The great thing about research is that we are all capable of it. Sometimes without even knowing it or defining it as research – we all already do it. After all, it’s about gathering information to answer one or more questions.

You reading this post, the daily news, and checking out Twitter is all research. The key, though, is how you target that research.

At High Road we put our research skills to the test with everything we do, not only in discovering information but in analyzing and communicating it to help our clients reach their business objectives. Whether creating a customized website that resonates with customers, launching a campaign that speaks to a new audience, or just communicating more effectively on social media, it all starts with research.

Although we research every day, big, targeted projects can be time-intensive and require the researcher to go the extra mile.

With that in mind, here are five research tips to help you stay on track.

1: Define your approach

All research must be grounded in a structure and map back to an objective – this is the “research approach.” This includes things like describing the methodology, targets, language needs, keywords and phrases. Sure, for some, defining the approach can take longer than the research, but by creating a plan up front you and your team will always have a guide to ensure you stay on track.

2: Let the research findings guide your way

Always remember that although you’ve created a structure, if the research is begging you to go another way – listen. To me, that is the fun part about research. Never lose sight of what the research is really telling you and be prepared to go back and revaluate your plan if you discover something big.

3: Draw on your instincts

As I mentioned, you and I conduct research each and every day, often times unknowingly. In fact, some of the best first-person insights can be found on social media. Draw on your instincts and tackle the web as you would on any regular day. Use your favourite search engine and leverage the first keywords that come to mind. It’s smart to start with what you know and branch out from there.

4: Take the time to reflect

It’s important to acknowledge that research will not uncover everything there is to know about a given topic. Instead, your research represents a snapshot in space and time. That is why you should always take the time to reflect on the bigger picture and the overall objectives of your research. If you are feeling overwhelmed with all the information you are finding, step back and revisit your approach and think about what you have discovered to date, identify the gaps, and opportunities so you can start back-up again with a new mission of filling in those areas or answering the questions you might have missed.

5: Craft a story with the results

All in all, you must always remember that what you set out to do was answer questions. So, when you’re crafting your final report ensure that it tells a story, as opposed to just sharing a hot mess of numbers and charts. Sure, those numbers are important – but what do they mean to the project? Rather than get bogged down in delivering and communicating every last website, quote or blog post you may have come across, always remember the story.

Candice Shirreff is an Account Supervisor who leads in-depth online research on behalf of High Road clients. If you have a research project, and would like some support, you can contact her at Candice.Shirreff@highroad.com.

So I generally hate going to these things… a boring re-hash of the basics we’ve been talking about for years, out-of-date examples, etc. But I was pleasantly surprised at the pretty much awesome line up the Strategy Mag peeps were able to wrangle for this year’s AToMiC conference held yesterday at the Koolhaus in Toronto (good call timing it right before AdWeek in NYC).

From Alexander Manu’s interesting keynote on disruption, to “vision” guys like PHD’s Mark Holden, MS Advertising’s Jeremy Grubaugh & Saatchi & Saatchi’s Tim Leake, to corporate movers like Pepsi’s Frank Cooper III, to tech wiz’s like Toronto’s own InteraXon, everyone brought insight and an interesting viewpoint that built on the overall future-of-marketing conversation.

• It was a breath of fresh air to be somewhat confused by Manu’s complex theories first thing in the morning… but at least he was thinking about the why & how not just what & where. Not a lot of people go there!
• Pepsi’s Cooper was as smooth as I wish our Cdn politicians could be… he even evoked Jerry McGuire a couple of times, yikes. But he broke down success to a few simple rules that made sense: Humanity (people first), Imagination (change through creativity), and Truth (transparency & openness). Plus he gave a shout out to Drake, way to know your audience.
• Holden brought out gems like Graphene & went in-depth on how NUI (& Kinect in particular, near & dear to my heart, obvs) has the potential to change marketing.
• Grubaugh had some actually really good 1-, 2-, 3-screen ad examples & showed how storytellers can be thinking of incorporating new tech. I especially liked the mashup of Bing Maps, PhotoSynth & Deep Zoom… you could have a lot of fun w/ that!
• Leake I liked & agreed with his approach to more nimble marketing, but it was somewhat painful to watch coming from a PR background: “lean marketing” & “one-week challenges?” Grass is always greener dudes, you’re welcome to it.
• Really, there’s not much to say about InteraXon except go check that shit out! It’s pretty damn cool. (My fave tip from today also came from these guys: don’t even bother trying to flex the delta quadrant of your brain… duh.)

All in all, pretty entertaining & thought provoking. Even still, it was reassuring to hear we’re on the right track focusing on content & storytelling while also knowing the latest channels or opportunities and how to use them from a business perspective. Now I just need to get my own brain sensor…

On June 8,  High Road hit up Strategy’s Understanding Youth conference – a wonderful event aimed at educating marketers about the trends that are shaping the behaviour of tweens and teens.

With 10 per cent of Canada’s population being under 20, making meaningful connections with youth is a huge part of what the High Road team does for our diverse roster of clients.

The conference featured some great speakers that spanned a range of topics, such as engaging and motivating youth through gamification and the power of storytelling. The speakers also provided a great snapshot of current trends, and highlighted some fabulous case studies.

We all know that the youth demographic is a powerful group. The message that echoed throughout the conference was that the youth focus and priorities are sometimes different than that of the average PR or marketing team trying to captivate them.

With that in mind, here are some key considerations for marketers trying to get the youth vote:

• Get in the game: We’ve seen increasing instances of gamification – the integration of game dynamics into campaigns is a fantastic way to drive participation and interest. If you’re prepared to go one step further and offer real-life rewards, all the better.

• Transmedia storytelling: Don’t just share your brand’s story across multiple platforms and formats, give your audience an experiential marketing moment that will encourage them to share the story with their peers. Make the story entertaining!

• Talk to your audience, not at them: Marketing is a conversation. Engage with your audience. Ask them what they think. Respond.

• Know when it’s time to let go: With social media sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, more and more it is the consumer that owns the brand – and in many cases it is the active, online youth audience.  Youth are talking about your brand whether you like it or not, it’s up to you whether or not you want to join the conversation.