You know the process – you learn as much as you can, you turn that into a marketing strategy, you implement the strategy, and then you measure to see how you did. Then you do it all over again. That’s marketing, and it’s how the best campaigns work. But unfortunately, in most modern marketing times, this process doesn’t always play out verbatim. With so many demands on marketers’ time, combined with the ever-growing complexity of market research, many marketers simply skip market research altogether. That’s why I wanted to write a short article on why research is often skipped (and how to fix it) for marketers. With the right mix of insights and research, your marketing gets kicked up a whole bunch of notches,
Market research takes too much time
Most often, market research is skipped because it takes up too much time. On top of that, market research isn’t always actionable – it’s not as fun or sexy as pitching stories or building ad campaigns. When combined, what marketers see is a giant time drain that’s not going to yield any direct results.
What many marketers don’t see, though, is that the time invested in research yields tremendously high returns when it’s applied back to marketing. Sure, market research isn’t actionable for marketing, in the same way that sharpening a knife isn’t actionable for actual cooking. But almost everyone can appreciate that taking the time to sharpen the knife before it hits the veggies makes for a much better cooking experience, and the same is true for market research and marketing.
To counter this, try putting a few light-weight market research strategies into place, and keep them running ongoing. You can do this by sending one team member out to talk to customers each month, or by running a short survey on your website. Be sure to include periodic reporting or observation points in your process so you never have to ‘find the time’ to figure out what it all means. Summarize and review your findings as they come in, and start to implement the insights into your marketing immediately!
Market research is too complex
We literally live in the coolest time in history for market research. Using advanced data analysis and global communication tools, we can literally learn about and dissect information from any audience anywhere. It’s really cool – if you’re really into market research.
But since most marketers aren’t really into market research, this plethora of methodologies is nothing but daunting to most marketers. What good is 10 million lines of data if you can’t stand data analysis, right?
To counter this, stick with simplicity. Yes, we live in the coolest time for market research tech yada yada yada, but if you don’t need those tools, don’t use them. Traditional surveys, in-depth-interviews, focus groups, observation studies – every one of these is still a valid and viable methodology. Lean on what you’re comfortable with, and you’ll be good to go.
Alternatively, find a market research partner to help you. With so many capabilities out there, many market research experts and firms are popping up to help you incorporate the tools available into your marketing. Leaning on experts is a great way to keep your market research relevant!
Market research isn’t fun
The number one reason marketers don’t conduct market research, according to the marketing friends I interviewed for this article, is because market research isn’t fun. These are people who love writing copy, love pitching stories, love negotiating media and love creating social content. Their opinion of advanced data analysis and interpretation is the same as their opinions of smelly-spaghetti.
Marketers are usually passionate people, and agency folks are damn near crazy when it comes to passion. They’re excited, motivated people who love to see progress and development, and making moves. Market research doesn’t generally fit that mold.
So, how do you make market research fun? Well, there’s a few ways.
First, you can be original. Sure, we love surveys and focus groups and all of the traditional methods, but the field is constantly evolving, and no one has better ideas for customer interaction than marketers. Start by brainstorming new ways to get into your customers minds. Could research be conducted through Facebook polls? What about UX studies on websites? What about by creating interactive games that test perceptions and brand knowledge? All of these are viable methodologies for learning more about your audience, and they each play into the strengths of different marketing roles.
Next, consider how the market research is going to be used. Are you gathering data just for the sake of gathering data, or are you converting insights into strategy? If you’re a marketer, focus on the benefit of the research, and start to get excited about how you can use it in your next campaign. Better yet, consider what information you wish you could have in your next campaign, and then work with your market research team members to find the best way to gather that information.
Make Marketing Researched Again
Market research is a foundation of the marketing process. Everything begins and ends with an understanding of who you’re talking to and what they want to hear.
The next time you put together a marketing plan or campaign, consider these great tips to help you reinsert market research into your marketing process.