purchased if the consumer was truly unhappy with the price. And are any arts organizations in the position to lower their ticket prices these days?
Rate aspects of the venue such as acoustics, seats, restrooms, location.
Problem: Most organizations wouldn’t shift venues just because a handful of folks were dissatisfied with their seat cushions.
Indicate where they heard about the concert.
Problem: This doesn’t lead to a comprehensive understanding of the customer journey, with its pivotal triggers and complex forces at play.
While the Chorus Connection survey does provide space for the audience to write about why they ultimately decided to buy tickets, most respondents will undoubtedly leave a perfunctory answer, as consumers are known to do when participating in a survey or focus group.
Without sufficient guidance or prompting, many consumers don’t recognize—or aren’t motivated to offer—the deep context around their purchase motivations and whether their expectations were satisfied.
And it’s this deep context that arts organizations need in order to predict and influence customer behavior.
Pinpointing the Deeper Why
In order to create marketing that resonates with real people—and to create products that serve them well—we need to understand the circumstances that prompted real people to buy.
What progress were they seeking to make in their lives by “hiring” this event? And, equally important, how did we deliver on this expectation?
In the absence of one-on-one qualitative interviews, I suggest opening your survey with a question designed to help respondents narrow in on their deeper why.
Providing examples of potential pain points or needs helps customers think more critically about why they “hire” a product (in this case, a concert). It gives them the language to use when thinking about their needs and the solutions at their disposal—as well as a vocabulary to employ when talking to friends about their experience.
Knowing why you “hire” something can serve as a catalyst to utilize it more effectively—and may help audiences become more invested in exploring future offerings.
1. Help us understand the needs of our audiences. Which 1-3 factors motivated your choice to attend our performance?
(Include a list of 10 possible motivations or needs that your survey respondents can choose from.)
The second question is designed to reveal the extent to which the organization satisfied those aspirations or needs.
2. Help us measure our success and better serve our audiences in the future. Rate how well those 1-3 needs/motivations were satisfied by our performance.
Gathering Social Proof
Another advantage of an audience survey is the opportunity to capture social proof—testimonials from real people that prove you can deliver what you promise.
Social proof is an essential element of your unique value proposition. With consumers’ declining trust in traditional advertising, the voice of a real customer carries tremendous weight.
McKinsey reports that online reviews, social media conversations, and word-of-mouth recommendations from friends, family, and influencers account for more than 60% of a brand’s visibility during a customer’s purchasing timeline.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity. Invite audiences to provide feedback in their own words:
3. Featuring audience feedback in our marketing helps us reach a more diverse audience. Please consider contributing a review of your concert experience.
(Include some examples or prompts to help the survey respondent focus their thoughts.)
Not everyone will respond to this invitation, but there will always be a few nuggets that can be employed to lend more authenticity in your marketing.
Bonus points if the respondent gives permission for you to include their photo next to the testimonial when you reach out to thank them for their feedback!
Tracking Demographic Data
Lastly, it’s important to acknowledge that demographic data can be uncomfortable to ask for—and give—but is also a useful tool for measuring the success of diversity initiatives. I suggest a framing that helps respondents understand the value of providing this information and, in essence, invites them to join you in your efforts to diversify your audiences:
4. We are deeply committed to bringing the benefits of choral music to an increasingly more diverse audience. Tracking audience demographics helps us measure our success on this initiative.
Please share your [age bracket/ethnicity/income level/gender] if comfortable doing so.
Don’t forget: Balancing feedback from your Insiders (those already attending) with efforts to understand your Outsiders (potential audiences) will help you create more relevant programming and marketing that resonates with broader audiences.
The true value of a patron survey lies in its ability to reveal what really matters to your audience—not to validate your work, but to uncover deeper motivations and areas for improvement. By asking thoughtful questions that go beyond surface-level feedback, you gain the insights needed to create programming and marketing that resonate on a more meaningful level. Understanding why your patrons ‘hire’ your performances allows you to meet and exceed their expectations, keeping them engaged and eager to return.
Approach every survey as an opportunity to learn, grow, and continue delivering unforgettable experiences that truly connect with your audience.
Want to see what this looks like in the real world?
Download my FREE patron survey template here.
(It’s a customizable Jotform survey so you’ll be off and running in no time flat.)
