The Best Bet for Social Media Research

January 15, 2010 | Comments Off

Over the last few months, social media research has turned into a top of mind topic for many people. The MRA, ARF, MRIA, and ESOMAR research organizations have all been flooded with questions and opinions about this growing methodology.

No one would suggest that telephone surveys work well for every type of research, just as they wouldn’t say that online surveys, mobile surveys, or focus groups work well in every case. Similarly, social media research isn’t the answer for every brand. There are number of things to keep in mind before taking on the social media research option.

1. Does your brand have a large social media presence? It is often difficult for brands to know what type of presence they have on the internet. They often focus solely on the specific websites where they know they have a presence. Even on these sites, their presence might be fairly small, perhaps hundreds or thousands of comments spread out over a couple of years. Small quantities of data like this are good for understanding overall satisfaction levels but make it difficult to dig down into specific details. Further, just because a brand is well-known doesn’t mean it will generate significant online chatter.
2. Does your brand have a unique name? Brands that would only be used in one way are great for social media research. No one is going to go on the internet and type “Radio Shack” unless they mean the electronics store. However, many people use the words target and gap in regular everyday conversation. “Kleenex” and “Xerox” might also have some problems with social media research. Try searching for your brand name online and see whether any unusual references come up.
3. Are you willing to see a different type of data? As with any change in data source, just like the transition from offline to online, trendlines will shift somewhat. Some of this is because the format of the data is different and some of this is because the research data is coming from a different type of person. A change in data isn’t a bad thing. It is to be expected. Embracing the changing methods means you will always be ahead of the game and have the most up-to-date and relevant information.

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A quality research company will help you work through all of these issues so that you can decide whether social media research is right for you. Be sure to ask the right questions.

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