Versta Research Blog

Versta Research Blog

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Versta Research is a marketing research and public opinion polling firm that helps you answer critical questions with customized research and analytical expertise.

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Versta Research Blog

Explore industry trends, research methods, and tips for your own research projects in the Versta Research Blog. All opinions are our own, and some may change over time.

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Versta Research Post

Using Mobile Technologies in Research

One critical trend that is transforming the research industry is the rapid adoption of mobile technologies, especially smartphones.  It transforms research in multiple ways.  It means that people disconnect their landlines, so we have to adjust our methods for phone polling.  But more importantly, it means people are accessible in multiple ways (text, phone, email)…

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Versta Research Post

Bridging the Quantitative-Qualitative Gap

The summer 2010 newsletter from Versta Research focuses on how to bridge the gap between quantitative research and qualitative research, whether it be market research or academic research.  Both methods give rich insights, and both offer compelling ways to summarize and communicate data.  But rarely does each method draw upon the strengths of the other.…

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Versta Research Post

Cross Cultural Survey Guidelines

We are currently engaged in a research project for a client in South Korea, so issues of cross-cultural communication are top-of-mind for us right now.  Whether we rely on translations, or whether we speak the same language as our clients and respondents, it is important for researchers to understand differences in how people think and…

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Versta Research Post

Can Tweeting Replace Polling?

The idea that online panel surveys can replace telephone surveys ruffles feathers among my colleagues at the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). So what would they think of using Twitter posts as a substitute for phone surveys? The idea seems crazy, but as reported in Science, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found…

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Versta Research Post

Trouble for Phone Surveys: Nobody Talks

In the old days (decades ago), phone surveys had limited utility because many people had no phone service in their homes.  When that changed, phone surveys became ubiquitous because they allowed researchers better control over the process.  Data quality improved.  Now increasing numbers of people have moved to cell phones only, which has been a…

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Versta Research Post

Of Lust and Tracking Studies

Today, an industry colleague (another owner of a market research firm) said to me, “We all lust after those big tracking studies.”  For most market research firms, tracking studies are attractive because they involve big samples, multiple ongoing deliverables, and multi-year commitments, all of which means predictable, ongoing (and usually substantial) revenue. At Versta Research,…

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