Frequency: Most organizations find the optimum period of time to survey employees is annually.  However, if a change has been implemented, and enough time has passed for it to have had an impact, a survey should repeated within six months.  Organizations which have tried to implement surveys on a more frequent basis find that employees fatigue, and their responses are less reliable or accurate.

Response Rate: In general, an employee survey which garners over a 50% success rate will generate reliable results.  There are some caveats to this, of course.  Smaller organizations should aim for higher response rates.  Regardless of company size, results should reflect the employee population in terms of such elements as tenure, gender, and experience.

Timing: Coordinate with internal departments to avoid sending out an employee survey at certain times of the year.  It’s best to make every effort to avoid response-killers, such as weeks that conflict with major project deadlines, trade shows, and vacations.

Follow-Up: Organizations should communicate major findings back to employees no later than within 6-8 weeks of when the survey closes.  Both positive and negative results should be shared so that employees know that organizational leadership has heard their feedback.

If you’ve had an experience with employee surveys which was less than stellar, and were able to remedy the problems for a more successful experience, please share below!  Everyone benefits when employees are surveyed with best practices, particularly those driven by previous missteps.

Today we begin a series of posts that brings you great tips for your marketing or advertising agency or firm:

Best laptops:  A post on lifehacker presents a valuable laptop buying guide – some key points to consider before making this investment.   Even tech veterans will probably find some of the points helpful due to changes in technology that have occurred since their last laptop investment, and because there are so many key points to remember.  If you’re in the market for a laptop (or considering one for an upcoming Mother’s Day/Father’s Day/graduation gift), consider printing out this link to take along with you while shopping.

Winning more clients: An investment firm attributes their corporate kitchen’s more relaxing atmosphere (as opposed to a boardroom) to annual sales increases of 30% during the past few years.  The firm’s kitchen also provided other benefits to both clients and employees, finding that it greatly enhanced both internal and external communications.  While such a space may only be accessible to agencies and firms of a certain size, even sole proprietorships can use commercial kitchens to capitalize on some of these benefits.  For example, here is an example of a commercial kitchen in the New York area, and here is one in Chicago.

Making tax time easier:  The digital age has given service providers the ability to electronically scan receipts.  However, there are IRS rules and procedures for using an electronic storage system and this blog entry points you in the direction of guidelines to follow, as well as some organizational ideas. Start planning and implementing now to make the next quarterly and annual filings easier.

If you have other ideas regarding laptops, creative ways of winning clients, and cutting down on tax work, leave them below!

• Custom costs more.  Many of these social media research companies claim that samples are much more affordable using this type of tool.  However, they are almost always referencing the “general” respondent – total US, any age, any income level, etc.  Most clients need something more specific, however – e.g., females, income $50,000+, Dallas metro area, etc.  In almost all cases, the more specific your need, the more expensive the sample will be. Make sure to clearly think through your client’s specifics, and communicate these needs to the sample provider to get a realistic estimate.

• Faster, but only for the basics.  Many of these research companies say they can turn around requests for data in just a few days.  In general, this gets you the raw data, with some topline information.  In order to dig deeper, you will either need to ask the sample company to provide cross-tab support, or dedicate internal resources, both of which will require additional time.  When building the project timeline, manage the client’s expectation that additional work will require a longer timeframe.

•  Expect to pay more for everything but the raw data.  Not only will data manipulation require additional time, but will also cost additional money.  Expect the same for assistance with questionnaire development (crucial to ensuring that the research is valid), analytical planning, production of supporting graphics, etc.  In other words, the fees charged include the sample and the raw results.  Period. You’ll need to increase the client’s budget for any additional work, often necessary to interpret and leverage the results.

When using social media for market research, many consultants and agencies find that when all is said and done, it makes sense to hire a research expert.  These experts usually do not charge additional fees for the sample, and they can efficiently bundle in the additional work to generate higher returns on the project investment.

Be a marketing hero – thoroughly investigate social media for marketing research, and decide if it makes sense for your client.  They will love you for it.

Mr. Merrill makes the following assertions on why focus groups are limited in providing innovative solutions:

People just want to make you happy and will give you the answers you want to hear.  Our experience is just the opposite.  With a well-trained moderator, participants in a focus group tell you what they really think.  Experienced moderators know how to dig beneath surface answers and uncover truths behind customer behavior and attitudes.

