Welcome to this month's issue of 1 topic, 5 blogs. Todays topic is DIY surveys. Links to my fellow bloggers Bernie Malinoff, Joel Rubinson, Annie Petit and Brandon Bertelsen can be found below.
Since the day I joined the market research industry a decade ago (and much longer I assume), researchers have been yearning for wider use of market research within organizations and the proverbial "seat at the table." And while I fully understand and recognize the concerns that MR professionals have about Do IT Yourself surveys like Survey Monkey and Zoomerang, these tools present the much sought after opportunity for research to be more widely adopted and valued in large companies and more widely used in smaller organizations.
Why are these tools attractive to clients?
One of the driving forces I have seen behind the use of DIY surveys are frustrations with internal and external research organizations. So before shuddering at the thought of someone who has not been trained as a researcher conducting a survey, ask yourself why they would want to do it themselves. Because it is faster? Cheaper? Less of a hassle? Is it a simple question? Are they hands on and want to learn new skills?
Then ask how you can help alleviate their concerns and speak to their needs in a way that makes you a more valuable partner. People like to work with "experts," but not when they make everything more complicated.
Offer bests practices and support, not guidelines
Since the arrival of effective, low cost (or free) survey tools I have read numerous articles, forums, and blog posts dedicated to setting guidelines around their use. Of course, the notion of guidelines tells the user of DIY tools that you think they are an idiot and can't be trusted. Whether intended or not, no professional likes to be told that they can't handle something seemingly simple.
Instead, seek out opportunities to insert yourself in the process by proactively offering support and guidance that essentially says "let me help you help yourself."
Whether you are a supplier or an internal research department, taking a few minutes from your busy day to review a questionnaire or help someone understand the data can go a long way towards building trust and engagement. From basic tips like giving questionnaires the "grandmother test" of understanding and including options beyond what you yourself might consider to offering to be an additional pair of eyes to review (not redo) the questionnaire makes you a partner, not a hindrance.
Embrace change
As with our first two 5 blogs, 1 topic posts on Interactive Surveys and Mobile Research, we as an industry have to embrace change, even if that means allowing others to have greater input or setting aside the tools and techniques we grew up on. As the business world evolves there is more of an opportunity to measure and to use measurement as a change agent within organizations. Acting as experts and facilitators (instead of naysayers) will keep the value of researchers high and the viability of our profession growing, even if it means non-researchers may write a questionnaire once in a while.
To quote Sting: "If you love someone (or a particular style of questionnaire design), set them free."
Read the other blogs:
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Posted by Josh Mendelsohn. Josh is our VP of Marketing and loves live music, pugs, tv, great food, market research, New Orleans, marketing, Boston and sports. You can follow him on Twitter @mendelj2 and at The Better Research Blog
The question posed to the group of 5 Bloggers this month was: "Mobile surveys - For/Against, Pros/Cons, Right Situations/Wrong Situations?" Links to my fellow bloggers Annie Pettit, Joel Rubinson, Bernie Malinoff and Brandon Bertelsen can be found below.
Mobile devices are changing the way people interact with brands, each other, and market research. From the reduction of land lines among younger consumers to the prevalence of internet usage via smart phones and the proliferation of text messaging as an option. Below I have laid out some of the factors contributing to the research industry understanding and adopting mobile research as a concept.
1. "Guys, where are we?" - Charlie on ABC's Lost
Three or four years ago there were a plethora of SMS (text-message) based survey tools developed and launched in the market. Many were self serve but simple, others tried to simulate the full traditional survey experience with skip patterns and longer questionnaires. Some were connected to panels (e.g., Greenfield and Market Tools) and others were simply opt-in (e.g., Invoke Solutions). While all of them gathered great initial interest, none really took off for three primary reasons. 1) The market and use cases were not fully conceived. 2) Client side researchers weren't ready to limit the amount of information they could acquire from respondents and 3) Most of the systems weren't built to connect well with other feedback mechanisms.
In the end, while SMS based surveys received a small amount of adoption (primarily for event feedback), we learned that what was a seemingly simple landscape, one where people were paying to text to vote on American Idol, wasn't exactly what it seemed.
2. "Right now, hey, it's your tomorrow" - Van Halen
While it pains me to quote the Sammy Hagar version of Van Halen, the truth is that the use mobile technology is changing so rapidly that consumer adoption makes today and tomorrow the same, depending on who you ask. For iPhone and other smart phone users, the mobile web is about getting the same functionality as a computer with simpler formatting. For traditional cell phone users, texting is still optimal as mobile browsers are often slow and frustrating. So, what does that mean for researchers?
- Be patient. As with all technology adoption, the industry talk is well beyond the average consumers. Most people still do not own the most functional mobile devices and building gen pop. surveys around this functionality would be foolish.
- Don't try too hard. One of the upshots of great web browsers on mobile devices is that if people choose, they can complete traditional surveys wherever they are. In fact, many of the progressive interactive research techniques discussed last month can be problematic because flash applications are not available in mobile formats.
3. "The customer is always right" - Stew Leonard's and other respectable stores
Researchers need to let people participate in the way they desire, not the way we desire. For example, when I was at Invoke Solutions we ran a test of a mobile survey asking grocery shoppers to opt-in and answer a few simple questions while shopping. This seemed like a simple, valid idea on paper, however people shopping with kids or carrying groceries had no interest in filling out a survey, even for a small incentive. It was too much hassle. Yet, when we ran a program embedded in a promotional event that had on site fulfillment and a number of people prompting people to participate, we saw success.
4. "We're at the crossroad my dear, where do we go from here?" - Alicia Keys
With all of the potential downsides of mobile research, there are some great opportunities to grow.
