The goal of market research is to identify participants’ true desires, needs, and intentions. It sounds pretty straightforward: Ask a question, get an answer. But it’s not that simple. Those participating in market research often give answers that don’t reflect their true feelings, whether intentionally or not.
A key component of getting participants to access and communicate their honest feelings is building trust with them. You build that trust through both personal interactions and the indirect communication of the questions your surveys ask.
Building trust with research participants can be especially tricky when you’re working with underrepresented segments of society. These groups often carry implicit skepticism and distrust, so your market research must communicate with them through authenticity and transparency.
Step 1: Transparency
Transparency begins with being honest about your goals and methods. When inviting underrepresented groups to participate in market research, you need to be forthcoming about what you’re trying to get out of them. Don’t sugarcoat or mislead. Share your intentions and goals so that they trust that the questions you’re asking them are the real questions you’re trying to answer, especially if you’re asking questions related to sensitive demographic or racial topics.
You also need to be honest about your research methodology and how you plan to use the data you collect. Let your research participants know who will have access to their answers and any personal information they give you. Whenever possible, it’s also a good idea to communicate with them after the fact to let them know how the information they shared helped you reach your goals.
Step 2: Authenticity
A big part of getting research participants to trust your efforts is communicating with them in a way that’s authentic to them. Underrepresented groups often have their own lingo and expressions. When developing your research questions, make sure you have a diverse team that can review the questions, confirm that you’re asking things in a way that’s appropriate to your audience, and help you steer clear of inadvertently saying something offensive or alienating.
Research participants from underrepresented groups are much more likely to trust you and answer honestly when they feel seen and understood. And building trust doesn’t happen overnight. You need to develop relationships over time to get honest information, rather than relying on a one-time data exchange.
By approaching your market research participants in a way that allows them to trust you, you’re giving your research much better odds of being effective and worthwhile. To learn more about building trust with underrepresented research participants, contact the members at Ebony Marketing Systems, experts in conducting research to find new ways to reach people. For more information, call us at (718) 742-0006 or send us a message today.
