Market Research Vs. Polls
While similar, these can be worlds apart.
SCOPE: DEPTH & BREADTH DIFFER
Polls generally are just that: general. Whether a traditional political tracking poll, a single-item online poll, or a short opinion poll asking which pre-listed “top issue” is most important, polls obtain “thin” data that very often has only a short shelf-life.
Research Surveys are more detailed, designed to go deeper and uncover insights that you can act on. The findings are useful in the long-term because they are "deep."
This is accomplished by asking questions that delve into behaviors, perceptions and emotions, as opposed to polling which generally asks basic questions which have very limited or no use in guiding your path forward. While people may quickly change their opinion on a particular issue (as facts change, details evolve) they do not generally change their core beliefs.
INSIGHTS GO BEYOND POLLING
Research Surveys are intended to generate insights: gaining an accurate and intuitive understanding of your audience.
Through these insights, you can relate to and connect with your audience. You can create a loyal following when you leverage authentic insights and ensure your audience is well served and appreciated.
Polling does serve a purpose, and we certainly can help you with polling. However, far too often individuals will use polling in dangerous and assumptive ways. Conducting a basic poll and finding your product is unpopular or that a percentage of voters favor your opponent does not mean your data is "wrong" but does very little to provide a plan forward. Rather, polling on "thin" questions provides a snapshot of how respondents answer at a particular moment in time and generally must be augmented by other research or tracked at regular time intervals.
Ask questions… Last
Asking questions for the sake of asking is never enough. Research projects do not need to be overly complicated, but you need to understand and plan for your deliverables (the data processing, visualization, analysis, and possible action-path) BEFORE you begin interviewing.
It is all too often an occurrence, especially in polling, that hundreds of respondents are asked many interesting questions that unfortunately lead to no reliable action. It is perhaps “interesting” to know what people think about a specific topic, but if the answers don’t provide you a clear action-path, what is the point?
We can help you design actionable surveys and polls, in some cases even producing example deliverables fully customized to your specific project, before a single respondent is contacted.