Which of the following is a method of collecting informal data about your audience

Data collection is an important tool for understanding the behavior and motivations of your audience. It helps you gather intel on the kinds of products, services, and initiatives they’d like to see. Good data also makes it easier for you to identify ways to improve the experience they have with your organization at every touchpoint. 

There are two main kinds of data collection — qualitative data collection and quantitative data collection. We’re going to focus on qualitative data-collection methods here. 

What’s the difference between qualitative and quantitative data?

Quantitative data is numerical data that can be ranked, categorized, and measured — like the number of customers who spent over $50 last year, the gross or net profit for a specific time period, or the number of subscribers who converted into buyers from an email marketing campaign. 

This kind of data answers closed-ended questions, such as “how many” or “how much,” and you can collect it through surveys, polls, and questionnaires.

Qualitative data is descriptive rather than numerical, and it looks for context — it’s about people’s perceptions. You gather it to understand the reasons and motivations that drive certain behavior. For example, qualitative data can reveal people’s feelings and opinions about your organization, and you can use it to determine why customers buy your products (or don’t). 

Quantitative data can tell you about your market share, the demographics of your customers, and how often they buy your products or use your services. Basically, qualitative data can give you the story behind the story. One way to gather this data is through open-ended surveys and questionnaires, but let’s look at a few more.

Qualitative data-collection methods

One-on-one interviews

Interviews are one of the most common qualitative data-collection methods, and they’re a great approach when you need to gather highly personalized information. Informal, conversational interviews are ideal for open-ended questions that allow you to gain rich, detailed context.

Open-ended surveys and questionnaires 

Open-ended surveys and questionnaires allow participants to answer freely at length, rather than choosing from a set number of responses. For example, you might ask an open-ended question like “Why don’t you eat ABC brand pizza?” 

You would then provide space for people to answer narratively, rather than simply giving them a specific selection of responses to choose from — like “I’m a vegan,” “It’s too expensive,” or “I don’t like pizza.” 

Focus groups

Focus groups are similar to interviews, except that you conduct them in a group format. You might use a focus group when one-on-one interviews are too difficult or time-consuming to schedule.  

They’re also helpful when you need to gather data on a specific group of people. For example, if you want to get feedback on a new marketing campaign from a number of demographically similar people in your target market or allow people to share their views on a new product, focus groups are a good way to go.

Observation

Observation is a method in which a data collector observes subjects in the course of their regular routines, takes detailed field notes, and/or records subjects via video or audio. 

Case studies

In the case study method, you analyze a combination of multiple qualitative data sources to draw inferences and come to conclusions. 

When should you use qualitative vs quantitative data-collection methods?

The truth is, to get the best results, you need to rely on both quantitative and qualitative data-collection methods. You get deeper insights when you use a combination of the two.  

Qualitative research offers context and nuance, and it can help you develop a fuller understanding of the complexities of human behavior related to your organization’s products or services. It’s data wrapped in a rich contextual story. 

That said, qualitative data research can take a lot of time to collect and analyze, and it can sometimes result in biased conclusions. That’s why you should pair it with quantitative data collection to get the best, most accurate information.

For businesses and organizations that want to improve their marketing and outreach game, qualitative data research methods can help 

• Determine obstacles to purchasing your company’s products or using your company’s services 
• Gain insights into how clients and customers perceive your brand
• Identify areas for improvement across the entire brand discovery and buying cycle
• Pinpoint where your messaging may be muddled or confusing
• Discover in-demand product features to implement
• Understand how your brand compares to others in the market
• Gauge marketing campaign performance
• Identify how your website, apps, and other online assets are performing

Jotform is a great resource for creating the kind of open-ended surveys and questionnaires that you need for qualitative data collection.  And you can use Jotform for quantitative data collection as well. Whatever your data-collection needs, Jotform can help with a wide range of surveys and questionnaires.

This article is originally published on Aug 02, 2021, and updated on Apr 28, 2022.

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Before communications professionals such as technical writers, public relations specialists, and others within the field launch a campaign or strategy, they often need to assess the target audience to make sure that all information provided is appropriate, appealing, and at the correct level.

