Darren Harvey, Lotus Research Brand development conference www.charitycomms.org.uk/events

1. HOW
MARKET
RESEARCH
CAN
HELP
BUILD
YOUR
BRAND
16
Victoria
Road
Leighton
Buzzard
LU7
2NT
UK
CharityComms
24
October
2013
darren@lotusresearch.co.uk
www.lotusresearch.co.uk
07799
888109
/
01525
635091

2. IN
THIS
PRESENTATION…
• Why
should
smaller
chariXes
and
voluntary
organisaXons
consider
“buying
in”
market
research
at
all?
• Ge^ng
what
you
need
out
of
research
– Choosing
the
right
method
– Making
sure
your
insights
are
acXonable
• Making
the
most
of
a
limited
budget
– Smart
ways
to
buy
research
– Avoiding
piaalls
that
can
waste
Xme
and
money
2

3. “RESEARCH-­‐BASED
INSIGHT”
WHAT
DOES
IT
MEAN?
• Feedback
from
stakeholders
that
is
used
to
guide
decision
making
• In
the
commercial
sector…
– Customers
and
potenXal
customers,
with
limited
emoXonal
involvement
• More
complex
in
the
voluntary
sector…
service
users
members
poten7al
donors
donors
funders
trustees
partner
organisa7ons
staff
volunteers
– Audiences
that
care
passionately
about
what
you
do
– More
likely
to
have
a
dialogue
with
your
brand
–
with
exisXng
mechanisms
for
stakeholder
feedback
3

4. IN
HOUSE
RESEARCH
• Using
your
resources
/
exisXng
feedback
mechanisms
is
cheap
and
convenient
• But
there
are
downsides
– Staff
bring
their
own
assumpXons
(and
agenda)
to
the
exercise
– ExisXng
relaXonships
set
the
tone
of
dialogue
– Politeness
/
risk
of
causing
offence
–
anonymity
is
unrealisXc
– Fear
of
repercussions
if
respondents
make
criXcisms
– Respondent
can
expect
their
suggesXons
to
be
acted
upon
directly
– Dialogue
between
co-­‐dependents
– Insufficient
planning
at
project
design
stage
–
many
piaalls
4

5. PITFALL:
SELF
SELECTING
SAMPLES
• For
example
-­‐
who
responds
to
saXsfacXon
surveys?
..or…
• Self-­‐selecXng
samples,
recruited
without
se^ng
quotas,
can
lead
to
biased
feedback
–
risking
unnecessary
disrupXon
or
complacency
5

6. RESEARCHING
CHANGE
• Even
if
understanding
is
good,
it
only
reflects
on
what
you’re
doing
now
• Research
comes
into
its
own
when
change
is
on
the
cards
– Introducing
new
services,
withdrawing
exisXng
ones
– Funding
new
projects
and
acXviXes
– Developing
printed
or
online
communicaXon
–
form,
content
and
tone
– Brand
redesign
– Restructuring
organisaXons
• Structured,
well-­‐planned,
objecXve
research
is
essenXal
– Speaking
to
the
right
people
– Asking
the
right
quesXons
– …and
choosing
the
right
method
6

7. QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
–
WHAT
IS
IT?
•
•
•
•
Insight
into
a^tudes,
opinions,
moXvaXons,
behaviour
Understanding
why
–
not
making
assumpXons
Small
samples,
long
semi-­‐structured
interviews
Insight
that
will
only
emerge
from
dialogue,
skilled
quesXoning
–
oqen
tapping
into
unconscious
factors
• Small
samples
and
unpredictable
dynamics
–
may
require
buy-­‐in
from
scepXcs
within
your
organisaXon
7

8. QUALITATIVE
APPROACHES
• There’s
more
to
life
than
“let’s
do
a
focus
group”
• Focus
groups
are
ideal
when…
– The
target
sample
is
homogenous,
clustered
and
moXvated
to
arend
– EvaluaXng
new
ideas,
thinking
creaXvely
– …potenXally
piggybacking
on
exisXng
meeXngs
• But
be
aware
they
are
– Challenging
to
recruit
– Challenging
to
run
–
especially
when
passions
are
running
high
– PotenXally
normaXve,
if
trying
to
tease
out
diversity
of
opinion
– …and
costs
can
spiral
if
speaking
to
diverse
stakeholder
groups
8