- Qualitative research via "self-ethnography" or "diaries." Having a device on your person at all times mean you can always record what you are thinking and doing via text, photos, or recordings. A few years ago I saw my friend Rebecca from Dunkin' Brands speak about a program where they had teens record what they were thinking and doing every time they wanted coffee. The information was incredibly deep and useful. At the time they shipped each participant a digital recorder. In today's world they could have simply given them a number to call or text to.
- On-site feedback. Promotional events are by their nature participatory experiences and people are willing to give their feedback. In addition, event staff are on site to encourage people to opt-in and handle incentive fulfillment.
- Everything else. Consider making every questionnaire as mobile friendly as possible. Consumers treat their devices the same as their computers and you don't want to unintentionally block people from participating. That may mean shorter, less interactive questionnaires that include more open ends.
In all cases, we need to continually put ourselves in respondents' shoes and think "would I fill out this survey?" Just because you can utilize mobile technology doesn't mean that you should. And just because you haven't in the past doesn't mean you can't. It is all about asking yourself what the best solution is for the problem you are facing.
Read the other blogs:
Joel Rubinson of the ARF: post coming shortly at http://blog.joelrubinson.net/
Annie Petit of LoveStats: http://lovestats.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/1topic5blogs-the-only-thing-cell-phone-surveys-are-good-fer/
Bernie Malinoff of Element 54: http://element-54.com/2010/01/1-topic-5-blogs-mobile-surveys/
Brandon Bertelsen: http://www.bertelsen.ca/market-research/1-topic-5-blogs-mobile-surveys
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Posted by Josh Mendelsohn. Josh is our VP of Marketing and loves live music, pugs, tv, great food, market research, New Orleans, marketing, Boston and sports. You can follow him on Twitter @mendelj2 and at The Better Research Blog
(originally posted on The Better Research Blog)
I am privileged to be one of 5 bloggers who, each 15th of the month - will produce a POV on an issue facing the Marketing Research industry. You'll also be hearing from Annie Pettit (organizer), Bernie Malinoff, Joel Rubinson and Brandon Bertelsen. Links to their posts will follow.
I am also particularly excited about this first topic: interactive questioning and its impact on the research industry. A little background... I work at Chadwick Martin Bailey, a high end, mostly quantitative research firm with a focus on segmentation, brand, product development, and customer loyalty work. I have been here for most of the last decade, with a two year stint at Invoke Solutions in the middle. So I see the traditional angle and the non-traditional angle from an inside perspective.
Question: Is technology helping or hurting the research industry?
Answer: Yes.
That is to say that it is not a matter of helping or hurting, it's about accepting and embracing the reality of technological advances and the evolving requirements of respondents and clients.
"We're not in the entertainment industry." - Anonymous market researcher
Recently, my friend Jen Drolet from iModerate presented findings to my firm from a research study conducted with eRewards and M/A/R/C that was presented at CASRO largely about interactive questions and their impact. After some questions about validity and cost a researcher in the audience stated, "That's great, but we're not in the entertainment industry." I wasn't shocked at all by this response. I have found researchers to be among the slowest to adopt new tools and techniques, especially ones that increase cost to the client or require extra work or training. But I disagree with her premise.
We are constantly asking people to fill out questionnaires or participate in a focus group for minimal incentives. Which is fine in a vacuum, but people don't live a vacuum. They are choosing to give you their time over watching television, playing with their kids, listening to music, watching youtube videos, updating their Facebook profiles, or reading a good book. If research is too boring or feels too dated, they will simply stop participating.
"If it's not fun, why do it?" -Ben and Jerry's
The good news for advocates of interactive surveys is that most people agree with this Ben and Jerry's motto. No one is suggesting we completely overhaul the way we conduct surveys, but as long as it doesn't affect validity researchers need to look for opportunities to include interactive questions, open-ended questions, and images. It also means we need to get away from the academic, passive language that researchers are trained to use and make the research experience more conversational and reflective of the brands and target audiences involved. If all else is equal, make the experience more fun and engaging for respondents.
"There is a right time and place for everything." - Josh Mendelsohn
This has always been my philosophy on beer and music, but it applies to research methods as well. Every audience and question has its own set of requirements. For example, older audiences need bigger font sizes, not gaming style imagery and younger audiences need to be able to interact with the survey and feel listened to. Insurance companies may need to be more professional in tone while "cool" consumer brands may want to adapt a casual language and visual style. Our job is to pick the best solution for the situation at hand and not blindly insist on using or not using the latest, greatest interactive question types.
"Get busy living, or get busy dying." - Andy Dufresne
My favorite quote from "The Shawshank Redemption" applies to the state of the industry as a whole. There is no question that clients' demands for speed, interactivity, and hybrid solutions will continue to grow, especially as the age of clients comes down. As research providers we have two options. Spend time adapting our methods to today's business and cultural environment or find ourselves slowing being phased out. Without adapting, we'll have a hard time differentiating ourselves from one another and from self service tools. It's time to get busy living.
Read the other 4 blogs:
Joel Rubinson of the ARF: http://blog.joelrubinson.net/2009/12/getting-the-most-out-of-online-research/
Annie Petit of Lovestats: http://lovestats.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/1-topic-5-blogs-rich-media-in-surveys/
Bernie Malinoff of Element54: http://element-54.com/2009/12/1-topic-5-blogs-impact-of-rich-media-question-types-in-mr/
Brandon Bertelsen: http://bertelsen.ca/journal/1-topic-5-blogs-new-media-survey-questions
Posted by Josh Mendelsohn. Josh is our VP of Marketing and loves live music, pugs, tv, great food, market research, New Orleans, marketing, Boston and sports. You can follow him on twitter @mendelj2 and at The Better Research Blog