Everyone at Quirk’s is waist-deep in 2019 to-do lists, including our editorial team. The start of a new year brings opportunities, challenges and changes around the office! But as we head into February we wanted to present takeaways from a few 2018 articles, hoping that you will find an actionable tip or two to take with you as you plan for the new year.
We encourage you to consider a few ideas from our e-newsletter and magazine article archive. This compilation covers tips for presenting research finding; improving MR efforts and respondent relationships; understanding consumers; social media and CX; and business-to-business MR.
Research industry
Fostering respect and empathy in marketing research by Rudly Raphael
“The lack of respect and understanding of online audiences is growing and the general public is developing a negative view of MR. This has led to a wide range of criticisms of online participant dependability, the value of information gathered and the need for incentives.
“With just a bit more appreciation and knowledge of online research participants we can leverage their insights for more accurate data in studies and be more professional.”
Takeaway: By relying on expertise, empathy and respect, researchers can develop an effective online sample that provide quality insights from experts and thought leaders. Read the full article.
Strategies for inspiring action through research by Emily C. Koenig
“Cutino recommends helping stakeholders by very clearly laying out the potential implications of a finding and how they could apply it. ‘Even if it’s not something they’d necessarily do, it helps them think about how findings could have wider impact,’ she says.”
Takeaway: It is imperative for marketing researchers to share clear, actionable takeaways when presenting research insights. Read the full article.
10 mistakes companies make with their marketing research efforts by Michael Oilar
“A long-time vendor partner’s knowledge of what research has worked for your company and its products, along with the MR firm’s understanding of your market and its segments and even the ability to navigate your internal politics, can be encyclopedic. You’d be shocked at how often a new team asks us to conduct research that has already been done. We’ve lost sight of the number of times we’ve seen a research request along the lines of, “We need to better understand our customers and more fully integrate with their business model,” yet we know the exact date/year that very project was conducted, its outcomes and (often, but not always) what was done internally with the findings. But that knowledge falls on deaf ears all too often, because we’re not considered part of the team and all the people in the new positions want to do is pick the lowest-cost provider to conduct the (redundant) research for which they currently have budget.”
Takeaway: Client-side researchers should fully engage their vendors and develop strong working relationships to best leverage existing data and stretch budgets. Read the full article.
Consumer research
4 tips for capturing Gen Z’s attention by Holly Carter
“To succeed with Gen Z, we need to look at their current mobile behavior and mimic ideas from platforms that are successfully engaging with this group, such as Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram, all of which are captured from their mobile phones. In order to imitate their current mobile activity, surveys should offer rich media but give respondents the opportunity to take pictures and even record short videos that allow them to express their opinions, provide feedback and show how they use a product. Gen Z respondents tend to speak in photos and are not fans of tick boxes and radio bullet surveys. Allow them to do this on mobile!”
Takeaway: Generation Z’s habits are influenced by always-on smart technology. When conducting research, consider their attitudes and behaviors in order to get their attention and use their insights to generate real business change. Read the full article.
Brewery turns to research for label design by Brooke Patton
“Alpine Dog Brewing Co., a locally owned craft brewery based out of Denver, was in the early stages of developing new labels for the upcoming release of a featured beer. With a significant number of craft breweries in Colorado, the competition is fierce. As a result, in order to compete with other breweries across the state, Alpine decided it needed to leverage the voice of the consumer through market research to assist in choosing the design of its new label. While consumer research is less common for smaller businesses of this type, Alpine Dog wanted to use research for the first time to determine the best label to move forward with into development to both please distributors and compete with other brands on the shelf.”
Takeaway: Even with a small budget, brands can utilize a hybrid research approach – such as configurable quantitative concept testing and voice of the customer – to test packaging design. Read the full article.
How are companies faring at answering social media-based customer queries? by Marianne Hynd
“To stand out in an extremely competitive landscape, a company must quickly identify a potential micro shift whenever a major shift occurs. This little shift can make a huge difference and set a brand apart from others very quickly. One such shift was identified in this study.
“A small segment of contacts, which were not included in data analysis, were indirect customer service contacts on Twitter. One example was a simple Tweet that read, “Does anyone know if Retailer X sells petite sizes?” The consumer named the brand (and may or may not have used a hashtag) and posed a question but did not tweet directly to the company.”
Takeaway: Customer expectations are increasingly more difficult for brands to meet but companies are making progress. Some are finding success by integrating social media communications with customer service, laying the groundwork for future social customer service. Read the full article.
B2B
Tips for effective B2(SM)B research by Bonnie Chiurazzi
“Small and medium businesses (SMBs) professionals tend to be very passionate about their work. This makes them excellent research participants. They are so enthusiastic and knowledgeable that it usually makes more sense to conduct digital in-depth interviews (IDIs) rather than focus groups. The in-depth interview gives respondents more time to dive into details and explain their unique experience within the SMB whereas focus groups are a bit higher-level.”
Takeaway: Even with limited budgets, small and medium businesses can benefit from traditional MR studies by closely managing respondent recruitment. Read the full article.
4 tips for adding the power of fun to qual by Delanea Davis
“I recently interviewed gym owners about their insurance needs. Before my sessions, I called a former CrossFit gym owner to ask all about what inspired him to be an early adopter of the CrossFit gym movement in Connecticut. I also asked him about the culture of gym owners. This helped me design a great discussion guide and gave me a sense of what to expect during my groups, which made a big difference on moderation day.”
Takeaway: Before beginning a qual B2B study, create a detailed profile of your respondent base. Read the full article.
What B2B marketers need from MR in 2018 by Andrew Dalglish
“If researchers are to deliver good research, having an understanding of the research user’s world is critical. You can tell a captivating story, illustrate it beautifully and conclude with recommendations that cut to the heart of the matter but if it doesn’t speak to the motivations and priorities of the user then nothing will happen. Why would it? No matter how interesting or well-delivered, facts that don’t directly help people meet their goals and targets have no tangible professional value.”
Takeaway: By empathizing with marketing stakeholders and identifying what trends are on their radar, marketing researchers can elevate the research function and spot knowledge gaps. Read the full article.