9. QUALITATIVE
APPROACHES
• Also
consider
individual
interviews
or
flexible
online
forums
• The
more
passionate
the
feeling,
the
greater
the
need
for
their
individual
voice
to
be
heard
• Personal
stories
are
crucial,
especially
when
speaking
to
service
users
• Non
Xme-­‐specific
–
can
fit
the
respondent’s
schedule
• Easier
to
recruit
• Flexible
–
telephone
or
face-­‐to-­‐face
• Allow
for
greater
granularity
between
different
stakeholder
groups
• Online
forums
allow
for
a
mix
of
personal
and
group
feedback
9

10. QUANTITATIVE
RESEARCH
–
WHAT
IS
IT?
• When
you
need
staXsXcally
robust
findings
to
base
decisions
upon
• Large
samples,
short
and
highly-­‐structured
interviews
• How
many
people
can
you
speak
to?
Charity
audiences
can
be
small
• Where
the
target
audience
is
small,
qualitaXve
research
may
be
the
only
sensible
approach
– Berer
to
talk
to
25
people
in
depth
than
50
at
a
superficial
level
– Much
of
your
work
will
go
into
recruiXng
people
to
take
part,
so
why
not
have
a
proper
conversaXon
with
them?
– Easy
to
tack
on
pre-­‐coded
quesXons
on
if
you
need
staXsXcs
– Respondents
enjoy
parXcipaXng
in
qualitaXve
research
more
–
may
be
an
opportunity
to
build
goodwill
among
a
limited
sample

11. QUANTITATIVE
APPROACHES
• Face-­‐to-­‐face
–
a
large
drain
on
finances
and
resources
• Telephone
–
a
good
way
of
making
use
of
a
limited
sample,
allows
some
degree
of
open
dialogue,
relaXvely
fast
and
cheap
– RecruiXng
people
to
take
part
in
person
is
always
preferable
• Online
– Fast
and
cost-­‐effecXve
–
especially
when
using
automated
plaaorms
– Becoming
the
norm
in
commercial
surveys,
but…
– Beware
low
response
rates,
especially
if
you
have
limited
targets
– Beware
the
self-­‐selecXng
sample!
– Be
mindful
that
respondents
want
to
finish
online
surveys
quickly
–
don’t
expect
any
insight
from
open
ended
quesXons
– There
are
ways
around
these
piaalls
–
but
requires
skill
and
experience
• Postal
–
can
access
the
whole
populaXon,
but
similar
problems
to
Online

12. QUANTITATIVE
APPROACHES
• There
are
risks
to
a
completely
DIY
approach…
• QuesXon
structure
and
wording
can
be
based
upon
individual
agendas,
or
wriren
by
commiree
with
no
objecXve
guidance
– “Our
charity
should
change
its
logo
because
the
old
one
has
started
to
look
dated.
Do
you
agree
strongly,
agree,
or
not
agree
at
all?”
• Risk
of
unclear,
ambiguous
or
two-­‐in-­‐one
quesXons
– “If
we
always
answered
the
phone
in
3
rings
and
were
polite
and
courteous,
would
you
use
our
telephone
helpline
more
oBen?”
• Respondents
may
feel
bored,
patronised
or
pigeonholed
by
badly-­‐wriren,
repeXXve
or
irrelevant
quesXons

13. QUANTITATIVE
APPROACHES
• Risks
of
a
completely
DIY
approach…
– QuesXonnaires
can
easily
become
overlong
–
resulXng
in
bored
respondents
“straight-­‐lining”
just
to
get
the
survey
finished
Statement
1
Statement
2
Statement
3
Statement
4
Statement
5
Strongly
agree
O
O
O
O
O
Agree
x
O
O
x
O
x
O
x
O
x
Neither
Disagree
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
Strongly
disagree
O
O
O
O
O
– Sampling
/
quotas
can
go
out
of
the
window
–
a
parXcular
problem
with
online
or
postal
surveys
– Analysis
of
results
can
reflect
internal
biases
–
or
may
be
overly
literal

14. OUTSOURCING
MARKET
RESEARCH
• Outsourcing
your
research
should
give
you:
– An
overarching
design
to
the
project
–
confidence
the
approach
matches
the
objecXves
– Reassurance
you
are
asking
the
right
quesXons
in
the
right
way
– ImparXality,
the
perspecXve
of
an
objecXve
outsider
– Professional
experience
of
meaningful
sample
design
– Meaningful
analysis
and
reporXng
–
making
the
most
of
the
data,
drawing
out
parerns,
seeing
what’s
going
on
under
the
surface
• Good
research
isn’t
cheap
and
cheap
research
isn’t
good
• BUT
there
are
ways
to
maximise
the
quality
of
insight
without
spending
a
fortune

