Having recently attended several rounds of market research, I am (once again) questioning what truths are revealed.  What I do find very revealing are the unsolicited opinions that are being voiced outside of market research facilities — and across social media.

One of the many ways that we immerse ourselves into a client’s business is by monitoring what people are saying about their company, their healthcare brands, and their competitors’ brands.  Social media search engines — including Social Mention, Omgili, WhosTalkin, and Samepoint— are excellent resources to “hear” what consumers, patients, and healthcare professionals are thinking.  We also “listen” by monitoring relevant communities, message boards, and forums.

I am not saying that market research does not provide important insights.  It can.  But the level of honesty from people who share their emotions, desires, and frustrations on these social media networks often transcends what I hear from facilitated focus groups.  It’s also a reason why companies like Radian6, ListenLogic, SAS®, and others are staking their futures on providing healthcare marketers with in-depth, drilled-down social media analytics.

We at The Core Nation have always been driven by the search for truth, wherever it can be found.  Listening is a fluid process and requires being open to everything that we hear.  Because when brands speak honestly to people in ways that resonate from the head to the heart, you build enduring trust.

There is no greater truth than that.

 

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