The audience, also referred to as the end-user, will be the recipient of any items produced and shared, so it’s crucial to make sure that all communications are targeted towards that group. In order to achieve this goal, many communications professionals will use research methods for audience analysis. As you work toward your master’s in communications, it’s important to cultivate skills like these now that can help you at work later.

There are several commonly used methods; each offers its own insights into your target audience. Read on for four examples:

Primary Research

The first step when beginning audience analysis is gathering as much information as possible. If you have preconceived notions or ideas about your audience, avoid them and focus on the actual research performed instead. You should eliminate any information that has already been found by other researchers as part of your primary research phase, since this will allow you to start from scratch. You might choose to use qualitative or quantitative research methods during this process, but all information should come from your own work and findings.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research focuses on the feelings and opinions of a consumer or member of the target audience. When performing this type of research, you should try to get into and understand the mindset of a customer to see which areas of the product or campaign are most appealing and which areas are lacking. Examples include interviews and focus groups.

Interviews

Face-to-face or telephone interviews can provide a lot of insight into your target audience. This method of research can fall into either qualitative or quantitative, although most believe that it provides more information in the former category. An interview involves interaction between a single respondent and the moderator, or person asking the questions.

However, an interview doesn’t have to follow a prescribed layout and format with a list of questions and time for answers. Instead, some researchers choose to make the interview process more comfortable and informal by simply engaging in a conversation with audience members. When conducting interviews, ask open-ended questions that allow for detailed responses instead of just “yes” or “no.”

Focus Groups

One of the most common methods of qualitative research is hosting a focus group. In this method, you will organize a group of people and share information about your product or service, campaign and marketing ideas, and development. As the participants of the focus group view the information presented, you can gauge their reactions through body language, facial expressions, and actual feedback that they provide. Hosting focus groups in virtual settings is becoming more popular, thanks to technological advancements, but doing so can make it harder to see facial expressions and read body language.

When bringing people together to participate in a focus group, it’s important to make sure that all participants have something in common. You might choose to divide groups by age, gender, or other factors. When you split them into more targeted groups, you can get more information that will help you better understand your audience. Most focus group hosts offer some type of compensation for participation, such as a free product, gift card, voucher, coupon, or even cash.

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research typically focuses on statistics and hard facts instead of opinions and feelings. For a better understanding of your audience, it’s helpful to use methods that fall under this category when conducting both primary and secondary research. Examples of quantitative research include social media analytics, surveys/questionnaires, and trials with experimentation.

Social Media Analytics

In today’s online world, social media is a critical area when researching your audience. Companies can reach millions of people with a single post, something that was never previously within reach. But simply sharing posts without following up on how they are performing is a waste of time and resources. Analytics are built into most social media platforms and allow users to view how many people viewed a post, as well as any interaction with the content, such as clicks and responses.

Using the information provided can help your company learn what type of content resonates with your target audience. By viewing what they choose to interact with, you can then create additional content that complements those topics. New jobs are popping up across the country, and they require experience in and an understanding of social media analytics.

Surveys and Questionnaires

Surveys and questionnaires are old-school methods of quantitative research that still work. Whether you conduct a follow-up survey by phone or email or slip a flyer into the bag of every customer who visits your store, you can get information from real buyers or users of your product. Using this information can help you improve the product or service as well as customer service techniques and the overall customer experience.

Secondary Research

Secondary research involves reviewing information presented from other sources. If your company has conducted primary research on other products or service, you might use that data for developing and improving new products and services. Some businesses also rely on external sources to present data.

If you’re simply relying on the internet for market research, it may be time to reevaluate your strategy. The online world is certainly useful as a starting point but should not be the only method by which you conduct research. Talking to your customers and understanding their unique perspectives is critical to improving the way you speak to them and market your products. Keep in mind that it would be a mistake to rely on just one research method instead of employing several different ones.

If you are interested in understanding and working in market research for audience analysis, you may want to consider your advanced education options. The University of Southern California Master of Communication Management Online, offered by the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, includes courses that focus on research methods and how to improve audience engagement through understanding their thoughts and feelings.

Sources https://www.cleverism.com/market-research-techniques-primary-secondary/ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/270131 http://study.com/academy/lesson/informal-and-formal-methods-of-audience-analysis.html

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