Ideally, we would survey everyone in the relevant population about a specific topic, but since we cannot, we have developed sampling methods to collect a random, demographically representative subgroup of people to represent the population. We use this approach to gather necessary insights about the population as having to survey every individual would be impractical due to time and cost constraints.
There are two main challenges we often face when we are beginning a project:
- Helping our clients understand who the right audience is for their project
- Finding the right vendor who can supply the correct audience for the survey
At TEAM LEWIS, our Research, Insights and Analytics teams work to support clients by improving their marketing efforts with data-backed strategies.
Finding the Right Audience
The first issue is deciding the right audience. Many clients think the most important people to speak to are C-suite or upper-level executives, and for some projects, that may be the correct audience. But often, the true decision makers are “in the weeds,” a level or two below the upper-level management and have more information on the topic at hand. TEAM LEWIS Research works with clients to decide who the right audience is for the project and then develops a series of questions to screen out the wrong type of respondents so we can ensure we target the right respondents for our clients.
TEAM LEWIS Research also consistently inspects the data during the project to determine that the respondents are answering honestly, and we remove anyone who fails our data quality checks. Taking it a step further, we provide this information (failed data quality checks) back to the vendor so they can remove any bad respondents from the panel. This process ensures that the vendors are aware of anyone who may be an issue on their end and helps to ensure quality sample in the future.
Finding the Right Vendor
TEAM LEWIS Research prides itself on data quality and evaluates sample vendors to understand what methods they are using to ensure quality respondents. This includes using trusted vendors and the use of both automated and routine data quality checks throughout the fielding process. Over the years, many sample providers have consolidated and TEAM LEWIS wants to ensure we are examining the best options for sample as vendors may specialize in specific audiences and use slightly different methods. TEAM LEWIS Research will evaluate the project and assess which vendor may be best for the project depending on who we need to survey to capture the right results.
TEAM LEWIS Research has also partnered with Imperium, a trusted source in data quality, and leads the market research industry in digital fingerprinting. By collecting additional information on respondents, they can detect if a person is trying to take the survey multiple times or with multiple accounts. These methods help researchers identify people who are trying to “cheat” the vendors we use to get the benefit of taking the survey (which may be in the form of money, points or another reward). Quality vendors have processes to avoid this on their own, but it is helpful to have an extra layer of security in place.
Why is sampling so important to our clients and to us?
- TEAM LEWIS Research works collaboratively with clients to find the best option for the purposes of their research. Budgets can be restrictive, but our research team discusses the options with our clients to best suit their needs. We work to keep costs low while keeping the results within an acceptable margin of error.
- Some of our clients work in niche spaces or tough-to-reach audiences. We have a good understanding of who we can reach, cost implications for specific job levels or titles, and how many people we need to survey.
- Lastly, we want the results to hold weight. Clients build strategies and make decisions based upon the implications from the survey findings, so they need to accurately capture the market and sentiments of the population.
At TEAM LEWIS, great research starts with thoughtful design and quality sample.
Ready for your next research project? Reach out to our research team today!
