Greentarget

Betsy Hoag

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With Covid-19’s full effects still bearing down on us, professional services providers might be tempted to stand pat on critical business initiatives. But those initiatives could help them weather an economic downturn — and prepare them for when some semblance of normalcy returns.

Put simply, waiting is not a strategy right now.

Organizations can still do a lot thoughtfully and strategically, particularly in areas that can work quite well with so many Americans working from home over the coming weeks and months.

Research Surveys in the Time of Covid-19

When they’re not trying to concentrate with screaming kids in the next room or investing in noise-canceling headphones, American workers are taking more video conferences than ever before. That is out of necessity, but it also means that those workers are growing more comfortable with online communication platforms.

With this somewhat-captive audience there is an opportunity to conduct online surveys – surveys that can teach us a lot about the topic of the moment. Over the past two months, Greentarget has developed several Covid-19 surveys related to topics or trends relevant to services our clients offer. We have successfully surveyed about Covid-19’s implications for employment issues, cybersecurity issues and CMS changes, among other topics. The best surveys ask not only what has happened and how that has impacted business but also explore near-term plans and where future challenges are expected.

Staying focused is crucial to produce a newsworthy piece of quantitative research. This is not the time for wide-ranging questionnaires that will take weeks to analyze. Audiences are hungry for trusted voices to provide actionable advice in the near-term.

Don’t Forget About Qualitative Research

Qualitative research – frequently conducted through electronic channels in the best of times — is another way to provide insights. It can refresh thought leadership that was published prior to the pandemic as key audiences can weigh in on how perceptions may have changed, or to what extent those previous insights look different to them.

To do this, Greentarget deploys an online focus group, with respondents similar to the original survey respondents. Participants can comment on past findings and can elaborate on what that specifically means to their business. We often focus on whether respondents expect a return to normalcy or a completely new normal.

That was the approach for a project Greentarget partnered on with GreenHouse::Innovation and Amsterdam-based Learn Adapt Build (LAB). Since early this year, the three groups had planned the Work, Wellness & Space Summit in Chicago, scheduled for April 23. The 20 confirmed participants included leaders across commercial real estate, architecture, construction, commercial healthcare, big pharma and wellness consultancies.

Their discussion was intended to start a longer-term wellness initiative, called Space::The Immediate Frontier, organized around a pressing need to uncover a healthier relationship between wellness, work and space is possible, with the holistic employee experience at its center. But by late March, it was clear the format needed to change.

Rather than rescheduling, the partner groups opted to engage key stakeholders in the initiative through remote interviews about the specific business challenges. These interviews will build momentum leading up to the summit, while allowing Greentarget to take the pulse of key leaders about how they process the twists and turns that the pandemic has brought to their respective industries and how they each approach this very relevant topic.

Maintaining a willingness to explore creative approaches to research in a time of unprecedented constraints can empower your organization to emerge from this period in a position of strength. A compelling perspective rooted in audience empathy will keep you a step ahead of competitors and tuned into what is truly most important to your clients.

Return to COVID-19 Resources for Communicators

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Most CMOs, in-house counsel and C-suite officers agree they want research reports that are educational, in-depth and relevant. But actually finding those reports can prove surprisingly challenging, according to the 2019 State of Digital & Content Marketing Survey.

For instance, while 68 percent of CMOs, 64 percent of C-suite executives and 51 percent of in-house counsel say they appreciate that research reports are “educational,” only 9 percent of the C-suite and 19 percent of in-house counsel identify the attribute “easy to access” as one that intuitively appeals when it comes to research reports.

What makes these valuable sources of information so difficult to find? The disconnect likely stems from how research reports are typically disseminated — and suggests that, instead of depending on readers to find the reports on a firm website or microsite, marketers should employ a mix of targeted earned and owned content (leaning heavily on interactive charts — which are especially appealing to C-suite members). Trade publication websites, websites from outside professional service providers and vendors, and podcasts represent three potential areas of opportunity.

Approximately three-fourths of both in-house counsel and C-suite officers highly value trade publications — both online and in print — that cover industry news, with a significant majority visiting these publications at least weekly. CMOs nearly unanimously (95 percent) agree that trade publications are a valuable marketing source. Strategic placement of select research findings in these publications — cited and hyperlinked in staff-written, bylined or sponsored articles, for example — provides an impactful, coordinated marketing opportunity.

Both C-suite executives (67 percent) and in-house counsel (63 percent) also consider professional service provider websites a high-value source for news and information — and research reports offer these providers a means of refreshing their website content. The key, however, is to draw targeted audiences to where a particular report lives on the site. One way to achieve this would be to use social media to promote select findings — via infographics or teasers, for example — replete with links to the full report.

Podcasts again made gains in 2019 among both C-suite executives and in-house counsel as a preferred content source. So marketers should seriously consider developing podcasts around select reports. A growing number of other professional service providers are already doing this, to great — and even award-winning — effect. Though some might think podcasts an unlikely medium for in-depth research, our survey found that nearly 70 percent of C-suite officers perceive them as “educational” — suggesting that this segment welcomes receiving research through this medium.

Beyond distribution, research reports face challenges related to timing: Both in-house counsel (60 percent) and C-suite officers (57 percent) place high value on content that is current. Interactive charts likely appeal to C-suite members in part because the reader often feels like this reporting is especially dynamic. Lengthier research reports, while providing the in-depth information that both survey groups may value, could be months or even years in the making. Upon publishing, the information may be — or appear to be — of little use to decision-makers.

As Isaac Rogers of 20/20 Research says, “Research providers might publish a year-end review, but I need something timely. They do good work, but by the time major publications are out, I already know what is covered in the report.”

Shorter, more frequent research reports provide a solution. And strategic distribution of timely, actionable content through diverse channels will help meet the goals and preferences of the C-suite, in-house counsel and CMOs alike.

This article originally appeared in the 2019 State of Digital & Content Marketing Survey.

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