Let’s Talk Data

Challenges of collecting primary data…

Wow! Time flies. Kids are finally out of school and the summer is really in full swing….

And where is my new demographic data you ask?

You would think that a reseller would be “in the know”…but companies that sell this data are notoriously close to the vest with release dates. I will likely know the day before you do when the new features and new data is available. So much for being a valued partner. I do know that new features are on the way — and that’s good news. But release dates? List of features? Anything? Nada.

I’m learning not to trust what big companies say. I have actually grown to love working with smaller companies — they seem to care more about partnerships and actually respect people who try to make money for them. I like nimble companies that make things work instead of talking about them endlessly and finding excuses why they “can’t” as opposed to investigating how they “can”. It’s universal among big companies. They get so bloated they can’t tie their own shoes… and they don’t apologize when they make mistakes or are slow to respond.

But I digress….

I want to share with you my scoop. I’ve been working on a project where our team is collecting primary data — that is, we’re collecting data from users of particular equipment to help our clients get a better grasp on the market they serve. My scoop is this: web-based research isn’t dead, but the model is going through a dramatic change.

I’ve learned a great deal from this project — and in many ways, am more determined to succeed now than I was when we started over six months ago.

Just four years ago, we did a similar project and achieved great success. We were able to collect enough data to feel confident in our results. This time, the gathering of quality data has been challenging and I believe it is due to the following factors:

1. Over surveying of the target population — this indeed, is a big problem for all researchers –regardless of the instrument and the methodology they choose to execute. Internet-based surveys (once a novelty and now the norm (with estimated statistics ranging from 40-60% of all market research surveys being conducted on the web. ) have taken a great hit. Plainly put, any idiot with a copy of Survey Monkey or one of the myriad other online packages can easily craft a thing that looks and feels like a survey, but doesn’t really meet the criteria for being true “market research”. As a result — consumers and businesses are bombarded with requests for participation in market research. I am sad to say that most of what I see, while good intentioned, is not really well-crafted.
2. Mislabeling legitimate messages as SPAM, and SPAM filters is a huge problem for marketers that use the web. The general rule is to reach out only to people that have given you permission to contact them. Unfortunately, when you are trying to understand the size and scope of an entire business segment, there is no way you can estimate factors without getting data from the entire spectrum of users. And, the only way to reach out to a broad segment of the population is to rent lists from media and trade associations that cater to those end users. So, even if you legitimately rent a permission-based list, and have the organization/magazine/site, mail on your behalf, some end users perceive your invitation as spam and subsequently blacklist you. Additionally, with so many word patterns sending off flags in tools such as “SPAM ASSASSIN”, no matter how direct your subject line — you can be dumped into your recipients junk folder and they might never get a chance to even see your message and judge the merit themselves.
3. Misuse of sweepstakes and prizes as incentives for participation. Not too long ago, before everyone was on the survey bandwagon — you could offer a premium such as a branded mug or $20.00 to get 20 minutes of someone’s time for a survey. Now, the competition is fierce. For the past few years a few companies have grown big by building panels of consumers so that companies could have statistically balanced samples. The way they quickly built up their numbers was to solicit respondents using banners that promise free large screen TV’s and PC and ipods. Most consumers had no idea just how many hoops they had to jump through to get the big prize. After several steps, many just dropped out — and left feeling as if the whole thing was a scam. The consequence is that you have to incent people to come to your site, to complete the survey, and to come back if you wish to work with them again. That involves lots of coordination and re$ources — and the right choice of incentives. Choose wrong and your response rate suffers.

There are likely a zillion other reasons that I could come up with if I had to…and as I do a post mortem on this project as we gear up for the next phase….I’ll write about them.

The main lesson learned is that things aren’t working the way they used to just two to four short years ago. We as marketers and researchers have to devise new ways to pay consumers and businesses back for their input. More thoughts on that later….

Wendy