Focus groups can’t be truly innovative because people can’t invent a product they’ve never seen.  Focus group participants are human and can imagine new ways to solve their products as well as anyone else.  If participants are properly screened for participation, they can bring sufficient category knowledge to the table to come up with solutions to their problems.  If the discussion guide is properly written and executed, participants will reveal emotional-level data regarding these benefits and why various solutions do/do not work for them. So not only do they provide guidance to marketers on solutions, but they provide the “why” these solutions work- information that is critical to properly positioning a new product or service.

Focus groups can certainly be a dragon when not used properly, but can be tamed into an animal that actually lights an innovative fire for any organization.

A blog post this week on Fast Company explores the untimely (or maybe timely, for unhappy consumers)  demise of M&M Kissables.  The post’s takeaways are right on target – that the product likely failed because the reformulation was unsatisfactory, and that it was not perceived as being sufficiently different from others which already existed.

So how does a consultant make sure that his or her client’s product or service does not meet the same fate?

There are three affordable, and easy-to-implement solutions:

Testing: Whether it be product testing, concept evaluation, or some other method, make sure that your client tests any changes in a product or service offering.  It is easy to believe that the change is either insignificant or will have a net positive impact, but these assumptions are often incorrect.

Evaluation of Uniqueness: Whenever a new product or service is introduced, it can’t be properly marketed or positioned until the uniqueness is established.  Think about it – if the problem is already being solved, what would motivate someone to change their purchasing behavior?  Therefore, part of a new product or service introduction should always entail primary research that answers the uniqueness question.

Assess desired benefits:  Most importantly, what emotional-level benefits does this product meet for the end user?  Note that this is very different from features it might have, such as a certain ingredient, or specific packaging (applies to service ‘packaging’ as well).  Features only describe a product or a service.  Emotional-level benefits address how your client’s product or service will improve the end-user’s life.  Note the difference demonstrated in the chart below:

Always identify the emotional benefit the product will deliver and highlight this benefit in product positioning and marketing communications.

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These three steps can easily convert your client’s product or service introduction from a nightmare of failure into a dream of success.

You can learn how to harness customer insights into discovering new products services, or changes to those which already exist, that create a sustainable competitive advantage for your brand. It all starts with asking the right questions, using best practices in market research, to address customer needs:

• Watch your customers interact with your brand.  You’ll learn about how they use it, any difficulties they have with it, and other products which may address problems they have that they haven’t yet found a solution for.
• Learn how they make the purchase decision.  Is it alone, or with others?  Who influences their decisions?  What is the purchase experience like for them, and how can you make it better or easier?
• Talk to non-customers – what are the barriers to purchasing your product?  How can these barriers be overcome? Does the competition currently solving their problem in a way that you don’t?

Most importantly, understand that customers are NOT looking for product features.  They ARE looking for product benefits.  You can learn what these benefits are, and how they can be uniquely positioned, if you ask the question and really listen to the answers.

In a recent post, we described how online qualitative research can lower the cost of some respondent incentives.  Below, we discuss how this same methodology can lead marketers and consultants to a better understanding of market segments.

Segment identification

Many marketers are not sure how to segment their customer base, or potential customers.  Online research allows the moderator to break out respondents into separate rooms.  If there’s a point in a discussion where it appears that respondents are going in different directions, they can be separated into these rooms, where discussion can be conducted that is more relevant to their needs.

Access to Multiple Segments

Other times, marketers and consultants know that there are segments that exist, but can’t find a way to affordably reach each segment.  Online qualitative research often allows more respondents into a group than face-to-face research, facilitating more participation and also the ability to reach multiple segments at one time.  The discussion guide can be set up to allow groups to break off into separate rooms at the most optimal times in the conversation.

In-Depth Need Exploration

Because online qualitative research can span several days or more, the methodology can often yield a more comprehensive understanding of each segment’s needs. It can also result in more clearly defined messages that will appeal to each segment’s motivators and behavioral drivers.

If at all feasible, any qualitative study that explores segmentation opportunities should be followed up with a quantitative survey to confirm the presence of these segments, measure their size, and confirm differences that may exist.  However, an online qualitative study can provide a strong foundation for market segmentation efforts.

