Fitting Social Media Research into Qualitative Projects

SMR SIG Presentation – August 2015 SMR SIG Presentation – August 2015

QRCA SMR SIG Presentation:

Where Social Media Research Fits; Projects, Clients and Proposal AdviceKatrina Noelle & Holly BlanksteinAugust 2015


Learn practices from our fellow practitioners on how to:

1. Educate clients on the use of social media research within or in conjunction with a qualitative project

2. Include social media research in qualitative project proposals

3. Use social media research to support qualitative projects

Our Objectives


Our MethodologyFive one-on-one telephone interviews with professionals in our network

Participants Represented:o 3 countrieso 5 companieso Roles/titles: Research Director, President, VP and Consultantso In terms of SMR experience, some had only using the techniques for

a couple years and some experts had been integrating the technique for 10 years

o 2-12 projects a year include a SMR component

Interestingly, finding participants was more difficult than anticipated


In-person

Synchronous / Real-Time Online Discussions

Asynchronous Online Discussions

Mobile Research

Leveraging Social Media Research

Where SMR fits in:Today’s Qualitative Menu


Methods

o Social Media

Listening/Monitoring

o Social Media platforms as

research platforms

o Recruiting

•Leverage SMR in Qualitative

Research to

o Analyze existing data

o Immerse “observationally”

o Explore language, related

issues/topics

o Follow a target audience—get to

know them as a group or

individually

Benefits and Methods


Making a Place for SMR

Before they could successfully integrate and sell SMR, the

practitioners we spoke to had to fully understand how it would fit into

their practice

o What did it add to their offering?o What sorts of projects would it be best for?o Which sorts of clients should they approach with it?

But many found it worth while to find out because…


Reasons to Try

Participants under the age of 25 are getting less and less comfortable

with in person research

Competitive intelligence – getting up to speed on new

clients and categories

I saw people were commenting on sites like Yelp and noticed that would have an impact on our customers. Looked for a way to capture that and incorporate it

into findings for our clients


Add to the Offering

Our participants all clarified that the best way to offer

SMR is as part of a qualitative project1. Project prologue; learn about what people said about the

brand before research2. Language; base attribute lists on the most common words to

describe the brand online, know which words to use in discussion guides

3. Pre-fieldwork; get to know participants before meeting them in field, often via FB, Instagram, CC or texting

Always listen on a larger level - social media listening cannot stand alone. Always do it in conjunction with offline or more traditional experiences - otherwise you only get one

side of the story


Impress Clients Show clients their researcher is thinking about their topic

and combining resources like blogs and social media to represent not only what her participants are saying, but what the conversation in general is about

Enhance client relationship to "impress" them with category knowledge

Make it easier to establish rapport with participants

Help answer questions you’d otherwise not know to ask; better prepares for research


Some Clients Appreciate SMR

A couple of participants have clients who love added

depth that SMR brings to projects, especially those

focused on their brand image in SM• They see it as and efficient and authentic way to hear

the voice of the customerThey appreciate the added

value and added depth to the reports. Also, it’s viewed as efficient since it's difficult to

get enough time with respondents. Additionally, it

is a bit more "authentic"


But…Sometimes it’s Invisible

A number of participants said that SRM is not very

sellable; clients feel it’s a nice-to-have but not for an extra

expense• That’s no reason not to do it however! Participants feel

confident that it gives them background knowledge they need to succeed in projects

I can't imagine a way to "sell" it on it's own. It's usually not even

a line item on my invoices. I uses it mostly for my own knowledge

and to add color and background to the topic or results


What Next?

Bringing SMR to your team and your clients


Tips

Start by Remember that• Find a project with

enough social chatter online

• Join the discussion!• Find a software platform

that works for you to track your findings

• Use it to write screeners and guides

• It’s time consuming• There is a steep learning

curve• There is a lot of data to

manage


Platforms

DIY Methods Software Services• “By hand” via smart

Google searches• A younger

colleague/employee• Find a software platform

that works for you to track your findings

• Use it to write screeners and guides


Cautions Data; Not all brands or topics are discussed enough

online; do your homework before presenting a SMR to your client

Ethics; Treat all of this data as you do data from any other type of research

Time; Make sure you have the time to get immersed in the online discussion and are willing to open your own SM accounts to interact with the discussion in that space

SMR SIG Presentation – August 2015 16

SMR SIG Presentation – August 2015

QRCA is a vibrant global network of qualitative researchers immersed in the most exciting work being done in the field.

Need insights? One organization. One click. 1,000+ qualitative experts.www.QRCA.org 888.ORG.QRCA

Thank you!

Katrina NoelleT: +1 415.450.7084E: [email protected]

Holly BlanksteinT: +1 773.294.1443

E: [email protected]

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Fitting Social Media Research into Qualitative Projects

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