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Tweet It

Twitter is the new Facebook, well in a way. Everywhere you turn shows and teachers and the media are all talking about tweeting. It a new way to stay engaged to what most interests you. Whether you tweet or not, Twitter is the perfect place to perform a low cost research project.

SurveyMonkey is no longer the only option. With Twitter, it may take more time to get the amount of individuals to answer the survey, but it’s worth it. Multiple choice and open ended questions can be asked on Twitter, but multiple choice is the easiest.

When performing research on Twitter, the mean age of responders will fall in the late 20′s to early 30′s range. Respondents will also be technologically inclined with some sort of higher educated experience. Before conducting research, remember to test the output options prior to posting.

Social Media Survey

In a recent online survey carried out by 2collab.com, scientists and researchers working in science, technical and medical fields were surveyed to investigate how aware people are of social media applications, their use and how relevant they are to science.

Also, they were asked about what the impact of social media applications will be on how research is conducted in the future. 2collab.com is an online collaboration tool for researchers that enables them to share, connect and discuss relevant research with peers.

There were 1,800 respondents to the survey with the majority aged between 35-65 and 40 percent being 25-34. The respondents were randomly sampled and not 2collab.com users.

Here are some key results of the online survey:

In five years, over 50 percent of respondents see social applications playing a key role in shaping nearly all aspects of research workflow

Just over 25 percent currently use social applications regularly (and see them as a major influence in the future) for finding jobs

23 percent believe social applications will have a ‘major influence’ on grant application and funding within the next five years

The faculty of tomorrow (based on people currently aged 25-44, already published 1-10 articles, currently in academic research positions) are already using social applications heavily and are ready to see them developed for professional networking, collaboration and career development.

2collab.com concludes that in five years scientists and researchers will continue to rely on traditional uses for publishing output, but social media applications will play a key role in providing additional indicators of quality, aiding information discovery and forming news ways of forming research partnerships, collaborations and career development.

Researching Social Networking Sites

Trade and professional associations are being impacted by social networks. In fact, many companies are creating “social networks” for their customers and staff. In July of 2008, a survey was conducted by Association Global Services to determine how these companies are approaching this new and growing trend.

Association executives were invited to participate by email, Linkedin, Fackbook and word of mouth. The survey had over 150 responses within 48 hours of distribution. The results of this survey revealed that the social networking trend is still relatively immature. Many associations are still in the stage of information gathering to understand how social networks can help their business. However, the fast growth of these online communities creates an opportunity to stay connected and reach members of these associations.

Cost Innovation Capabilities

A smart company is not a close minded one, but instead always keeps an eye on their customers buying trends and innovative selling techniques. If the economy changes, a company has to question if their product is something that people will need or still want to buy.

During a recession, smart companies also plan ahead and therefore are not only thinking about the threats but also the opportunities. Some well-known companies that outsourced their competition during hard times include: Procter & Gamble, General Electric, and Kellogg.

These companies developed an important technique which is still used in times of recession known as value-for-money strategies. In other words, they developed their products to be multi-purposed and more effective.

In developed countries, people tend to spend more than what they have causing them to reevaluate spending habits. In the less developed countries, the indigenous cultures do just the opposite; with less money they are value conscious. Therefore, value-for-money is a necessary strategy for businesses to grasp during a recession.

Recent research suggests instead of refining cost-cutting techniques, companies should develop cost innovation capabilities. Developing cost structures in state-of-the-art ways will offer customers more for less.

In general, companies tie innovation to premium products that have more functionality. Consumers, on the other hand, want the same but at a lower cost. True innovation fits everyone’s wants. What companies came up with to fit the innovation world was to offer products at a low cost, but the second generation developed a competitive edge through cost innovation. The trick is to not make the product seem inferior.

In regard to cost innovation, companies developed a technique of selling high-tech products at mass-market prices. This technology is brought to select segments and then sent to the mainstream consumers which in turn maximizes their profit. Recently, companies in China, Japan, and India have found ways to offer the latest technology to the mass market at low prices. This technique has not hit the United States yet. The third technique companies are using is to offer choice and customization to value customers. Despite the fear of offering a large selection of products or customization to consumers and then losing control, in emerging markets they have been able to do something different. They changed the rules of variety and customization by learning to gain economies of scope. The low human resource costs allow them to have large staffs that can develop and handle changes efficiently. Also, by mixing automated processes they are able to deliver quality and flexibility. Finally, the fourth techniqu was to turn niches into mass markets.

Now is the time to develop the capabilities that will allow companies to crack open the value-for-money market and remain competitive.

Blogs

Using blogs for research is easy to do, and in this new social media world it is a highly effective sampling of a given audience. Conducting research using a blog is a quick and efficient way to export questions and receive answers. This form of primary research is perfect for opinion surveys and gauging an audience’s attitude on a particular subject easily and efficiently. One must carefully select which blog site he is she uses to conduct research. With such a wide variety of blogospheres, some blogs have previously segmented audiences that could hinder research on a specific topic. Be sure to use a blog geared toward the topic of research one is conducting, or situate the research in a general, broad blog- such as WordPress, that won’t down size an audience before they receive the research message.