• Support from management – Using an outside resource can automatically add legitimacy to this type of project.  Consultants skilled in employee research can answer management questions, backed by other experiences and real-world lessons.

• Results reporting – Does the organization or management consultant truly have the internal resources to devote to reporting the results?  Not only do research experts provide a time-savings, but the efficiency they’ve gained in doing similar projects for other clients can provide an ultimate cost-savings benefit as well.

• Objectivity – Research experts provide objectivity in both designing questions and interpreting results, major hurdles that often face others who are close to the company.  Often, internal subjectivity isn’t even exposed until the data has been collected, resulting in a research effort that can only deliver sub-optimal insights.

By carefully evaluating when an outside research expert should be used versus a DIY-approach, management consultants can provide their clients with insights that can increase employee satisfaction, ultimately impacting their customers and improving their bottom line.

Most marketers and consultants know what to look for in the implementation of in-person qualitative research techniques. However, many aren’t aware of easy ways to maximize their return on investment when using these qualitative techniques in an online environment.  Hence, the first in our series on maximizing the use of online qualitative research – reducing the cost of respondent homework assignments.

Homework Assignments

In-person qualitative studies often ask respondents to complete an assignment beforehand to provide insights into their brand perceptions, product usage, or category consumption.  While it is often necessary to provide additional incentives to compensate respondents for their time, online research opens up new worlds to make these assignments more affordable for the client, thus reducing the cost of the research:

1. Sometimes respondents are asked to sort through magazines to find pictures indicating their perceptions of a concept or a product.  This requires respondents to find suitable literature, spend time cutting out the pictures, and then paste them onto paper or poster board.  Online, lower cost – respondents can be asked to find clip art or images that evoke the same perceptions. Online methods reduce the need for any printing, and physical cutting and pasting.
2. Respondents are asked to provide a video of themselves using a product, and bring in the video.  The researcher also has to provide equipment sufficiently large enough for other respondents to see the video. Online, lower cost –video can be easily uploaded, with other respondents immediately able to view on their computer screens.
3. Respondents keep a diary of product usage, or their feelings regarding a product.  They have to remember to bring the journal with them, and the writing can be burdensome, particularly among certain populations. Online, lower cost – respondents can upload a journal at any time, recorded either by typing or voice activation.  BONUS: respondents can also post their journals online to a social network, and researchers can observe reactions to these perceptions among the respondent’s friends, providing access to a larger audience and more in-depth insights.

There are certainly times when the homework required by respondents necessitates a live, in-person group.  However, online methods offer new flexibility and the opportunity to reduce research costs in many situations.

• Carefully define the objectives of the study, and what you want to learn from employees.  Sometimes consultants will approach these surveys with broad goals, which lead to results that are either impractical to act upon, or don’t yield information that can provide solid direction.  By working with staff to clearly define the purpose and what actions might be implemented, you improve your chances that the survey results will be meaningful and that any indicated actions will help the organization to achieve its bottom line goals.

• Make sure that leadership staff supports the goals of the study and communicates them to employees.  Employees take notice when they receive a personalized email from organizational leaders letting them know that a survey is coming their way.  They are more likely to respond to a survey when they know it has “teeth” behind it, and you’ll get a broader base of responses rather than hearing from those who are very happy (or unhappy). The responses you get will often be more thoughtful, allowing you to make recommendations that will have a greater impact.

• Limit the survey so that it takes no more than 10 minutes to complete.  While employees want to provide their feedback, longer surveys create fatigue among respondents, and diminish the quality of the data. By keeping the purposes of the study in mind when designing the survey, it will make it easier for you to achieve the study’s goal.

• Work with organizational leadership on a plan to communicate the results. By letting employees know that they have a voice and that their voice was heard, you add value to the survey, and enable them to feel that they are part of the process.

• Most importantly, the survey must be anonymous.  Completely.  No employee should know who else responded or didn’t respond, let alone the specific feedback that was provided.  Assuring employees that any and all responses will be kept confidential will assure you of getting the best data that reflects true employee opinion. This is why many consultants use a different research consultant for the survey – it provides employees with greater confidence that their opinions will be respected and that personal information will not be divulged.

Follow these guidelines, and not only will employees provide great feedback and insight, but your client will be singing your praises about the value-add that you provide.