• by Aaron Paquette , Columnist, December 14, 2017

For decades, market researchers administered surveys over the phone, or in person with a paper and pencil. About 15 years ago, survey-taking started moving online, revolutionizing market research. Today, online platforms dominate as a means of collecting data. However, much of the research being done online hasn’t evolved over the last 15 years.

Many of the surveys being fielded online are long (15-25 minutes); contain lots of text and grid questions; and can only be administered on a desktop or laptop computer. These restrictions make it increasingly hard to field surveys among teens, who are mobile-dominant if not -exclusive; communicate with video, photos and graphics; and prefer shorter activities that they can complete while they have a spare moment or two. And, of course, teens would probably trust a survey a lot more (and be much more engaged with it) if it were being administered by a friend, rather than a nameless stranger.

This year, a number of new apps have stepped in to fill this void, and given teens more useful tools to conduct and respond to surveys. Two months ago, Facebook purchased the app “tbh,” one of the most-downloaded free apps. Tbh is designed for users 13 and up, and allows them to answer fun survey questions about their friends. All of the questions are “positive”; while some can be slightly backhanded, none of them is bullying or mean. The answers are kept anonymous, but if somebody’s friend chooses them as the answer to a survey question, they are notified, and told the person’s gender. The app is very clean and simple, with few words, lots of graphics (mostly emoji), and a very intuitive interface.

And then there’s Sarahah, named after an Arabic word meaning “trust” or “candor.” This is an app that somebody can download and link to their social media account, particularly Snapchat. The only interface is a user photo and an empty box, with the prompt “Leave a constructive message.” Messages are sent and received anonymously, and if users receive a message, they can post it on their Snap Story, along with a response. Since the messages are anonymous, they tend to either be really nice, or really mean, but always brutally honest. 

And finally, there’s Polly, another polling app which is becoming popular on Snapchat. Users can create multiple-choice polls from scratch, or choose from stock questions. Then they can attach the poll to a Snap, and users can anonymously answer it. The pollster can then view the results in the Polly app.

How can brands learn from these apps to more effectively start a two-way dialogue with teens?

*Poll on products and names. Instead of fielding a 15-minute survey on a desktop computer, use these apps to poll fans who follow your brand on social media. Serve them quick questions like, “What’s your favorite Starbucks drink?” or “What should we name this new Starbucks drink?” Then provide four options. It will allow your most valuable customers to provide instant feedback, and best of all, it’s quick and it’s free. 

*Ask for candid feedback. Consider opening a Sarahah account for your brand, or adapting its methodology to another platform. Ask customers to leave a constructive message, and then post the messages and your replies on social media. Omit messages that are bullying or vulgar, but if somebody trashes you for a valid reason, acknowledge it, own up, and tell them how you’re going to fix it. This could be a quick, easy disaster check on issues that carry reputational risk.

*Learn more about your customers. The questions you ask don’t just have to be about products. Ask them questions about their favorite hobbies, dream vacations, biggest concerns and greatest loves. You’ll learn a lot about what drives them, and how to speak to their needs with better product development and marketing.

With these apps, anybody can be a market researcher, and teens are leading the way.