I want to help you understand enough about the marketing research process to confidently commission a research study for your business or for your client’s business. To that end, I’ve written a white paper entitled, “How to Work With a Marketing Researcher.” In this 10-page white paper I offer tips on how to find and approach a marketing researcher, how to write a Request for Proposal (RFP), how much research costs, how long it takes, and what deliverables you should expect after your project is completed. Register to download the free white paper.
Why this matters. This matters because marketing is a process of making decisions. You can use gut instinct and intuition, and sometimes that will work, but to make informed decisions, you need objective data, the kind you get from marketing research. Marketing research can be formal or informal. You don’t have to hire a professional researcher to do research for you; you can do it yourself. But if you choose to work with a researcher, in this paper I offer some things to think about.
Some myths about researchers. Most marketers tend to be creative, and as such, not that interested in facts, figures, numbers, or statistics. In a study I did in 2013, I found that small business owners believe marketing research is complicated, mysterious, and hard to do. They also think other business owners need research, but them…not so much. If you have preconceptions about working with a researcher, you are not alone. People think researchers are anti-social number-crunchers who prefer to hide in the data rather than interact with the messy world of communicating with and persuading real people. That may be true for some, but in my experience, marketing researchers are highly engaged with the world of “real people.” After all, people are what we study. Maybe this paper will help dispel some myths.
What is in it for you. Understanding how marketing research works and how to work with a marketing researcher puts you in control of your own marketing. Don’t be mystified by the research process. With this information, you will be able to confidently discuss research topics with anyone. And remember, there is always more to learn. To quote Albert Einstein, researcher par excellence, “If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research.”
What to do after you finish reading. After you finish reading the white paper, take a marketing researcher out to coffee and find out how marketing research can transform your marketing strategy.