Research Process
People often ask what makes Mantis different. The short answer: we live at the intersection of original research and content marketing.
The longer answer: We believe in the power of research that is credible. That is full of insight. That is useful. That has a marketing plan behind it so it gets to the right people -- and your business gets the results it desires.
Yet, it’s easy to unintentionally miss steps or make mistakes that cost you time, money, results or even credibility.
Our ideal clients are marketers who want to create research that is credible and that makes a difference in the lives of your ideal audience. Original research can work for any business, but it can be a really effective fit for those who have an active community and/or a large, engaged email list.
While there are many ways we do this, we have created and continue to refine our 4-step process. The mission: help you create research that makes an impact by focusing the three things we know makes any research project a success:
- Credible data
- Exploration of story
- Amplification plan
Introducing the IDEA model
Impact
The goal of this step is to identify the impact you want your research to have and create a plan to get there.
- What impact do you want to see in your marketing? Your business?
- How do you want your audience to think differently?
- What research exists in your field and how can you find a unique angle?
- How will you get the right people to respond to your survey?
- How will this research fit in with your marketing?
Data
The goal of this step is to create survey questions that are both valid but will also result in meaningful insights and stories. The specific steps include:
- Designing your survey
- Programming your survey
- Testing the survey
- Fielding the survey and answering questions while it’s in the field
- Cleaning the data
- Analyzing the results
- Running crosstabs
- Exploring the data and pulling out key editorial insights
Exploration
Once the you have your data, you need to uncover the key insights and prepare your launch plan. This step includes:
- Deciding if you want to gate your research
- Determining what you want someone to do once they download your research
- Writing and designing your report
- Creating a key page for your research
- Creating basic assets to launch your research
Amplification
When done well, you'll be able to re-imagine your research in many different ways. During this last step, we will prioritize your amplification opportunities to help you make the impact you desire.
Let's talk
Wondering if research is for you or how to get more from the research you are already conducting?