15. WHERE
TO
START
(1)
Find
a
qualitaXve
or
quanXtaXve
research
expert
to
suit
your
needs
– Ask
yourself
–
are
we
looking
for
“deep
dives”
or
staXsXcally
robust
data?
– And
is
our
audience
big
enough
to
jusXfy
a
quanXtaXve
approach?
(2)
Ensure
your
supplier
has
voluntary
sector
experience
– Diversity
of
audiences,
sensiXvity
(3)
Go
in
knowing
what
you
want
– Be
clear
about
your
objecXves
– Explain
how
the
research
insights
will
be
acted
upon
– IdenXfy
who
you
need
to
speak
to
– Work
out
the
size
of
the
target
populaXon

16. WHERE
TO
START
• Consider
freelancers
rather
than
agencies
– Most
will
have
significant
agency
experience
– Will
oqen
consider
charging
by
daily
rate
for
small
chariXes
– Highly
networked
–
will
be
able
to
recommend
others
– QualitaXve
-­‐
hrp://www.aqr.org.uk/dir/independents.shtml
– QuanXtaXve
-­‐
hrp://www.mrweb.com/independents/
• Cherry
pick!
– Most
will
let
you
pick
and
choose
– Understand
the
process
–
know
what
you
can
and
can’t
do
yourself
– Which
elements
of
the
process
do
you
have
Xme
to
take
on?
– What
level
of
output
do
you
really
need?

17. AN
EXAMPLE
-­‐
QUALITATIVE
• Typical
large-­‐agency
ratecard
price:
“4
x
2hr
focus
groups
with
report
including
venue
hire
=
£12,500”
• How
does
this
break
down?
Service
Unit
cost
Cost
for
4
groups
Proposal,
project
design,
moderaXng
£800
per
group
£3200
Recruit
10
respondents
for
8
to
show
£500
per
group
£2000
IncenXve
payments
to
respondents
£500
per
group
£2000
Full
report
(c.
50
slides
in
ppt)
£800
per
group
£3200
2
evenings
in
a
viewing
facility
w.
catering
£1050
per
evening
£2100
TOTAL
£12500

18. AN
EXAMPLE
-­‐
QUALITATIVE
• What
if….
Service
Cost
Proposal,
project
design,
moderaXng
…you
tell
a
freelance
researcher
exactly
what
you
need,
and
meet
to
brainstorm
the
project
structure
…then
you
hire
them
for
2
evenings
of
moderaXng
RecruiXng
...the
researcher
spends
a
day
briefing
your
staff
on
£500
recruiXng
the
respondents
then
they
do
it
themselves
IncenXves
…if
you
have
a
rapport
with
your
audience,
give
them
something
you
know
they’ll
like!
£200
ReporXng
…commission
a
topline
report,
get
a
freelance
note-­‐
taker
to
transcribe
the
audio,
then
ask
your
staff
to
pull
out
quotes
to
flesh
out
the
report
£1000
£250
Venue
hire
…use
your
premises
or
hire
a
community
hall,
bring
your
own
sandwiches,
view
the
groups
in
the
room
£100
TOTAL
£500
£1000
£3550

19. AN
EXAMPLE
-­‐
QUANTITATIVE
• Large
agency
rate
card
price:
“250
x
10min
telephone
interviews
with
report
=
£9,750”
• How
does
this
break
down?
Service
Unit
cost
Project
set
up
and
management
Fieldwork
Total
cost
£1000
£25
per
interview
£6250
Data
processing
and
tables
£500
Full
report
£2000
TOTAL
£9750

20. AN
EXAMPLE
-­‐
QUANTITATIVE
• What
if…
Service
Total
cost
Project
set
up
and
management
…you
use
a
freelance
researcher
to
set
up
and
manage
the
project
–
and
most
importantly
to
write
the
ques7onnaire
£1000
Fieldwork
…you
use
an
automated
online
tool
such
as
surveymonkey,
and
mail
out
invites
and
reminders
to
your
database
£25
Data
processing
ReporXng
TOTAL
£500
…you
hire
a
freelance
researcher
to
spend
2
days
reporXng
on
key
findings
£1000
£2525

21. KEY
MESSAGES
• Market
research
in
the
voluntary
sector
can
be
decepXvely
complex
and
requires
as
much
professional
skill
as
commercial
research
• There
are
many
piaalls
to
conducXng
research
projects
completely
in-­‐house
• But
you
can
outsource
and
save
money
by
– Understanding
what
you
want
upfront
– Approaching
small
agencies
or
freelancers
– Ensure
your
supplier
has
voluntary
sector
experience
– Cherry
picking
–
ask
for
itemised
costs
and
only
buy
what
you
really
need,
and
what
you
can’t
do
yourself