COVID-19: Conducting Meaningful Research in Times of Uncertainty

First and foremost, let us once again extend our warmest wishes and sincere hope that this message finds you all healthy and well.

Like you, this current crisis has required SIR to stretch our limbs and find innovative ways to help our clients manage both the urgent challenges and the long-term ramifications of COVID-19. What hasn’t changed in the face of this uncertain landscape we’re all navigating, however, is the importance of gaining strategic insights through research.

With that in mind, this week we thought we’d share two best practices for conducting research during periods of disruption, and how to use research findings to move your business or organization forward:

1. Identify how you can help.

Our lives have changed dramatically since March, and with each passing day, “returning to normal” feels farther and farther away. People are eager to engage right now, especially when they feel they’ll truly be heard. So, give them that opportunity. Let your audience — your customers, employees, stakeholders, whomever it may be — tell you how they may be hurting, what is working well for them, and what they need. Sometimes, this might mean having to read critical remarks about yourself. Other times, it may serve to uncover the ways you have and can spark positivity for constituents. Either way, the common threads that emerge will prove integral to developing the solutions that will make a difference for your relationships now and throughout the COVID-19 recovery effort.

2. Serve as a hub for helpful and relevant resources, data, and information.

While we’re all being bombarded by news about COVID-19, your audience still wants helpful information tailored to their specific needs. Uncover what those needs are and use that as a springboard toward deepening your connection with stakeholders and engaging with them. As an example, we recently worked with the lead business organizations in Hampton Roads to survey business leaders from the region. We learned what was keeping business leaders up at night, what inspired them, and what needs we could support. Those insights were then used to develop the 757 Business Recovery Forum: 757recovery.com. Today, it not only houses survey findings and future tracking survey waves, it also serves as a vital resource for business leaders looking for the latest guidance and a sense of community.

In unprecedented times like these, if you really want to know how people are coping, what they’re thinking, and what they truly need from you, you just have to ask. Now is the time to delve deep with stakeholders who crave someone to listen to them..

We Want To Hear From You

So, with that in mind, how are you moving forward in this climate? Have you performed any research so far with your customers, constituents, or stakeholders? If so, we’d love to hear about what you've found. And if not, know that you have a 56-year-old research and strategy firm at the ready. Please visit SIRhq.com/covid-19 to share your insights and learn more about these and other best practices.