Survey research
Transform your research findings into effective communications opportunities with our story-led research & reporting
Smart solutions for illuminating your business
We unlock the stories and get results.
Our tactical story-led client research is reported in a wide range of media.
Our strategic research delivers clear pathways for business decisions.
We produce tailored outputs to suit any audience.
Strength, clarity & partnership
Our research stands up to scrutiny.
We apply rigorous industry standards and deep understanding of research theory.
We communicate with clarity and work with you to optimise return on spend.
Here are just some of the specific ways we can assist, click on an item to read more:
Story-led research
Strategic research
International
Salary and career development surveys
Industry opinion surveys
Business confidence
Market needs analysis
Trackers and seamless overhauls
User-ready research reports
Reports for publication and sale
Sponsored surveys
Story-led research & reporting
At Spotlight we understand the needs of PR, Comms and Media teams. We work closely with you to ensure that your strategic aims are achieved and we provide full research support, including additional background content for reports and press releases, data-checking releases, answering queries and writing research briefing papers for spokespersons.
- Our research reports are ready to use and easily understood – we fully interpret the findings so you don't have to do any additional work in making sense of the data.
- Using holistic data analysis – that is, leaving no stone unturned − we generate compelling and genuine stories complete with visuals, headlines, captions and quotable sentences.
- Our creative approach to data analysis and story-led reporting is rooted in sound research theory − you can trust our research reports, so your contacts can too.
Strategic research
We are experienced providers of strategic business research, tackling a range of issues such as customer satisfaction, brand awareness, competitive positioning, concept development, segmentation, salary and career development surveys, PR and more.
We understand the needs of marketers, business development teams, PR teams, senior executives and Board members. Our high-impact, incisive reports and presentations are based on high quality tailored research, using holistic data analysis and story-led reporting to uncover actionable findings and maximise the return on your investment.
International research
We have international clients and conduct research in the UK and Europe, India, Saudi Arabia, the USA, South Africa, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and many other countries. Our Trusted Partners also provide research and support services on a regional or national basis for global Spotlight projects.
Salary and career development surveys
It is vital for professional membership organisations to track the effectiveness of their qualifications in the marketplace. One way of doing this is to run an annual survey of salaries and career development. The findings can be used in many ways:
- To demonstrate the effectiveness of your qualification enhance to prospective members/students − we aim to link salary and career advancement to membership and qualifications.
- To feed back to your education teams and providers − our approach provides comparisons by country, types of membership, experience, qualifications, and a range of demographic factors.
- To provide advice to members on career choices and the importance of continuing their professional development − our story-led reporting provides ready to use pieces for press releases and articles.
- If appropriate, to track differences in salaries and progression across countries − our analysis allows meaningful comparisons across different denominations.
- We can track the future expectations and needs of your members.
- We can incorporate economic and business environment factors to provide context.
Industry opinion surveys
From annual trackers on enterprise and policy issues to short topical snapshots, we provide compelling stories based on the opinions of business people across all occupations and levels of seniority. Our story-led approach ensures that reports are ready to disseminate, sell or use for press releases and articles; while being firmly rooted in high quality objective research.
Business confidence
As stand-alone business confidence surveys or additional questions to add meaningful context to your surveys, we suggest the most appropriate economic and business indicators to track in your marketplace. We can also provide economic context through desk research – sourcing the most trusted country and regional data available. We draw upon years of experience in tracking business confidence on a range of wide and narrow measures.
Market needs analysis
Using a combination of sound research theory and practical, easily understood reporting, we consult with our clients to design and conduct strategic business research on a range of issues, including:
- Customer / member satisfaction.
- Segmentations based on demographics, firmographics and attitudinal differentiators.
- Brand position, reputation and image, measured tracking against your organisation's mission statement.
Seamless tracker overhauls
To remain effective, annual surveys and trackers need to be regularly reviewed and refreshed – even significantly overhauled if there have been substantial business or market changes. The exercise presents considerable challenges to the researcher in terms of data continuity, survey programming, technical issues, sampling issues, the management of stakeholder expectations and so on.
At Spotlight we are experienced in conducting the seamless review and refreshment of trackers, providing full support from research design to survey programming and data analysis to reporting.
- We can conduct internal consultations with key stakeholders to determine their priorities for information and reporting.
- We identify areas where the questionnaire and research process can be streamlined.
- We ensure data remains comparable over time as far as possible.
- We ensure data is carried across to the refreshed survey to allow continuity of tracking.
- We can incorporate story-led analysis and reporting to provide added-value from the refreshed tracker.
- We can provide a reporting package or provide a reporting plan with tailored outputs for varied audiences.
User-ready research reports
Based on fully bespoke research, we are proud to provide 'user-ready' reports to our clients and their stakeholders. If you want to avoid having to wade through a research report to find those all-important nuggets of information or if you resent having to analyse agency reports yourself to obtain real insights, then you've come to the right place. At Spotlight, we do the hard work for you – as we should − to provide meaningful story-led reports that make sense of vast amount of research data and distil it to a useable and concise format.
Reports for publication and sale
We draw upon years of experience in writing and editing research reports for publication and sale; for example, widespread dissemination to policy-makers, off-the-shelf sale to decision-makers, handing out at conferences, to accompany press releases to journalists, on-line publication on a website or hard-copy design and print.
We are experienced in liaising with graphics and print agencies and online content providers.
For off-the-shelf productions, we can help to put together a series of packages including rights to the use of data, accompanying databases, special questions and bespoke analyses.
Sponsored surveys
Organisations increasingly understand the benefits of a partnership approach to market research, whereby an aligned third party company sponsors part of the research in exchange for certain rights under contract. This approach can significantly offset the costs of vital research while lending additional credibility.
We are experienced in providing tactful research support and advice to such partners in conjunction with clients; including devising and agreeing special questions, bespoke reporting and supporting the promotional activities of the sponsor alongside normal client services.