Surveying the Scene

I've probably already mentioned The Onion on a previous blog, as I'm a big fan. Sorry to repeat the reference, but it has written several very funny stories on the ever-present survey data in the news we read regularly. I read my local paper every day, and each day, I read at least two or three stories centered around a new survey. You name the topic, there is a survey out there that covers it.

Which brings me to my next point. Our client base, representing various industries and market segments, sees real value in outsourcing surveys for marketing and thought leadership purposes. The surveys help articulate market trends and problems that their customers need to monitor or address. Reporters keep telling us they are tired of surveys, but they keep on writing about them. And the primary reason behind this, in my opinion, is newsrooms are short-staffed and many journalists don't have the luxury of taking a few days or weeks to research an in-depth story to provide multiple angles. But surveys are an "insta-story," and they aren't going away any time soon. Not to mention, they are genuinely interesting - they confirm hunches and anecotal information. One of our clients, Kronos, just did a great survey on how many workers roll into work late on the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday. We all know Super Bowl Mondays are a problem, but now we have a survey that confirms it.

But there are things you need to consider when working with a survey company. Ask about their competitive policies, and be prepared for competing companies to use the same the tool. We had a client recently work with a reputable company on a security/compliance-oriented survey that uncovered valuable market data for the identity compliance market. Two weeks ago, the same survey company released a survey with our client's direct competitor, releasing similar findings.

Surveys sell, and they also provide valuable market data. Just keep in mind that that your competitors can use them, too.