Transcript Slide 1

Research Made Easy: How to
collect and apply community data
June 21, 2008
Agenda:
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Early Research
Why Do It
Research Framework
Telling the Story
Types of Research
Research on a Budget
Member Sat. Study 2008
Early Research
The first “market research”: Simple, yet effective
In 218 BC, Hannibal of Carthage attacked Rome by
crossing the Alps from Spain. He could have used the
Carthaginian navy to ferry his troops and baggage
across the Mediterranean, thereby attacking Rome
directly and at great risk. But instead, Hannibal tested
the market first.
He sent agents to communities between Spain and
Rome. The agents talked with the inhabitants and
learned that Rome was very unpopular and that people
were fighting mad. Hannibal recognized an opportunity.
Instead of attacking directly, he decided to provoke an
insurrection that he and his army would lead.
Why do it
• Research is fundamental to understanding
the needs of your membership
– Research provides uncovered insights into
the community
• Research provides the roadmap to
successful action planning
• Research can be done on a minimal
budget
Framework
• 1. Affinity
– reasons members join the organization
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Reputation
Professional benefits
Programs that are relevant
Knowledge resources
Connections through networks that would not
otherwise be available
Framework
• 2. Retention
– Factors that prompt members to remain in the
community
• Such as continuing-education credits
• Education not available elsewhere
• Timely communication on critical issues influencing
the industry
• Opportunities to hold office or participate on
committees – professional growth
• Networks that are essential for success
Framework
• 3. Disaffection
– Issues that might cause members to
leave the organization
• Such as:
– Cost
– Community politics
– Being out of touch with member needs and
concerns
– Lack of ongoing relevance due to tenure
– Change in careers
Framework
• 4. Disinterest
– Reasons nonmembers don't join the
association
• Such as:
– Perception that the association is unable to address the
needs and interests of the nonmember
– Latent needs
– Time convenience
Fundamental
• Compiling the results:
– Develop a compelling picture – tell the story
– Describe the importance of:
• Local member needs unique to your chapter’s
geography
• Wants
• Expectations
• A picture of the ideal member experience
Results: The Story
Create the membership story of your
chapter
– What attracts members to your chapter
– What keeps members involved and
committed
– What causes members to leave
– What makes nonmembers uninterested in
joining
Types of Research
• Qualitative
Focus Groups
• Groups of 6 to 12 people
• Traditionally, in a live group setting with a
moderator
• Chapters with large geographic footprints may
consider:
– Online groups conducted via internet
– Phone conference w/ web or video
• Moderator must know how to engage in nondirective questioning…it is a conversation
Given these characteristics, focus
groups are best for:
• Exploration ("Fishing Expedition")
• Investigation (Detective Work)
• Identification of Present Practice
• Understanding Motivations
• New Idea Generation
• Communication Refinement
• Strategic Positioning
• Word of Mouth Research
Depth Interviews
Uses:
• Long, in-depth interviews using open-ended
questioning
• Usually one-on-one, however dyads (2) and
triads (3) may be used
• A non-directive approach often useful to explore
how respondent thinks about category.
• Traditionally, in live setting with moderator
• Online conducted via internet either through chat
functions or though Skype
• Phone conference w/ web or video
Types of Research
• Quantitative
Telephone Surveys
• Best for mostly close-end questioning, when dimensions and ranges
of issues are known
• Success depends highly on filtering sample to those consumer or
business users who find topic or category relevant
• 10-12 average interview length is maximum target
• Optimum use is for top-of-mind awareness, branding and brand
comparisons, and perception studies
• Response rate is critical, especially with growing privacy issues and
phone screening among consumers and business executives alike
• Low relative cost
• Generally, fast implementation
• Skilled interviewer can extract more information than a selfadministered method (mail, online)
Personal Interviews
• In B2B research, personal interviews may be done by appointment
where interviewer goes to respondent's office
• Used for complicated or sensitive issues, B2B environments, or
where extensive physical or visual display requirements exist along
with need for specialized interviewing skills (depth probing, time for
evaluation and reaction.)
