We see it time and again. Critical policy messages that miss the mark.  The reason is simple: they were vetted with the wrong people.

If you are based in the Washington, DC area, whether you’re a corporation, association, think tank, or politician, here’s some free advice: Test Your Message Outside the Beltway.

We do policy message testing for a living.

➤ Please reach out- we’d love to help.

That’s what we’ve been telling our clients for nearly two decades. And even though they know that—of course they know that—clients are always surprised at what outside-the-Beltway testing turns up.

Here’s why it matters:

➤Average Americans Only Consume a “Trickle” of News

Most people outside the Washington metro area are not immersed in the details of your issues—sometimes they’ve never even heard of the issues. We’ve validated this again and again through our Swing Voter Project, which taken us to swing states every month for the last 18 month. Average Americans by and large get their news is small doses from LOCAL SOURCES. Yes, some watch cable news  but are almost as likely to get their news from Facebook.

➤Average Americans are Fixated on Themselves

This is not to imply that they don’t care about other people or the world as a whole. It simply means that while trying to pay their bills and care for their family, they don’t have the LUXURY of immersing themselves in DC news.

Some of them are working multiple jobs.
Some of them are a health crisis away from bankruptcy.
Some of them are working 18 hour days to keep the family farm afloat.
Some of them are caring for a chronically ill family member.

Their challenges are real and immediate.  

➤Validate That Your Policy Messages Are Connecting

And the best way to do that is to test your messages with them. Get in their heads. See their reactions. Hear their thoughts. Then refine based on what you’ve learned.

Again, our clients know all this. But they still—regularly—say things like, “I did not expect that one to tank!”; “I am really surprised none of the respondents have heard of that.”; “I didn’t realize our language was so full of jargon until this dial test.”

And we especially like: “Good thing we tested this!”

We do policy message testing for a living.

➤ Please reach out- we’d love to help.

——–

To demonstrate how different Washington, D.C. is from other parts of the country, here are some facts and comparisons:

—Bigger salaries: highest per capita income in the country ($75,569; the national average is $49,571)[1] with an annual growth rate of 4.5% (vs. 3.6% national average)[2]

—Educated: 55% of the population 25 years or older has at least a bachelor’s degree (29.3% nationally);[3] 31% have an advanced degree (11.2% nationally)[4]

—Expensive housing: median value of a house is $460,700 ($163,900 nationally)

—Lower rate of home ownership: 40.4% own their own homes (63.7% nationally)

—High crime: 6,408.6 crimes per 100,000 people (3,295.0 nationally)[5]

[1] http://www.courant.com/business/hc-per-capita-income-connecticut-20170328-story.html
[2] https://wtop.com/business-finance/2017/03/dc-per-capita-income-25-percent-higher-national-average/
[3] https://www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/50states
[4] https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_5YR_S1501
[5] https://www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/50states

Should We Wait To Do Research “Until this is Over?”

We have been fielding these questions since March. We can now say definitively that yes, now is not only a good time, but a great time.

Back when this all started we did not know (nobody knew) how the coronavirus economy and lockdown would impact qualitative research. Will people fixate on the short-term? Will their mindset impede insights?

Back then, we were advising our clients to push the PAUSE button until things changed, stabilized or we got a better read. 

But here’s what we have found, and why we have so much confidence in the quality of online qual research being done right now:

5 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to
Do Online Market Research

➤People are bored with the same-old quarantine-based conversations. They are very eager to participate in research right now, if for no other reason than to communicate with a different human being than their quarantine buddies. (It is not an over statement to say that many respondents are down right thrilled to have a chat!)

➤People are living thru a most unusual (arduous? painful? frightening?) time. Their emotions are raw, and their walls are down. This vulnerability means they are opening up much quicker than usual during online focus groups.

➤People have had a lot of downtime to dissect their angst. This new level of self-awareness is leading to super candid conversations in our online IDI’s.

➤People have had to forfeit so many of their simple pleasures: dining out, retail therapy, family events. This deprivation has given them a fresh take on what your products and services really mean to them. 

➤The silver lining to this slow-moving tsunami we are living through: people have never been more connected with the world around them. That leads to great insights.

Have a research project you’ve been thinking about doing? Now might be the right time!

Reach out and we can talk it through.

Concern is on the rise, especially as COVID-19 cases spike throughout the U.S. “Is it safe to go to (fill in name of business)? Are they following proper cleaning protocols?” (What ARE the proper cleaning protocols? A lack of federal mandates around reopening businesses has further complicated the issue.)

This means that, as a business owner, the onus is on you. 

➜Need help putting these messages into action?  

We can help.

Our study revealed that hearing from a company directly can greatly greatly impact a customer’s comfort level. In short- they need to hear from YOU.

