It's research time..........

Do you know who your respondents are?

The approach to Marketing Research
"Pure Sample, True Results"

As you are certainly aware, the landscape of marketing research is literally changing before our eyes. What has worked in years gone by will surely become less effective going forward. The way we see it, there are three major challenges presenting themselves to an organization seeking insight into the thought process of their target market:

• Sample Quality
• Sample Quantity
• Response Rates

Direct Connect is a brand new methodology in the online marketing research world that addresses each of those issues in a truly unique and revolutionary way. Let's take a look at each challenge individually, shall we?

Sample Quality
The traditional approach to collecting marketing research via online surveys is to simply send your target respondents an e-mail that contains a hyperlink to the survey. This method has produced literally millions of completed surveys as the online marketing industry has grown by leaps and bounds. However, as with most things in the business world (or any other world, for that matter), things change. The anonymity of being on the other side of an e-mail has created a new phenomenon commonly referred to as the "Professional Respondent". Confidence in the authenticity of data has been declining, and sample quality has moved it's way to the front burner of the industry's concerns.

DirectConnect addresses this issue in a very straightforward manner. We go to a place where we know our target audience will be and administer the survey on-site. For example, if your core target responder is a buyer in the home furnishings business, we arrange to have an exhibit booth at a well-attended trade show or conference that features home furnishings. We populate our exhibit booth with laptops that have an internet connection, and have the participants complete the survey on the spot! Most importantly, this approach ensures that the data you are collecting is clean, reliable information that can be converted into true insight into your target. An extremely beneficial by-product of this process is that we have found that approximately 40% of the participants at a DirectConnect event elect to be contacted again for further research, which means you receive ongoing return on your investment going forward.

Sample Quantity
Another challenge in front of the marketing research industry is spam, and how it affects our ability to deliver surveys to our target audience. Everyone who has an e-mail account is painfully aware of the ever-increasing amount of unwanted e-mails that land in their inbox each day. While there are steps that can be taken to increase the chances of your invitation reaching the intended target (white lists, etc..), spam filters are becoming more and more intrusive as the stream of unwanted advertisements grows. The DirectConnect approach eliminates this layer by inviting the participant to share their opinions in person. This approach allows you to actually meet the people who are participating in your project, which in of itself holds value.
DirectConnect has perfected the art of drawing people into our exhibit spaces. We have found professional greeters and cash incentives are extremely effective in attracting attention to our booth. We also use enticements such as premium coffee and back massaging chairs to draw traffic through our space. We have found that if you are able to generate a crowd from the start, that tends to promote interest throughout the show. Pre-show mailings are yet another effective tool for engaging repondents.

DirectConnect has the answers to your marketing research challenges.  To discuss how the DirectConnect approach can deliver results for you, please contact Bob Lussier at rlussier@klcom.com or call (888) 552-2552.