Lights, Camera, Action: How to Best Leverage Video Feedback

As the electronically inclined population grows and the professional world moves to digital, consumers are pushing for multi-media communication and feedback channels. Millennials and Gen-Z openly express their complaints, views, and needs across multiple social platforms and using various media, especially video. From their perspective, making a quick reel reviewing a product or recounting an experience is a far less exhaustive (and more intuitive) pursuit than writing an elaborate review or responding to a restrictive survey. Forward-thinking companies do not dismiss these practices the way of the younger generation, but instead recognize that the younger generation is a valuable market for insights, and developing with them can only benefit business.

The Value of Video Feedback

Market Research professionals have an extraordinary opportunity to elicit high levels of qualitative, and even quantitative feedback, by capitalizing on video feedback and communication using one of the range of solutions now available, such as LivingLens. Video is a prosperous source for data and an excellent way to understand your audience’s opinions and needs. Consider all of the factors you can extract from a single clip: demographic information, general emotion and attitude, objective, and actual consumer quotes. This level of information aids in deriving deep and meaningful insights into the consumers we are constantly trying to understand.

Also take into account how simple it is for our audiences to provide this form of content. Today it is as simple as picking up a smartphone or opening up your computer’s camera and pressing record. Research professionals should be mindful of the rising willingness to record unsolicited opinions on products and companies and broadcast them on social channels. It is likely these same people will be willing to provide this type of feedback to a business if requested.

Implementing a Video Strategy

There is no denying the value in recorded reactions and evaluations, but actually deploying the technology takes careful strategizing. To begin with, companies should examine:

• Mission: What is the business’ goal and what are the research objectives?
• Advancement: Is this an opportunity for improved capability? Will the results be a measurable improvement from the current methods used?
• Approach: What exact tactics will be utilized? Who will implement them?
• Benefits: Will this implementation add significant business value? Is it worth the manpower and financial investment?

Let’s zoom in a bit closer on approach. This is where and when a business should be conceptualizing exactly how they intend to capture content from their audience. There are three primary ways to secure video content:

 

1. Capture smartphone apps
2. HTML webcam capture
3. Direct uploads

 

 

Coordinate with a team and other industry professionals to decide which approach will integrate most effectively with the platform in mind. The target audience should play a crucial role in this decision.

Design Questions for Video

To effectively secure content in one of the above forms, be sure to employ expert research design. In other words, make sure the questions asked are open-ended enough for the audience to elaborate, but tailored enough that the responses will be measurable. Beginning with a “what?” question immediately followed by a “why?” question is a nice approach. Sentiment-neutral questions, like “please describe your last trip to…” are likely to turn out responses that are easily translated into text analytics. Remember that the results of these videos must be measurable, so plan the inquiries accordingly.

Final Thoughts

If careful consideration of the above turns out a positive response, and the organization is certain that a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics can be drawn from the conceptualized approach, then video feedback is imminent. Be assured that facial and tonal recognition technology is on the rise and constantly improving, and video is becoming a more manageable method of research. Staying tactical in the approach, it is possible to grow with consumers and accommodate their desire to provide an opinion, by offering preferred feedback opportunity on their preferred media channels.