But keep in mind you are talking to 2 distinctly different groups:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Those who can’t wait to come back (ready-to-go)
                     2. Those who need some reassurances before they will spend at your establishment (assurance seekers)

                   

From our research with returning customers, we have created a messaging cheatsheet.

Here’s some guidance to help you home-in on the right Welcome Back message for your audience.

Assurance seekers want to see directive signs: what should you do after trying on a pair of shoes? Put them back on the rack? Give them to an associate to be properly cleaned first? They want to see that you are taking customer’s safety seriously and guiding them.

On the other hand, people deemed “ready-to-go” do not need as detailed messages. They want to hear that unlike many businesses, you are open again and further that you’ve got their back, all they have to do is enjoy.

At an unprecedented time like this, more communication is always better. Share your plans, procedures, and expectations upfront to address concerns. Surround your customers with “Welcome Back” messages that ease their mind. 

Every business is unique. We can help you fine-tune these messages for your audience. Reach out➜

*Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash – Image from Bali, Indonesia

This high-security platform for web conferencing is used by fewer than 1% of all accounts. ZoomGov was specifically designed to serve sensitive areas of the US Government. We use this same technology for all our online qual research: online focus groups, virtual IDIs and online dial groups.

Why we use it – Using the same encryption as the Pentagon gives peace-of-mind to our clients. In addition, the video and audio quality is far superior.

How is this different from the standard, commercial web conferencing – ZoomGov is built on a different technology platform, GovCloud, which is used by US intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense, the CDC, and many more. ZoomGov is also compliant with FedRAMP, HIPAA, & Dept of Defense security guidelines. 

Why it’s good for our clients – Through us, our clients can confidently and securely conduct any form of online research—including for projects which require a high level of security or confidentiality.

• • • • • Sensitive advocacy and political message testing
        • High-profile litigation and jury research
        • Patient healthcare research interviews
        • Pre-release media research (movies, TV pilots, CEO speeches)
        • Testing of sensitive or copyrighted materials

This robust level of security and encryption is your safeguard. It ensures clients and stakeholders that the important content you are testing will remain under your control.

Do you use the commercial version of Zoom? We have some best practices for you to ensure you are leveraging their security features. Check it out here➤

About FedRAMP

FedRamp is the security standard required across the US government for sensitive information.

It is required by the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, the CDC, intelligence agencies and the Justice Department.

Learn more about FedRAMP security and encryption compliance.

About Amazon GovCloud

AWS GovCloud  https://aws.amazon.com/govcloud-us/?whats-new-ess.sort-by=item.additionalFields.postDateTime&whats-new-ess.sort-order=desc

Learn More:

➠FedRAMP compliance for online research https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2019/05/07/zoom-achieves-fedramp-moderate-authorization/

➠HIPAA compliance for online research tools https://zoom.us/docs/doc/Zoom-hipaa.pdf

➠DoD SRG (Security Requirements Guide) https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/dod/

➠Zoom security whitepaper https://zoom.us/docs/doc/Zoom-Security-White-Paper.pdf

This thing that we’re experiencing, this global situation that unites us (separately, in our own homes) can be depressing, discouraging, scarring, life-destroying.

Precisely because it’s all those things, it’s a chance to show resilience. Or to grow some.

Over four years ago The New Yorker published Maria Konnikova’s piece, “How People Learn to Become Resilient.” She said, “If you are lucky enough to never experience any sort of adversity, we won’t know how resilient you are. It’s only when you’re faced with obstacles, stress, and other environmental threats that resilience, or the lack of it, emerges: Do you succumb or do you surmount?”

Lucky us!

A central element of resilience, Konnikova explains, is perception. If we conceptualize events as opportunities to learn and grow, we make ourselves less vulnerable.

I miss moderating dial test focus groups in person.

I can’t wait until it’s possible to travel to different locations and meet new people and hear not just their words but what they’re communicating with posture, movement, eye contact, and more.

In the meantime, Engagious is adapting: Qualitative research continues; focus groups can still happen, online. Dial tests, too. 

Covid-19 is forcing change everywhere:
https://www.economist.com/briefing/2020/04/11/the-changes-covid-19-is-forcing-on-to-business
https://www.engagious.com/top-4-best-practices-for-crisis-communications 

How are you adapting?

Photo from: https://www.architecturendesign.net/16-incredible-trees-that-have-adapted-to-their-surroundings/

We feel-good stories. And people are awesome.

Not only that, but giving back is a great way to stay connected – with family, with friends, with fans, with customers. Here are some great examples to inspire you.

