By Tim Shier on 2009/04/20
Although it’s a critical step to the success of any marketing strategy, market research is not employed nearly enough by the majority of brands. We all assume we know what our consumers are thinking and invest considerable amounts of our budgets based on gut feel - in reality we could, quite possibly, have no idea and as a consequence, assign spend rather poorly. The idea of trawling through statistics can be intimidating and the idea of grappling with the growing mountain of online content is certainly more than most are willing to endure.
Thankfully there are a host of tools which can make market research far more manageable and accessible to those of us without a market research qualification or wads of cash to give to a professional.
In this article I will explore the types of research available, how the Internet has opened a new era for the discipline and which tools are available to us.
Types of Research
Market research (be it online or offline) relies on one of the following three methods:
Qualitative Research
This model of research relies on the premise that reality is socially constructed and that it has no meaning without the qualifying context. In qualitative research, the how and why surrounding decision making is typically explored and qualitative research is usually more personal in its findings. It also allows for considerably smaller samples - making research within an ultra-niche (as is often the case with the Internet) more accessible. In this model, research is often conducted to provide a hypothesis which further research can then be performed aound.
Quantitative Research
In contrast to qualitative research, quantitative research relies on statistical inferences which are drawn out of a much larger sample frame. This research method typically explores the question surrounding what the group opinion towards a topic is. While this model can provide measures of accuracy and good deductions can be made, little is known about the individuals within the sample (which must be considerably larger than groups for qualitative research). With quantitative research a hypothesis is determined and then tested using statistic analysis.
Hybrid Research
As the name suggests, the hybrid model is simply (yes, you guessed it) a hybrid between qualitative and quantitative research. This model requires little explanation, but the processes involved is important and typically roles out as follows:
- Qualitative research is performed to get a feel for the group’s needs/interests etc. From this, a hypothesis is generated.
- A hypothesis is then tested through quantitative research (where the sample size allows).
- Qualitative and quantitative conclusions are drawn.
How the Internet has Impacted Research
The Internet has changed much of how we live our personal and professional lives - fact. I feel that I’ve been preaching this beyond its recommend sell-by-date, but the rapid changes are so marked that they deserve a mention. The same applies when thinking about market research. 50 years ago statistical data was considerably more difficult to get hold of and manage and conducting large scale focus groups was prohibited by financial and time restrictions for all but the largest of companies.
Today, the Internet makes it possible to do large scale research at a fraction of the cost. It has afforded greatly reduced turn around times and the opportunity to utilise the collective intelligence to solve problems (as was explored by Damian in his article on crowdsourcing). This does, however, present a number of considerations, particularly around the availability of primary evidence and the accuracy of information (given the annononymity which exists online).
The Internet is full of secondary evidence - instances where the information wasn’t created particularly for your research. Almost every blog post, tweet, white paper, published article or any other form of online content is useful to some brand or another. On the other hand, the availability of primary evidence - where the content was created for the purpose of your research - is very limited and only a handful of avenues exist.
Examples of primary research include:
- Surveys - Where a random sample is given a set of questions which require either quantitative feedback, in the form of "rate your feeling from 0 - 5", and qualitative ("tell us what you think about xyz?").
- Listening Labs - Typically focusing on websites and software, listening labs involve a researcher watching a subject perform particular prescribed activities via a shared screen environment or through video capture of the subjects screen. This is a critical activity in the process of Conversion Optimisation and usability testing.
- Web Analytics - Much like listening labs, analytics provide in-depth knowledge relating to how subjects are engaging with a website. Again, this provides fantastic information relating to Conversion Optimisation and usability.
- Direct Communication Tools - This includes the use of Skype, MSN, Google Talk and a host of other tools which allow for group and individual discussions.
Tools for Market Research
A number of excellent tools exist which can make the market research process considerably easier to manage. Some are free while others you’ll need to pay for, but can all greatly improve the quality of your research.
Primary Evidence Research Tools:
Survey Tools:
- SurveyMonkey - SurveyMonkey provides an excellent (free and paid-for) service for both descriptive and multiple choice questions. SurveyMonkey also provides some statistical analysis on the results.
- Google Docs - Google Docs has a fantastic (free) tool which allows anybody with a Google account to quickly and easily create surveys which they can then import directly into a spreadsheet. This tool provides some basic analysis of the results but only provides standard reports.
Listening Lab Software:
- PocketMeeting - PocketMeeting provides great shared screen abilities and requires no software to be installed beforehand. Better still, it works on a 24 hour account rental at the cost of $5 - making it perfect for quick research within a short timeframe. While this tool isn’t directly designed for listening labs, it does an excellent job
- Silverback - Unlike PocketMeeting, Silverback is designed for usability testing on sites and applications and allows for simultaneous audio, screen and webcam capture. Fantastic for really coming to grips with what your users are experiencing. Coming in at $49.95, it’s an excellent research tool and well worth the investment.
Web Analytics:
- Google Analytics - Google Analytics provides excellent near real-time information relating to all elements of your website including number of visitors, time-on-site, number of pages visited as well as many many many more. Better still, it’s completely free.
- CrazyEgg - Despite its rather quirky name, CrazyEgg is an excellent tool to improve the micro-conversions on any page or web application. Unlike Google Analytics, CrazyEgg looks at a single page and plots exactly where users are clicking on it. This ultimately allows for a better understanding of how users are engaging with your site. It also facilitates continual improvements to the usability facets of your page through ongoing improvements and testing. Coming in from $9 a month, CrazyEgg is an excellent tool for keeping a firm grip on what your users are doing on your site.
Secondary Evidence Research Tools:
Conversation Monitoring Tools (Qualitative):
While there are masses of tools in this space, two which are immediately accessible are:
- Google Alerts - This tool allows for search phrases to be selected and as instances of this mention are published, an email is sent to you ensuring a constant stream of information to your inbox. Google Alerts allow for good qualitative research both through the information which comes in and through the subsequent engagements with bloggers etc.
Conversation Monitoring Solutions (Qualitative and Quantitative)
- BrandsEye - BrandsEye a fully functional Online Reputation Monitoring and Management solution. Similar to Google Alerts, BrandsEye collates all mentions relating to a particular area of interest and allows for tagging of the conversation. This provides in-depth quantitative and qualitative research. With packages from $1 a month, this is a fantastic mechanism for acquiring and understanding secondary evidence all the while pinpointing opportunities to gain primary insight.
Using Your Research
Once you have conducted your research, the critical next step is to implement it to improve your existing marketing or brand position etc. In an ideal world the process of performing market research, implementing what you’ve learnt, measuring the results and then starting again would be continuous.
To most companies, strategic market research is critical to ongoing market success as it allows for short iterations and continued changes and innovations. Unfortunately, few brands have the time and resources to realistically continue at this pace. It is worthwhile investing some time thinking about what you can do to promote market research for the success of your business.
