How Original Research Insights Boost Your Brand Awareness

To grow your business or sell more consistently, you must keep reaching more of the right people.

Visibility on its own is not enough, though. For your target customers to actually buy your products or services, they also need to trust you and see your brand as an authority (not “one of many”).

So, instead of following the crowd with generic or opinion-based content, start leading your industry by sharing your own original research insights.

We’ll show you why it works so well, how it’ll increase your brand awareness, and how you can get started today, even as a small or medium business on a budget.

How original research will boost your brand awareness

By original research, we simply mean primary data that you collected yourself (for example, by sending a ScoreApp survey or scorecard to your target audience), packaged around your fresh perspective or put into context within your industry. 

But how exactly does sharing original data increase your brand awareness?

• Standing out in a crowded market – Your target audience is already consuming all kinds of content, and most brands are sticking to subjective opinions or saying the same things in slightly different ways. With original data, on the other hand, you won’t add to that online noise: you’ll cut right through it by providing fresh and unique insights
• Positioning your brand as an authority – While most competitors continue to lead with generic and subjective claims, yours will be backed by data. You’ll also share your perspective in a way that builds credibility and highlights your expertise. So, your audience will see you as a thought leader and a trusted source of industry knowledge
• Attracting media coverage and backlinks – Journalists, bloggers, and businesses or publications in your industry are always seeking new data to inform their content. With your original research, you’ll become that primary source! This will attract backlinks (which are great for your SEO), relevant mentions, and juicy opportunities. Not only will it increase your brand’s reach: when your audience keeps seeing your name pop up in all those contexts? They’ll really think of you as an authority!
• Driving audience engagement – Your original data will offer something fresh and relevant to your target customers, giving them the perfect opportunity to interact with you. If you then create additional content around your research and keep in touch with those who contributed or signed up to access it? You’ll stay top of mind and get them in the habit of engaging with you (psst: your ScoreApp survey will collect your participants’ contact details) 
• Showing them you value their contribution – Consider basing your original research on data collected through your target customers’ input. This will welcome them as part of your journey and show them you care about their opinion. If you conduct your research on something that’s particularly relevant and important to them, they’ll also feel more connected to your brand and values

Collecting original research insights and engaging your audience through interactive scorecards

There are many ways to collect data for your original research. Let’s face it, though: most of them aren’t realistic or sustainable for small and medium businesses, like dropping thousands on an agency, doing everything manually, or spending weeks trying to understand how various tools can work together.

Instead, ScoreApp makes data collection easier, more effective, and accessible to everyone. You can get direct input from your target audience through a compelling survey or a scorecard offering something valuable to them (personalized results and advice) while also showing them you care about their opinion. 

Here’s how to do that in 5 simple steps:

1. Pick a topic for your original research – What will it be about? The sweet spot tends to be something relevant in your industry and that your target audience also cares about (for example, a common challenge or misconception)
2. Create a survey or scorecard – Start from our customizable templates to match your brand and goals. You can opt for a visually attractive survey that keeps your participants engaged or a scorecard offering them valuable results (for example, “Help us understand your challenges as a solopreneur, and discover your Entrepreneurial Profile with tips to overcome your weaknesses and harness your strengths”). Either way, ScoreApp will allow you to collect both qualitative and quantitative data thanks to our 9 different question formats
3. Set up relevant incentives and a nurturing plan – If you rely on a quiz-like experience to collect your original data, receiving some personalized results is already an incentive in itself. If you choose a more traditional survey, consider leading with why someone’s contribution matters, and make sure you thank them for it. Then, set up an automated email sequence to stay in touch with these new contacts in a more tailored way, based on their answers (yes, with ScoreApp, you don’t “just” get original data: you can generate qualified leads at the same time!)
4. Launch your data collection survey or scorecard – ScoreApp works with your existing tools. So, if you’re getting input from your entire target audience, promote your survey in your marketing (for example, by adding its landing page to your website, sending it to your existing email list, linking to it on your socials, creating fresh content around it, or using paid ads). If it’s just for your past and existing customers, email it to them. ScoreApp will then start collecting your participants’ contact details and answers, all automatically 
5. Review your original data – In your dashboard, you’ll find clear analytics, perfect to easily go through all your answers and spot patterns and common themes

You now have EVERYTHING you need to bring your new insights together, publish your research, and create fresh data-backed content around it, boosting your brand awareness and authority.

Start collecting your original data with ScoreApp today and for FREE

Attaching a scorecard to your original research report, too

ScoreApp gives you so many opportunities to grow your audience and compel them to interact with your brand!

As well as using a survey or scorecard to collect your original data, you can have a separate one to engage even more people when you publish your research.

For example, spike your audience’s curiosity by attaching a different scorecard to your report, asking questions to help them assess their situation and compare it with your new industry benchmarks. 

How will this benefit both your target customers and your business?

• Encouraging self-reflection – People LOVE to find out more about themselves or their current situation! So, instead of consuming your new data passively, they’ll get to do so in a dynamic and personalized way (for example, measuring their own readiness or performance) 
• Collecting more contact details – You can treat your new report as a lead magnet, offering it for free in exchange for someone’s contact details. By also asking them a few questions through ScoreApp when they sign up for it, you’ll get to know your audience even better as well as growing it 
• Creating a sense of urgency – When your target customers see where they fall in relation to most people or specific industry benchmarks? Many will want to take action to improve their situation. So, make the most of your ScoreApp results page, offering a relevant and personalized call to action to each segment (like booking a consultation with you or buying a specific digital product) to turn more participants into paying customers 
• Providing personalized insights – Use your new scorecard data to personalize your emails, messaging, and touchpoints, making them more relevant and effective for each segment or prospect (instead of sending the exact same thing to everyone)

Start your original research, and boost your brand awareness with ScoreApp

Share your own original research to reach more people, position your business as an authority, and stand out from all competitors still leading with generic or opinion-based content. 

You can make the most of ScoreApp to:

• Easily collect original data to inform your research
• Complement your new report with an interactive scorecard, compelling even more people to sign up for it

It all starts with a survey or scorecard to gather your data: launch it today and for FREE with ScoreApp.