Cost-Effective Qualitative Research
The Numbers Game
Before I talk about qualitative research, let me spend a moment on quantitative research. This article is not a slam on quantitative research. I love quantitative research and have done a ton of it in my career. It’s cost-effective, gives a broad view of consumer thinking and is especially helpful in business decision-making. The advent of online has dramatically changed the field of research, allowing researchers to leverage their money and their time to pull together a survey that could then be sent out to thousands of people at once. Web 2.0 has allowed for a newer kind of online research with Social Media Audits, which we have recommended for over a year now. Web 2.0 has also enabled online focus groups, where you can get individual feedback … But make no mistake, online options and Web 2.0 cannot provide you with the nuances only to be found in qualitative research.
Quality Research
Nothing replaces the in-depth, face-to-face, get-up-close “let’s chat” methodology of qualitative research. Qualitative research affords you the benefit of sight, sound, feel, as well as that intangible energy that happens when your customers are discussing your competitors, your products, your world face to face.
When you go online you cannot see someone’s face. You cannot see their posture. You cannot see the non-verbal communication that can indicate the seed of a multi-million dollar idea. I’ve had kids peeing in their pants with excitement over a product that was being shown to them … And I’ve had people give me that “deer in the headlights” look over a product that, back at the office, seemed like such a good idea.
“But qualitative costs too much money.”
This economy has forced many marketers to take a hard look at their overall budgets, including the research line. Vital qualitative research may be “on the chopping block” for you. That’s why we’re so excited to tell you about the Beacon Trend Watch. This is a research methodology that allows a 360 degree look at consumer perspectives--especially for youth marketers who have a dual target audience of parents and kids that they need to understand.
Within qualitative research, there are different types of qualitative:
· One-on-one interviews: these ensure that you will get honest feedback, as people are not swayed by others in the group (it avoids “group think”).
· Small group settings: when you do one-on-one interviews, you miss out on rich dialogue, where idea builds upon idea to create a more in-depth, fuller conversation about the topic at hand.
· Larger focus groups with up to ten people allow you to leverage qualitative research time by talking to more consumers and getting a broader range of insights.
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