If you are like me, you are just a bit wary of the word “social media” (this includes web 2.0 and the newly coined web 3.0). Do you ever ask yourself the question, what is social media anyway?

In my opinion, it is really just a combination of different sites and the multitude of tools that websites now use. Yes, I know it is a dialogue. It is about losing control, but in short, it is now the web. So let’s state the obvious:

• Yes, the way people communicate has already evolved (e.g., more social and collaborative).
• Yes, “social media” sites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter) are popular.
• Yes, “social media” tools can be useful (e.g., microblogging, photo sharing, forums)

How does social media help market research?

So, the tougher question we have to answer is (drum roll)…  How can we use social technologies to help us do our job better? If it doesn’t help you, then why use it?

Well, I work in qualitative market research, so the answer for me is rather simple. There are some basic limitations in traditional qualitative research, specifically:

• It’s point in time. What do we know about people after they leave the room?
• It’s finite. How much can you cram into a 2 hour FG guide?
• It’s slow. What, is 6 weeks too long to wait for a report?

So, I need to figure out how to use social technology to:

• Develop extended relationships with people to explore what they are like over time.
• Manage a wide array of client research needs.
• Speed up the research process, giving my clients better access to insights.

How does social media make you better?

Truthfully, though we run private market research communities, we can learn a lot from the Facebook’s, Twitter’s and Digg’s of the world. I’m on board for the next great web revolution, but only to the extent that it helps me do my job better. So, the next time you hear the term “social media,” ask yourself, what are the challenges you hope this phenomenon will help you overcome.
- Ben