Social Media is NOT a list of survey questions
A square peg does not fit into a round hole. Believe me, I have tried. I learned the hard way on many fronts, but you don’t have to with Social Media. Market Research has many facets associated with it. Social Media is attached, but it should be treated as a unique identifier. If you attempt to look at Social Media with traditional research methodology (survey-based topics), chances are you are going to become very frustrated. Traditional research typically includes a survey which is delivered to a sample base through different channels (i.e. telephone [IVR], email, website, etc.). Organizations collect the responses and turn it into quantifiable results. Social Media research is the act of ‘listening’ to what people are saying about your product or service over a period of time or in real-time. Now, it is true Social Media can be correlated to traditional results, but it is also true Social Media can uncover a trend which might not have been captured in the defined question set. You have to be open to what Social Media can provide and take it for what it is; people talking about anything and everything. We have seen companies attempt to set up a Social Media research platform incorporating traditional research thinking and it results in a tremendous headache. The opportunity cost in the attempt to do so can result in a 0% return on your investment. Social Media will not rate a consumer’s in-store experience on a 5 or 10-point scale. Therefore, take Social Media for what it is. Look for trends and key terms; look for what is driving activity. If there is a subject matter that captures people’s attention then it might be time to formulate a question set around that specific topic. It will tell you how a specific promotion went or inform you that your online registration process is not working. Social Media doesn’t replace Traditional Research. It’s a guide and a key indicator of what is taking place around a topic in the social space. It’s real-time and ongoing. Trust your subject matter experts. Let them educate and formulate a Social Media research campaign based on their best practice approach. Let them do what you have paid them to do and ask questions. Don’t force that Traditional Research peg in that Social Media space!
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