• High cost
• Can provide good hybrid method combining features of qualitative
and quantitative research by asking quant-type questions first,
followed by in-depth probing questions and projective techniques
Online Surveys
Helpful Tools
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Online Survey Tools Bring You Closer to Your Customers
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Choose from a dozen or so low-cost Web-based offerings, with prices
as low as $10 per monthly subscription
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Some of the more popular packages include the following:
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Prezza Technologies
PollDaddy (free)
QuestionPro
SurveyMethods
SurveyMonkey
WebSurveyor
Zoomerang
Zoomerang Survey Templates
• Nonprofit Organization Section Templates
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Individual Fundraising Survey
Chapter Fundraising Survey
Volunteer Recruitment
Volunteer Satisfaction Survey
Advocacy Survey
Membership Survey
Program Satisfaction
• Industry Specific Templates
– Meeting Feedback A short five-question survey to determine the
effectiveness of a meeting
– Meeting Planning Survey A quick survey to gather input for a
smoother, more effective meeting
Participation
Participation
• Reduce the size of the survey.
– The longer the survey, the greater the abandonment
rate.
– If necessary, break a large survey into smaller
pieces.
– For example, members would rather complete three
one-minute surveys over the course of a year than
one three minute survey.
• You need not have the exact same members answer all
three surveys depending on the design, the questions, and
the representative demographics.
Participation
Offer a reward for participating in the survey
–Education
–Hotel / Spa Packages
–Charity Donations
–Gift Certificates
Participation
• What level of response does your
association typically receive to your
surveys?
• What methods have you used to make the
association membership more likely to
respond?
Participation
Newsletter Announcement
• Winner of the Needs Assessment Survey
Drawing Announced
• Congratulations to Lillie West, Sales Manager at
Dallas Fan Fares, Inc. for being the winner of the
2008 Member Needs Assessment drawing. Lillie
wins a complimentary registration to MPI WEC
in fabulous Las Vegas. Thank you to everyone
who took the survey. Your input is invaluable as
we plan the upcoming 2008-2009 year.
Sources of Secondary Data
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AMA Demographics Service - Access to U.S. Census with summary and comparison
- AMA Members Only.
Geographic Data - Sources for geocoding and geographically based data.
Panel Data - Some sources of consumer panel data including online panels.
General Sources of Secondary Data
Direct Marketing Educational Foundation - Four direct marketing data sets for use in
research.
Harvard Business School Links - http://www.library.hbs.edu/all_databases.html
Jim Vileta's Business Research Launch Pad - Note the Key Databases category in
the middle column.
PollingReport.com - An independent, nonpartisan resource on trends in American
public opinion.
SecondaryData.com - Marketing Resources Links, provided by Decision Analyst, Inc.
Statistical Resources on the WEB, University of Michigan http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stecon.html, comprehensive list of data sources
and links
Sources of Secondary Data
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U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Survey of Current Business http://www.bea.doc.gov
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - http://www.stats.bls.gov, good data source and
excellent links.
U.S. Census Bureau- http://www.census.gov
U.S. CIA - World Fact Book http://www.ntis.gov/search/product.asp?ABBR=ADA385307&starDB=GRAHIST
U.S. CIA - Handbook of International Economics http://www.cia.gov/cia/di/products/hies/
US. Department of Commerce - Links to National and International Governmental
Databases - http://www.fedworld.gov
U.S. Economic Census - http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/
U.S. Federal Reserve - http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred/
U.S. Government Materials - http://www.fedstats.gov
U.S. Office of Trade and Economic Development - http://www.ita.doc.gov/tradestats
U.S. Statistical Data International and National Stat-USA - http://www.statusa.gov/, excellent links and information.