The owner of a local strip mall slashed his tenants’ April rent in half. Other businesses are going even further: Landlord’s advice to tenants:  ‘pay employees’ instead of rent

On a grander scale, actor John Krasinski has launched his weekly SGN show on YouTube- It stands for “Some Good News”. This week, he brought the cast of Hamilton back together (virtually) to serenade a young fan who missed out due to the corona virus. 

Support small businesses!

Yesterday I bought a 5 lb bag of coffee from a local roaster (Pirate Coffee Company- for real!). They were thrilled, as was I! (please pardon any caffeine-induced typos…)

We’ve heard about many people buying gift cards from local small businesses (especially restaurants, salons, and other services) to use later. Restaurants and ad hoc community groups are providing meals for kids who depend on schools for breakfast and lunch.

Did you know that you can now take virtual tours of some of the most famous castles in Europe? Yes, please! And many museums and concert halls are making their art digitally available, for free. 

We can’t visit seniors, but we can check on our senior neighbors, kids are making cards, stores are making special shopping times just for seniors and other vulnerable groups.

At times like this, kindness and connection are key. What else can we be doing?

➤ Want another feel-good story? Why not?! Check out my post on The Power of Civility

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If you are receiving this email it is because I consider you a friend or I greatly respect you and your work.

I feel as a nation we are facing two very dangerous curves that if not checked will create a crush with devastating long term consequences. The first we are addressing with #SocialDistancing.

This is helping us to not overwhelm our healthcare system, limit contagion and allow our healthcare workers to methodically help those in need.

The second curve, the one we are not addressing, is the current blow to our economic system and our own financial lives. Obviously, there are some businesses and industries that will have a difficult time no matter what. If you are in the travel industry or work in a restaurant or hospitality, you will have to wait for a recovery. However, in my colleagues’ clients, I am seeing a lot of people ceasing to do business out of fear or just holding to see “where this is going.” I am comparatively insulated from this, unlike many working Americans who are living completely check to check. I was raised in extreme abject poverty but also graduated from the London School of Economics, spending a full year studying the 1929 global economic crisis––the Great Depression.

Here is the issue. If we fall into the category of businesses that are “holding off” out of fear––the majority––I am exceedingly nervous about the domino effect we are setting up economically. If we all shut down––even though most of us offer products and services, remotely deliverable, that are still vitally needed by all––we shut down the economic system. If our economic system shuts down, the long term effects of this will have severe, even longer-lasting effects on our physical and mental health. Many will perish if there is a global economic crisis, as they did during The Great Depression. We cannot wait for our national governments or hope that a stimulus package will solve this.

We must do what we can, together, NOW. The economy is a human health issue.

This weekend David Paull, CEO of Engagious, posted across his social media his thoughts about turning the “economic curve.” The writer Michael Lewis did an interview on CNN echoing the same. If we want to take our lives into our own hands we need to make #DoBusiness relevant in the world as a message, share what is working, discourage paralysis created by fear, and ensure we all––as a collective––prevent an economic crush that could destroy lives. This is the most, yet relatively unexpressed, truth in the world right now. Obviously, supermarkets and toilet paper manufacturers do not need to be “holding” in their efforts to do business. Many of us are still offering vital products and services that we all need, but are holding out of fear. Let’s STOP holding and turn the curve, freezing the domino effect that comes from holding––by DOING EVEN MORE BUSINESS REMOTELY––for all of us who can. The world must go on, the world will go on and, as it does go on, commerce needs to go on––to save lives and prevent any more suffering. We need to work together––#DoBusiness––to stop the domino effect.

You can help by SPREADING #DoBusiness

1- POST the #DoBusiness graphics below (3 JPEGs attached) to your social media. Pin them to the top of your feed and make them your cover pages.

2- Post these once a day and then, with the below images, share content that expresses your thoughts in your field, in your life, and what you are doing to TURN THE ECONOMIC CURVE.

3- Make the sentiment of us continuing to provide each other the vital products and services we still all need––#DoBusiness––as popular a notion as #SocialDistancing so that we can all start addressing the second curve that is equally vital to our global physical and psychological well being.

Here are three assets for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn created by me and a local industrial designer.

PLEASE COPY/SAVE THEM AND POST URGENTLY REPETITIVELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY––AND PUSH OUT TO YOUR NETWORKS––ASKING THEM TO POST REPETITIVELY AND EXHAUSTIVELY.

To download: Right-Click > Save Image As…

Webinar is on April 2nd  @  2PM Eastern | 11AM Pacific

REGISTER HERE

Perhaps it has never been more important to understand your customer than it is right now.

Our partner company Dialsmith will be holding a webinar to demonstrate the online market research options including dial testing and hybrid solutions that are available right now.  

Webinar is on April 2nd  @  2PM Eastern | 11 am Pacific

REGISTER HERE

We can keep the insights flowing, if we share the tools! See you there.