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One of my favorite parts of experiential marketing is the research and discovery process. I think it’s often overlooked that investing a lot of time researching data can make all the difference when planning your next successful event.
Data can be found not just in pie charts and exported Excel charts, but everywhere you look. Important insights and insights swirl around you as you travel the world, meet up with close friends, or eavesdrop on conversations in a coffee shop.
These feelings can all help curate your next event and plan your customer journey – ensuring your attendees feel seen and considered.
How to Use Research and Discovery to Build Your Next Event
1. Before you really dive into your research, take some time to be clear about the problem you are solving.
It can be tempting to go out into the world ready to tackle any challenge your company might face, but the key to successful research and discovery is focus. Take time to be clear about what problem you want to solve, how you want to gain insights about it, and what key insights you’re looking for.
This can help you stay on track and not become distracted when new problems or challenges arise along the way.
Ultimately, the goal of research and discovery is to be results-oriented. This exercise is designed to help provide clarity on the most important questions you have. There is time to focus on new challenges, but staying focused on the task at hand is a key component to avoiding overwhelm and burnout.
Once you’ve decided on the problem you want to solve, invest a lot of energy in figuring out where to find the audience to answer your questions.
Immerse yourself in the work of your target audience and delve deep into their interests, preferences and behaviors. They ask not only: “Who are they?” but also: “What moves them?”
For example, since CultureCon is dedicated to creating communities and resources for Black creatives and entrepreneurs, we need to think about what they want to experience that aligns with their career aspirations and community goals. We need to know where they get their news from, what they like to do for fun, and what inspires them.
When we receive this information, we can speak directly to their experience and invite them to see themselves at the event.
2. Listen to your audience and keep an open mind.
After identifying your audience, it’s important to become an active listener.
Remember that while this business or event is important to you, it is not your “baby.” Keeping this in mind will help you distance your personal beliefs and ego from the feedback you receive, allowing you to objectively digest what’s coming your way.
There are many ways to incorporate active listening and establish feedback channels into your research process, including:
- Focus groups: Personally, I love focus groups because they provide an environment in which participants can engage in open and honest discussions that provide nuances that are often missed in surveys or other quantitative methods.
- Surveys: Pre- and post-event polls are another great way to listen to your audience and understand what they want more of. In your survey, try to limit yourself to one or two open-ended questions and make the rest multiple-choice questions to make the data easier to read.
- Don’t ignore the comment section: The comments section is a great place to actively listen. Look at the comments on your social media pages to find out what attendees are excited about or worried about, and use these insights to guide your event and marketing strategies.
3. Get out and explore.
Beyond the digital screen, there are so many other ways to conduct research and discovery IRL. Explore different events in your city and ask friends what experiences they’re looking forward to over dinner.
All of these insights can provide important trends and insights for the event you are planning. Resist the temptation to become everything to everyone. Remember, insights only need to be implemented if they are useful and applicable to what you want to build.
Remember that you are your audience too – what gaps are you experiencing and what would you like to see more of? Answers to these questions can prove extremely helpful.
4. Analyze your results and track the data.
Now that you’ve collected your feedback, it’s time to understand it. I like to organize the data into categories – positive, negative and neutral feedback – and then start looking for patterns.
This is an opportunity to see raw and unfiltered information for your business. Not everything may apply, but it can be helpful to identify where there are potential blind spots in your strategy or approach.
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Quantitative data can reveal general trends, while qualitative feedback can give you deeper insights into why certain aspects succeeded or failed.
Remember: All of this data can work together to tell a holistic story. Don’t just look at the numbers – context is important.
For example, if you decide to provide a rating system for your event, include a follow-up question like “What could change a 7 to a 10?” This answer can help convert a lukewarm attendee into a brand enthusiast.
5. Take action.
Research and discovery only work if you put the knowledge you gain into action. Take the data you analyzed and use it as the basis for your next steps. What are the key points that emerged in the feedback and how can you take a small step towards implementing an action plan?
Pro tip: Look for patterns and prioritize feedback that has a common theme. Remember that not every suggestion needs to be implemented, but if multiple guests raise the same issue (e.g. unclear communication or extremely long waits for food), these issues should be a top priority at your next event.
6. Iterate, improve and repeat.
Research and discovery is an ongoing process. After you implement the changes, collect feedback again. Did the feedback lead to active change? Did the changes work? What is the next area you can tackle?
At each stage, you can continue to refine and improve the experience, ensuring you’re constantly tweaking, improving, and staying in touch with your community’s needs.
Important tip: Make feedback loops a regular part of your process and not just a one-time event. This way you are constantly evolving and improving based on real, up-to-date insights.
To create a feedback loop for research and discovery, you must listen, analyze, act, and then repeat the process. It’s about creating a culture of continuous improvement, where each event or project iteration is better aligned with the needs and expectations of your audience.