Most of us have been learning from others since the day we were born. The way to walk, the language to speak, and the proper golf course etiquette. One could say we are simply the culmination of a lifetime of observations and learnings from others.

On the other hand, learning about others originates from general curiosity, first-date etiquette, and, yes - business and revenue strategies ranging from gauging public opinion about a political candidate to understanding motivations for charitable giving from your donor network.

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How one goes about this depends on key goals and objectives: 

• Is this personal? (See: how to make friends and influence people)
• Is this for internal use to inform strategy?
• Is this for external use to educate the general public? 

The instrument used to unearth insights is dependent on core objectives and goals (also see: the difference between quantitative and qualitative data). In market research, the tool you choose can produce starkly different results.

Collecting information does not always look the same

On the surface, polls and surveys look nearly identical: they each aim to collect information from or about specific groups of people. This information could include feedback, preferences, opinions, or voting behaviors. 

In market research, polls typically require scientific and academic validation in fairly controlled demographics to be usable in public studies. Questions are designed to eliminate language that implies bias or leads people into answering in a particular way. The resulting data is typically quantitative, as numbers that can be quantified (e.g., age, location, etc.) are much easier to scientifically validate than qualitative data. 

Polling can identify behavioral insights into a particular demographic or people in a certain geography.  During political campaign seasons, polls are used to predict local and national election outcomes to sample size audiences that match the nation's or local municipality's demographics. While they are used to solicit expected behaviors, the questions are written to ensure neutrality. They are restrictive however. Polls, for example, can’t gather context into why a population holds a certain belief or votes a particular way. 

Which is better: polls or surveys?

To determine which of these methods are right for you, we designed a checklist to aid your decision.

Poll:

🔲 I have a few questions I need answered quickly

🔲 I need a population's viewpoint on a single subject

🔲 I need the study to be scientifically valid

🔲 I need questions to be academically sound without bias or leading questions

🔲 I want to gather insight into a population's predicted behavior within a snapshot of time (1 to 2 days)

🔲 I can get the data by asking just a few questions

🔲 I can get the answers I need by only asking multiple-choice questions

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Survey:

🔲 I want to understand the context of a population’s viewpoint or behavior on a single subject

🔲 I need questions to be academically sound without bias or leading questions

🔲 My focus is on more than one subject

🔲 My timeline for gathering data is a few weeks, or longer

🔲 I can get the answers I need by asking multiple choice, single choice, ratings, and open-ended questions

Using polling for market research makes sense when the objectives call for straightforward but limited information. For example, a researcher might need to know whether a county overall supports same sex marriage. This is a simple poll with one question that informs the researcher and completes their objective. 

Surveys are most useful when a researcher has more complex objectives that require contextual analysis. For example, a researcher may need to know whether a county supports same-sex marriage but also understand why they feel a particular way. They may need to ask about religious beliefs, racial demographics, how they voted in 2012, etc.

Surveys are far preferable to polling for credible and representative data. Due to polling's limited scope, minimal information is collected, meaning deep insights and contextualization on the market will be lacking.

The cost of doing business

We would say that the cost of insights into your target demographic is priceless; however, your P&L might say otherwise. Not sure what to budget for or what factors impact the overall cost of your market research needs?

The main levers that affect costs include:

• Length of time the poll or survey is deployed - in this case, time is money;
• Number of questions and/or complexity of questions;
• Integrated/interactive features - like user-generated video testimonials;
• Size and desired geography of the audience;
• Precision and ease of accessibility - bullseye or shotgun approach; 
• Level of academic and scientific expertise needed for analysis;
• Advertising and respondent payout for participant acquisition.

To hire an outside firm (like CommonAlly), expect the range to fall between $30,000-$150,000+.

Getting tactical with tech

These days, market research is anything but mundane. At CommonAlly, we’ve found the best results are delivered through ingenuity, creativity, and two-way conversation. Humans are fascinating individuals with varied lived experiences, personalities, and belief systems; their opinions can be equally so. Whether your research calls for polls or surveys, technology like AI and chatbots are making learning about your audience easier and more efficient and humanizing the experience along the way.

Tools like conversational chatbots have been found to keep users three times more engaged compared to traditional survey methods. This means fewer participant drop offs and an added personal touch can go a long way when getting to know someone. 

Regardless of the tool, our #1 recommendation is to meet your audience where they are. When it comes to market research, polls and surveys can both provide the information you’re looking for about your audience. It all comes down to what you’re looking for; we’re here to be your allies along the way.

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Valuable insights about your audience, don’t have to be difficult! At CommonAlly, we get data and the humans behind the data. Our proven market research approach provides a nuanced analysis of your target demographic, resulting in improved audience insights and output opportunities that work. Unlock the potential for more accurate and meaningful insights to forge allies aligned with your work, product, or mission.

Want to learn more? Make your way through our 5-part series on How to Become a Data Explorer. We’ll see you on the other side!