You rely on surveys, data sets, and other marketing research to help you understand consumer preferences and behaviors. But, far too often, researchers don’t fully consider the ethnic or racial make-up of participants in their various studies. Instead, people from different racial and ethnic groups are blended together, especially as researchers attempt to reach a certain n. Unfortunately, that often means that researchers will miss important information about the experience and perceptions of specific racial and ethnic groups and different communities of interest.
When you consider your data participants as a single monolith, you can inadvertently obscure critical differences in the communities you most wish to reach. That’s why it’s important to ensure that you consider diversity in your data collection and analysis processes from the very beginning of any research endeavor.
- Get the right data. It is worthwhile to do upfront work to ensure you are both reaching out to and engaging the right people. As you draft your metrics and surveys, think carefully about how you might reach a more diverse audience. How might you be more successful in collecting data from underrepresented communities? How can you make sure you are reaching a broad swath of different people?
- Find the right partners. Working with organizations led by people and communities of color can not only help you find the right people to survey for your studies – they can also provide unique insights on how to draft the right questions to get the answers you seek. Their expertise can also help guide your analysis – and provide thoughtful explanations on why you may have gotten certain results.
- Slice and dice your data for diversity. While it can be tempting to say people are people, when you drill down to look at more detailed race and ethnicity data, you may uncover unique patterns worth further exploration.
The data from your market research efforts can make or break your understanding of your audience and any future marketing campaigns. By collecting, reporting, and analyzing information from a more diverse participant pool, you are in a better position to understand the needs, experiences, and preferences of the people you most want to reach.
For more insights into designing effective research for audiences from multiple racial and ethnic communities, contact the team members at Ebony Marketing Systems. We are experts at conducting research that reaches people in a new way. For more information, call us at (718)742-0006 or send us a message today.
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