U.S. White House Economic Briefing Room http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/esbr.html
Look at Your Trends
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Even if your chapter has only basic
information about your members, you
can begin to look for trends that may
help you identify other membership
candidates.
– For example, does your association have a strong level of
membership - disproportionate to the level of population - in
particular geographic areas?
– Can you theorize why that may be true and use that information
to gain more members in similar areas?
Look at Your Trends
• If your association has more member
information available, can you see trends
in that data?
– Do your members tend to focus on particular
specialties?
– Why might that be?
– If there is special appeal to that specialty, can you find
others in that specialty who are not members?
– Or can you provide greater emphasis on that
specialty in your marketing materials?
Look at Your Trends
In many associations, the problem is not
the lack of data, but the lack of regularly
reviewing the data in search of trends that
can assist in developing new member
benefits and recruiting members.
Is your association database full of useful
information or rather sparse? Do you
regularly review the data for trends and
changes in your membership?
• MPI FOUNDATION FUNDING
– CHAPTER GRANT PROGRAM
APPLICATION
• Recognizing the important role of MPI chapters in
meeting member needs, educating members, the
MPI Foundation Board of Trustees created the
Chapter Grant Program
– Research Projects –for the development of
members survey or develop of an impact
assessment of the local meetings market
• MPI will be using MeetingMetrics to conduct our overall conference
and individual education session evaluations/surveys for all of our
live events going forward. Although the survey questions are
completely customizable, the MeetingMetrics survey questions are
organized using Jack Phillips’ ROI methodology. MeetingMetrics
has proposed giving all of our chapters huge discounts if they would
like to try out their tools to conduct marketing surveys, measure the
impacts and value of your chapter conferences or to address any
other survey needs your chapter may have. And, if our Strategic
Partnership folks can find a sponsor, the use of the MeetingMetrics
survey tools would be free. Our thinking is that if our Chapters and
MPI headquarters can use the same tools to measure the
effectiveness of our respective speakers, we can then share the
same database of speakers evaluations.
• Question: By a show of raised hands, how
many of you think that your chapter would
be interested in participating in a webinar
to learn more about the MeetingMetrics
tools and services? (Count the # of raised
hands)
• Question: By a show of raised hands, how
many of your think that your chapter would
be interested in using the MeetingMetrics
tools if we can guarantee significant
discounts? (Count the # of raised hands)
• HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2008
INTERNATIONAL MEMERSHIP SURVEY
Introduction
• In April 2008, MPI contracted Association Insights, an
independent research and consulting company, to
conduct the MPI 2008 Membership Survey, and to
analyze and report the results.
• There were a total of 140 questions in the survey.
• A total of 2,578 members took part in the survey, which
represents 12.21% of the 21,113 invited members.
• Association Insights has determined the responses
provided in the survey were given independently, and
are statistically representative of MPI’s membership.
The MPI Value Proposition
• The value of MPI to its members most heavily depends upon four
offerings, regardless of member satisfaction levels, type,
demographics, or culture. MPI must excel in:
– Education
• From remedial to advanced
• Live and/or on-line
– Networking
• Quality and quantity
• Professional and personal communities
– Local Chapter Performance
• Programs, attitude, organization, management, communications
– Return on Investment (ROI)
• The combined price/value of membership and events
MPI Strengths
• Aligning MPI’s stated initiatives with member priorities
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Facilitating access to knowledge and ideas
Helping build relationships
Providing access to marketplaces
Providing relevant education
• The cumulative MPI offering appeals to a broad range of
very diverse members
• Conference Education
• Annual World Education Conference
• Certification in Meeting Management Program
• Industry Research
• Regional Meetings and Events Conferences
• Career Connections (Job Bank)
Most Valuable MPI Priorities
• Chapter experiences can be more
consistent with best practices, by region,
and globally.
• Educational curricula should to address
the needs of planners and suppliers at
various levels of industry experience, and
within their own very specific disciplines.