Social Profile

A social profile can help a research entity obtain a gauge on how an audience sees them. The most readily available example would be a Facebook profile or business page. Since Facebook is set up with protective guidelines for businesses that wish to have profiles, navigating this site to become effective is a little trickier. A social profile would be more of an idea than a tangible thing on Facebook. Only individuals can have profiles, and businesses or corporate entities must create a Page that somewhat limits the interactions with individuals on the site. However, if a business page can successfully gather a following (people who “like” its page), then the company can reach out and touch its consumers with updates, deals and coupons, events, and other promotional endeavors.

What Job Seekers Should do in a Tough Unemployment Economy

Due to the recent record-breaking recession, job seekers are finding it nearly impossible to attain employment. While the frustration from new college graduates and current professionals who have lost their jobs rises, job opportunities seem to be dwindling. According to sources there is hope for the job hunter. Stay positive and to be sure to be patient are the two main objectives when starting the job hunt. It isn’t that there aren’t any jobs to be had, it is just that more and more people are now in the market for a new job. Job researches are stating that a job seeker must implement new tactics and alter their way of thinking in their approach towards finding a new job. These tactics include:

1.) Treat job-hunts like a job. Keep notes of where you have applied and whom you have talked to. Organization will help you find a job in today’s economy.

2.) Call your past employers, co-workers and friends and ask for job tips and leads. Do not be afraid to ask them if they would share your resume with people they know or give you names of people you can contact. Sign up for linkdin and see if any of your contacts are on there.

3.) Contact your alumni association if you attended college for resources.

4.) Set goals. Each week apply for X amount of jobs. Call X amount of people. Contact business etc. With patience and persistence you can get a job in today’s economy.

Marketing Driven Social Media

There has been a major transition of power in the world of social media. This change in social media we have seen recently involves the driving force. Before, it was understood that individual users were the driving force of social media, but not anymore. To understand more about this transition from a user driven idea to that of a marketer driven one, it is necessary to examine what has led to this.

Why has social media made this shift? There are some facts behind why this has happened. Take into consideration just how many users are now on popular social media sites. Facebook is now up to 500 million users, with over 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages). Twitter houses approximately 90 million posts daily. (Gianfagna) That is quite a lot of material that is being processed by users. Given how quickly social media has grown over the past few years, it is only logical for marketers to take advantage of this.

By taking advantage of this wonderful boom in social media, marketers have become the driving force behind social media. “The driving force behind social media success is outreach by brand marketers via campaigns in traditional marketing channels.” (Gianfagna) By this, we can tell that this shift has been very positive for marketers.

It is advantageous and easy to reach so many people in a way that is virtually free. There are many ways in which a marketer can try and push his or her brand while using social media, but it has to be meaningful. It is imperative that time and money not be wasted on social media that will not help you further your brand. Given that fact, time spent of relevant social media endeavors is well spent.

Source Used:

Gianfagna, Jean. “What’s Driving Social Media Success? Traditional Marketing.” Smart Marketing Strategy. WordPress, 20 Oct 2010. Web. 9 Nov 2010. <http://www.gianfagnamarketing.com/blog/2010/10/20/whats-driving-social-media-success-traditional-marketing/>.

“Old School” Research Methods and Their Uses Today

1) phone

2) mail

3) intercept

Traditional methods of research that are still in play today include phone solicitations, direct mail surveys, and intercept surveys primarily at retail centers. These three templates for research have gained a reputation for being outdated in the face of new “instant gratification” ways of researching online, using smart phones, etc. However, those older methods are not dead and gone. For instance, the U.S. Census still uses direct mail response surveys as a way to gauge the population. As it is seemingly the best way to reach and maintain a favorable response rate, this traditional method will most likely always be the outlet for which the Census is distributed. Intercept surveys have fallen by the way side for retail and other markets with the introduction of social media profiles and pages that allow the brand’s following to “like” and interact from home with promotions, deals, and the progression of the brand. Phone research seems to be the most rapidly declining form of traditional research. Culturally, people use their home phones less in the wake of the cell phone/ smart phone wave in which almost all of America has a mobile phone they predominantly use. Many households have even severed their landline completely and function solely off of cellular phones. While the shift in calling is now heading towards reaching audience members on their mobile phones, those being sought out are less prone to partake in a phone survey/questionnaire on their cell phone because it usually means they are at the office, out in the field, in the car, on the run, or otherwise busy. These research methods will probably always be present in one form or another in the consumer culture, and the evolution of each kind will continue to ebb and flow with the presence of new technologies and other advancements in the future.

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Research methods you can use to move your brand.