Center for Strategy Research

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• Vol. 14, Issue 5, August 2019

Hello!

This weekend, I went to our town’s annual “Town Day,” and indulged myself by getting a funnel cake from a food truck. While for some this might lead to a youthful nostalgia for festivals past, for me, I could think only of market research!

Enjoy this month’s Research with a Twist, where we ask the question, “What’s in the top of your funnel?”

— Jennifer

What’s in the top of your funnel?

At a recent outdoor festival, my tasty, very-much-enjoyed funnel cake reminded me of the phrase “top of the funnel.” First, I thought of how putting the funnel cake in my mouth (the top of the funnel), would likely put pounds on my hips (unfortunately, the “bottom” of my funnel, though the picture would be inverted).

But then, I also thought of how the information that we put into our marketing initiatives (the food, as it were) will affect outcomes for our organizations. If we start with false assumptions or incorrect information when beginning to evaluate the market for new ideas, the resulting products and services might not be what our customers want. In other words, the way that exploratory research is conducted is critical.

When leveraging exploratory research to fill the top of the marketing funnel, we believe that very few ingredients are needed to ensure a high-quality result that could help your organization most, including:

1. The right research participants

Like finding the best food vendor at an outdoor festival (Are people standing in line? Good! Do the ingredients look fresh and recently replenished? Even better!), most important to understanding the market is finding the right customers or prospects to tell you what they think.

The easiest and fastest way to access the right customers and prospects is to have a proprietary panel – vetted for the most desirable demographic and firmographic criteria, as well as for insightful members who are willing to share information freely. Like having a funnel cake truck, ready for top-of-the-funnel research, right in your own backyard!

2. Unbiased questioners

In anticipating my funnel cake experience, I had a very definite, clear picture of what I wanted in my mind. Paper plate, with a piping hot, crunchy-crispy on the outside, light as a cloud on the inside, powdered-sugar-dusted delight of a bite, gone in about one minute.

Of course, when conducting exploratory research, anticipation like this has to be completely dropped. For example, at CSR, we train moderators and interviewers to ask non-leading questions, and to react neutrally to any answers they hear. Although knowledgeable about the language and processes of a wide variety of industries, they are trained to be curious about whatever the research participant chooses to discuss, rather than directing the conversation down familiar (non-innovative) paths.

3. Open-ended questions

In addition to questioners who encourage off-the-beaten path ideas, it’s important to ask the right questions as well. Often in exploratory research, this means asking direct questions as well as using projective techniques to invite frankness and creativity. Because, let’s face it, you can’t have funnel without “fun”!

Here’s the Twist: Every researcher loves well-executed exploratory research. Conduct it with the right research participants, with unbiased questioners, using open-ended questions, and the top of your marketing funnel will be filled with insight and innovation. And far fewer calories than an actual funnel cake!