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Remarkable Research Can Result in the Potential for Remarkable Publicity

Fresh research is excellent fodder for press releases. The media love pretty charts, cool graphs (especially when they come with a catchy hook), and data-infused soundbites. Conduct a fresh piece of research and then interview someone about their take on the results. Maybe a consultant, a business partner; maybe your own CEO. Then package the results as a news release, podcast, blog posts, newsletter fodder, or YouTube video. Original research is excellent fuel to position your brand as a “thought leader” or expert in its field; some companies have formal thought leadership initiatives which include original research as a key component.

[This is the fourteenth article in a series of 20 mini-posts titled, “Principles of Remarkable Research.” Don’t want to miss this series? Subscribe to our blog via email or RSS.]

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Remarkable Research Can Be Simple Research

A simple approach is often a kinder approach for online survey participants, which means they will be less likely to reject your next research request (you don’t want customers who receive your research requests to think, “Oh no! Not again! These surveys are nightmares!”). Here are two examples:

• For brand perceptions, a quick and easy way to collect data is to ask, “Which of the following words would you use to describe our company?” Then give them a list of varying words and allow them to pick up to three (better still, ask this open-ended). It’s a simple format and gives you useful insights into how people perceive your brand’s personality.  There are many similarly simple questions that can be asked, that feel easy to participants. Too many brand perception studies force participants through a lengthy barrage of grid-style questions.
• For product concept testing, do you really need to drag participants through 15+ screens of brain-numbing trade-off choices? Unless you really need that level of data to create a simulator, you may find a simpler approach sufficient. Try a monadic approach. Or, if in reality, there are only 3 ways your product would be configured (in terms of features, style, or price), ask for feedback on those items. A simple “mock” trade-off can give you great information at a fraction of the cost and without torturing respondents.

Do some projects require a more complex approach? Yes. But not all. Consider the options.

Bottom line: Tis a Gift to Be Simple (as the song says) applies, and it isn’t “Stupid” (even if KISS is a handy mnemonic). Just because we can jam a lot of questions into a single grid, just because we can create complex trade-off exercises, doesn’t mean we should. Sometimes a simple approach is just fine.

[This is the thirteenth article in a series of 20 mini-posts titled, “Principles of Remarkable Research.” Don’t want to miss this series? Subscribe to our blog via email or RSS.]

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Remarkable Research is Polite

A noticeable use of manners goes a long way when practicing remarkable research. Remember to be respectful of those who are participating in the research; an occasional “please” or “thank you” helps keep them genuinely engaged. In the invitation or survey opening, use polite text to set the context and invite them to participate (remember, they’re doing you a favor). The same applies at the conclusion of the research process. Always thank the participant for their time and let them know that their input is valuable and will be used. Still not convinced? Here’s a link to recent research on the importance of saying thanks: LINK.

Common things that strike participants as rude:

• An online survey closes abruptly after the last question, without any expression of gratitude.
• A customer feedback session ends without advising the client how the results will be used. This can leave participants with the suspicion that their valuable time was wasted.
• An online community discussion that demands a lot of typing by participants forgets to repeatedly thank the participants for their help.
• An online, single question poll simply closes after a vote is submitted instead of sharing the results to date on the next screen. Many poll participants say they want to see how their peers voted. That information is their incentive, and your way of saying thanks.

[This is the twelfth article in a series of 20 mini-posts titled, “Principles of Remarkable Research.” Don’t want to miss this series? Subscribe to our blog via email or RSS.]

[How to get a free Research Rockstar coffee mug? Click here]

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Remarkable research on an ongoing basis requires systems

Great research requires efficiency, and efficiency requires processes and systems. They don’t need to be onerous, but here are the basic ones:

1. Project request forms: how your clients (internal or external) request a project, by documenting key parameters.
2. Standardized survey templates: in entirety, or at minimum, standard questions for collecting demographics.
3. Vendor evaluation forms: used to evaluate sample or market research agency providers so that you document which ones work well for your needs, and which ones need to be used with caution—if at all.
4. Project evaluation forms: for gathering feedback from internal clients. Use this as an opportunity to learn, how well did the project go? What could have been better? Let’s practice what we preach.

• Tip: A great way to get systems in place is to take advantage of slow times of year (summertime, holiday seasons). Use these periods to create standard forms and survey templates for use year-round.

[This is the eleventh article in a series of 20 mini-posts titled, “Principles of Remarkable Research.” Don’t want to miss this series? Subscribe to our blog via email or RSS.]

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Remarkable research is easy for participants

Don’t let excessive jargon stand in the way of your remarkable research. When you design surveys or discussion guides, use simple language. It’s very easy for us who develop areas of expertise (in an industry, product category, etc.) to forget that others don’t use the same language to discuss the same topics. Your organization may use language that your target market does not (I see this frequently in technology companies and financial institutions).

• Be vigilant when you’re creating surveys to use friendly language. Go for the lowest common denominator in terms of who’s taking your survey. Use language that they are likely to use. Excessive jargon turns people off and leads to dropouts, or worse: if they don’t know what a term means they might guess, and you will get inaccurate data in return.

Even within a specialty field, use of jargon can vary a lot. For example, I have done 100+ focus groups with IT managers. And from this experience, I can tell you that how they talk about their systems, installation processes, daily tasks and even their budget strategies can vary dramatically. Let’s take the case of products they have in use: some IT managers refer to a given technology by a technical name or IEEE standard. Others refer to a common brand or product model and don’t even know the more technical terms.  Both types of IT managers may be valuable for your research, so you need to be sure to use language that fits both.

[This is the tenth article in a series of 20 mini-posts titled, “Principles of Remarkable Research.” Don’t want to miss this series? Subscribe to our blog via email or RSS.]

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