What does your audience think? 5 methods for audience research

Audience research can answer various questions. For example, about your visitors themselves or their user profiles, but also about their appreciation or evaluation of your offerings and their needs or motivations to use or not use your services. The type of research you conduct depends on the question you want to investigate.

Quantitative or qualitative

Questions about visitors or user profiles are answered with quantitative data, for example through surveys or data analysis. Appreciation can be queried both quantitatively and qualitatively, through a rating or interview. Needs and motivations are best uncovered using qualitative research methods, such as in-depth interviews or user testing. For every research question, there is a different method of audience research. Are you investigating multiple questions? Then combine different research methods.

5 commonly used methods for audience research

1. Data analysis

Through the statistics of your website or channels, you gain insight into your users. Statistics help you map out your target groups, visitor numbers, and their preferences.

In practice

The Anne Frank House discovered through data analysis how they could improve their website. For example, they adjusted the ticket section, the second most important part of the website. They noticed that visitors were only buying one type of ticket, even though multiple options were available. This section of the website was redesigned. A page was added that shows all ticket options. Instead of ‘buy a ticket,’ they used ‘choose a ticket.’ Within a few days, visits skyrocketed: visits to the English ticket section became ten times higher. The Dutch version was visited almost 4.5 times more often.

2. (Micro)surveys

A survey or questionnaire is used to learn something specific about your visitors. In a microsurvey, you ask just a few short questions about a very specific topic. This increases the response rate because visitors can fill it out quickly and easily.

In practice

Visit Gooi & Vecht organized a heritage festival in collaboration with several cultural institutions. Through a pop-up on their website, they asked visitors about their experience and appreciation of the festival. This revealed that the festival attracted many new visitors and that there are opportunities to encourage repeat visits.

3. Focus groups

In a focus group, a moderator interviews multiple people simultaneously. They share how they experience the offerings and provide advice. Focus groups provide insight into different interests and perspectives of a group of users.

In practice

In Flanders, research was conducted on cultural participation during and after lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to surveying more than 13,000 culture enthusiasts, researchers spoke with various focus groups. The focus groups were used to validate the insights from the surveys. Curious about the full research report? Visit the website of Culture and Media (opens in new tab).

4. In-depth interviews

In an in-depth interview, you take the time to thoroughly question a user. This allows you to probe deeper and refine findings.

In practice

The National Museum of World Cultures conducted telephone interviews with people who attended a hybrid lecture. They interviewed both visitors in the museum and those who followed the lecture via a livestream. This allowed the team to compare the experiences of these two groups. The interviews provided insights into the audience's needs. During subsequent episodes of the series, improvements were immediately implemented. Findings from the research are also used to better align form and content in new projects.

5. User testing

User tests show how users interact with your digital offerings or website. You can give people specific tasks and observe whether they can find the information they need. These insights allow you to make improvements to the user experience (UX).

In practice

The Literature Museum wanted to know how its online exhibitions were being experienced. By observing how users viewed the exhibition, the museum learned, for example, that many people view exhibitions on their phones or tablets. Additionally, many visitors reach the online exhibitions through social media posts. Based on this, the museum added more layers to the online presentations, ensuring there is enough to explore both in five minutes and during a longer visit.

Why audience analysis?

Audience research or audience analysis might seem unnecessary. However, it helps you understand your audience and make choices based on their needs. It is a form of data-driven work where the audience is central. This is important because the world and the audience are changing. Offerings that previously drew full houses may not always align with the audience of the future. By researching your audience and analyzing their responses, you can create offerings that match their desires.

Audience research to define and reach your target group

Audience research primarily provides insight into your existing audience. But what if you want to define or reach new target groups? DEN also offers tools for defining target groups and mapping your online audience.

• Learn from other cultural organizations how to define your online audience.
• Dive into the audience of the future.
• Read about the different goals of audience research and how to analyze step by step.