Many choices, little time: how to choose the right research partner?

Choosing the right research partner is not only a huge challenge, but a huge commitment. You are looking for a company to aid your entire campaign and inform you, as you spend large amounts of money in the process. The choice can be a difficult one to make, but what can you do to ensure that you have made the right choice and that your money is going towards something that you will be pleased with and proud of?

The first thing to look at has to be what experience and knowledge your prospective research partner has and whether this will benefit your campaign. If the researchers have a wealth of experience in B2B topics, yet you wish to conduct an entirely consumer-based research project, the relationship may be hindered as you will both have different understanding and intentions with the brief. It is also key to remember that a research company may not even be prepared to deal with your brief if their specialities don’t match.

Another key thing to look out for when choosing a team will be the team itself! You should be keen to meet every person that will be working on the project to ensure that you know each employee is capable of dealing with your needs. Try and find a partner that thinks creatively and is also capable of delivering on creative projects.

Another top tip is to make sure that the team that you are dealing with has a strong marketing or PR background. This means that they have the ability to guide the project and prevent diversion towards research that will provide a dead end. This not only prevents the project from getting out of hand and irrelevant, but also allows you to be trusting in the research team as they have experience within the marketing and PR sector of what works and what does not.

The final tip is that you should always rely on references and reviews of a research company’s work. Nobody will be able to give you a truer reflection of a research teams’ ability to succeed than a business that has previously worked with them. Feel free to ask around, look at the researcher’s portfolio and complete your own desk research before making the decision.