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Is qualitative research only for big brands?
Global brands, especially those that sell to consumers, spend a lot on market research. But leaders of small to medium brands need to listen to their stakeholders every bit as much—if not more.
by Joe Grossmann · 4.5 min read
illustrations by Matt Johnson
The notion that research is only for big companies and consumer brands is a common misconception. Perhaps this is because many people envision a focus group comparing breakfast cereals or discussing shopping habits when they hear the terms “market research” or “qualitative research.”
But nothing could be further from the truth. Qualitative research—i.e., listening to people—is equally valuable for organizations of all types and sizes.
The leaders of smaller brands need insights from stakeholders and target audiences just as much as big-brand leaders, if not more.
For over 20 years, our firm has utilized various forms of qualitative research with a diverse array of S2M (small-to-medium) nonprofits, higher education clients, B2B companies, and startups. In every instance, the insights we gained from talking with current stakeholders and target audiences were critical to forming a meaningful and coherent brand strategy.
Here are just a few examples:
Higher education: A professional degree program was seeking increased prominence, but we sensed that marketing was not the issue. We conducted numerous in-depth interviews and discovered broad undercurrents of disappointment among key stakeholders, particularly in terms of culture and outcomes. That did not bode well for word of mouth, career development, or alumni loyalty. Our research insights allowed us to develop a brand strategy that tackled stakeholder concerns head-on.
B2B service company: Our client struggled to attract and retain new customers in an extremely competitive, price-driven market. Was customer satisfaction the issue? No. Conversations with both front line staff and customers demonstrated that both groups were happy and valued their relationships. The company’s position and messaging, however, emphasized data, failing to depict or capitalize on the uniformly positive brand experience that was a rarity in their industry. The new brand strategy focused on this differentiator and attracting the kind of simpatico customers the company was seeking.
Nonprofit agency: We were enlisted to design a brand strategy to engage current donors more effectively and expand support beyond the current base. Step one was learning why our client’s fundraising efforts had plateaued. Our research found that many longtime supporters—as well as prospective donors—had distinctly different views of the organization’s mission, scope, and impact. The lack of coherence in brand perception was exacerbated by a misleading brand name and an inconsistent brand architecture. Insights from our research drove the development of a more focused and coherent brand identity and communications strategy.
Is qualitative research a good fit for your organization?
If you’re the leader of a small-to-medium nonprofit, B2B, or educational institution, you may well wonder where this kind of research fits into your strategic planning and whether it needs to be conducted in the first place.
The short answers are: “early in the process” and “yes.”
You might find it hard to imagine how the techniques used in consumer research could possibly apply to your organization. After all, the challenges you face are fundamentally different than those the CEOs of Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Toyota, or Nike face.
The questions we may ask your stakeholders might be different, but the fundamentals are the same. If you’re truly interested in serving the people you work with—whether they’re employees, partners, customers, donors, or volunteers—it’s critical to listen closely to what they have to say.
And the best way to do that is with a well designed and professionally executed qualitative research program.
As we pointed out in “DIY market research: your mileage may vary,” a successful outcome requires more than a down-and-dirty DIY survey or a staff workshop. The most useful insights come from engaging the right people in conversation, asking the right questions, and listening actively.
Qualitative researchers know how to put people at ease. A good researcher assures subjects that their input will be both highly valued and anonymized, thereby encouraging them to speak openly in an unfiltered way. Additionally, the best qualitative researchers have acquired numerous techniques for coaxing valuable insights from even the shyest or most reluctant subjects.
Can you ask your staff to do the research to avoid the cost of a professional research firm? Possibly, but a DIY research program may flounder if no one on your staff has previously designed and executed a qualitative research study. At the very least, consider engaging an experienced qualitative researcher as a consultant to guide your team in their DIY efforts.
If you have a qualified researcher on staff, remember that an in-house researcher may have subtle biases and blind spots (not to mention job pressures!) that can skew each stage of a study, from research design to interpretation and reporting. Take those biases into account as you review both the design and the results.
The nature of small-to-medium brands
Both B2Bs and nonprofits—especially in the S2M category—are often very relationship-driven. Rather than relying on mass marketing and advertising, these brands usually thrive by cultivating in-depth connections with a relatively small pool of stakeholders. If you’re a B2B, you or your staff probably interact with many of your stakeholders routinely, possibly even on a daily basis. If you’re a smaller nonprofit, chances are you’ve met or even befriended most of your most loyal donors and volunteers.
As with any personal relationship, the parties involved can become so close over time that transparency suffers, or they can begin taking each other for granted. In the worst case, familiarity may eventually breed contempt. These are all good reasons to have an impartial outside researcher learn what your stakeholders really think and feel on a range of topics.
If you’re already committed to the idea of hiring a researcher, seek one who has worked with organizations similar to yours in terms of size and type. (Your specific sector or industry probably doesn’t matter in your selection process.)
For example, if you’re a small family-owned distributor of HVAC parts, it wouldn’t make much sense to hire a researcher who has worked exclusively with major retail food brands. Instead, look for a researcher familiar with small businesses and, hopefully, supply chains.
If you’re the leader of a hyperlocal social service agency, seek someone who has experience working with nonprofits of any kind, but ideally those with a similar geographical scope or community impact.
And if you’re a startup, you may still be trying to determine exactly which target audiences will be receptive to your offering and how they might be cultivated into long-term relationships. A researcher deeply familiar with the pitfalls and small victories experienced by other entrepreneurs will probably be more capable of designing the right research program for you.
How long will it take? How much will it cost?
If you’re only seeking a quick read on one or two dimensions of your brand, a qualitative research program need not be overly elaborate or excessively expensive. You can discover quite a bit with a cohort of only 5–10 subjects, especially if they’re carefully chosen.
Finding and scheduling the right subjects can be as time-consuming as conducting the research itself, so it’s generally advisable to allow one to three weeks for those steps. With another one to three weeks for the research and reporting, you should allocate a total of two to six weeks for a brief study.
Depending on how the research is designed (e.g., one-on-one interviews versus a virtual focus group) and how easily subjects can be recruited and scheduled, costs for a small “quick pulse” study might run anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000.
If you have more complex questions and goals, a more elaborate research design may be required. For example, a researcher may need to recruit subjects in a variety of cohorts or contact them for follow-up questions over time. Financial incentives for their participation may be required.
In our experience, such studies can require two to four months with budgets ranging from $10,000 to $60,000.
Of course, your brand and your situation are unique. There’s no single best way to program the research, and there’s no standardized menu of options and costs.
If you’d like to discuss what type of research design and budget might be most appropriate for your brand, let’s talk. We’re happy to provide a proposal at no cost.
