I’ve been thinking about an article for a while, and the running title is “every marketer needs access to research.” I’m sure I’ll get there eventually, but while I’ve been putting that one together, I realized another truth, which is the focus of today’s article: Every marketing department needs access to a market research team.
Now, I know that might sound the same as the original topic, but I’m going to diverge a bit. Market research is huge for marketers, and it should definitely be a part of the process. But instead of focusing on ‘how’ it works, or even why it’s important, I wanted to talk about the special sauce that comes from a seasoned group of researchers working as part of your marketing process.
We know where to look.
One of the big things market researchers understand is how to go about gathering research. Often, when marketers go up against gathering data, the process can be daunting. Market researchers take away that trepidation with experience.
When you’re trying to solve a marketing challenge, there’s a good chance the data is out there. This wealth of existing research – known as secondary research – is available across hundreds of databases and a variety of aggregating resources. Most market research teams already have access to these conduits of information, and being familiar with them, can jump right in at any given time.
Of course, sometimes the data isn’t out there, and it’s up to market research to put together a primary research study to gather exactly what’s needed. When it comes to methodological design, a seasoned pro can make sure your strategy is shaped – in terms of data requirements, timeframe and budget – to fit exactly what you need.
Does your marketing require a variety of qualitative insights, or would we be better served with a measureable quantitative study? To get that information, should we put together an online survey, or host a few focus groups? Can we get this whole thing done within the next two weeks without depleting the advertising budget?
These are the types of questions market researchers are trained to navigate. We know exactly where to go and how to get the information you need for your marketing.
We perform the analysis.
Great, you have the information you need. Now, you need to analyze it. That’s where market research teams bring tremendous value once more.
A focused market research team will help take the information and figure out why it matters to your marketing. They’ll perform the right tests, conduct the right analyses, and altogether get to the ‘wow’ factor faster and more efficiently.
Imagine you’re looking at multiple sources of secondary information, and you need to combine it all into a single research-based story. Here, you’re going to want to conduct a meta-analysis. This will condense all the findings into a coherent thought, and be sure to resolve any conflicts based on findings from differing sources.
Or maybe you have a large batch of audience survey data, and you want to splice it to find your optimum audience segments, and also learn how those segments think and feel. You’re going to want to clean the data, and run it through the appropriate data analysis software. Maybe that’s Tableau or SPSS or Excel, all of which have their own benefits and nuances.
These are the best solutions for the research you’ve gathered, but they aren’t always the easiest to implement for the average marketer. When you’re looking at mountains of data – from piles of secondary research to thousands of survey responses coded as data – you need to figure out what it means. A market research team will take care of this complex process for you, so you can quickly jump to the exciting insights phase of the research and marketing process.
We communicate the findings.
What does your research mean to a marketing audience? Answering that question is the goal of everything market research is about, and no one does it better than focused market researchers.
Communicating research findings is one of the most fascinating things that market researchers have evolved over the last few decades. From data visualizations to full-on video storytelling, and from clever copywriting to comic books and more, market researchers have access to an ever-growing toolbox of communication techniques.
Consider our audience segment example above, and imagine how we could best tell that story. Instead of data, market researchers will build out full-on buyer personas, complete with characters, story arcs and more. Buyer personas convey audience segmentations as market-worthy individuals who must be reached by the campaign, and they an extremely effective way of translating research into action for marketing teams.
Or maybe we’ve identified some critical data that should be incorporated in messaging. Instead of sticking with traditional stats, research can help you develop benchmarks and message points that make the findings ‘pop’ more with the target audience through copywriting and advertising.
These communication methodologies may seem complex. But for market researchers, communicating findings is what we do. A dedicated market research team helps summarize all your hard research work into clear-cut, actionable insights that resonate with marketing teams.
We measure the outcome.
Did it work? That’s one of the most important questions asked of marketers. Marketing is all about developing and implementing strategies, and marketers need to know whether or not their strategies are making the intended impacts on an organization’s goals. Unfortunately, most marketers aren’t equipped to answer that question about their own marketing. That’s where a market research team steps in once more.
A dedicated research team will put together a plan to track the success of your marketing. They’ll evaluate the goal, and make sure success is being measured at every step of the way.
Click here to read more about marketing measurement and ROI.
But, what happens when things aren’t performing as planned? This is actually where one of the most valuable traits of a great market research team comes into play – we help optimize campaigns.
Let’s face it, not all marketing is a home run. With great market research, you minimize that risk. But no matter the outcome, almost every marketing strategy can be improved upon. When your campaign is underperforming, market research can help identify ‘why,’ and make recommendations to fix the scenario.
Is the messaging off? Is the creative running in the right markets? Is the Call to Action as clear as it can be? Market research teams will evaluate these and other cases, and come back with the necessary next steps to get your campaign back on track.
At the end of all marketing, it’s up to the marketer to prove the value. Market research teams help define and demonstrate that valuable in an irrefutable, quantifiable manner that helps marketers make major impacts.
Let’s our powers combine!
Every marketing department needs access to a market research team. But, let’s face it, not every marketing organization has the ability to keep a dedicated market research team in-house. So, what do you do?
Need access to a market research team? Let’s talk!
That’s where S2 Research is happy to help you out. We work as a fractional market research team for your marketing department, teaming up alongside you in the market research capacities you need. Whether it’s help conducting complex analyses or assistance communicating important data-points, we work with marketers at the right times and in the right roles. We research, we write, we do data analysis – we take care of the entire process for you.
And, thanks to a great network of research partners throughout the country, we’re also able to help you conduct any type of market research methodology you need.
If you’re part of a marketing team, and you don’t currently have access to a great market research partner, give me a call. I’d love to hear more about how your team does marketing!