Marketing Research 101: Which Methods Do You Need to Know About?

I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. There is just not enough time in a day to do all of the things that I need to do. Plus, everything seems like it’s happening all at once. With so many things going on and so few people having the time and energy, I’m finding it harder than ever to stay on top of my marketing game.

So what does a guy or gal do when he or she wants to stay on top of the marketing game? Just like anything else in life, it’s all about knowing what you’re doing. That’s why I am writing this article to tell you all about some of the more effective and efficient ways to market your business. Of course, the first and most important thing that you need is a good product or service. Without that, there is very little chance that your marketing efforts are going to get off the ground.

Marketing Research Methods You Need to Try

There’s a wealth of resources out there that will tell you exactly what you need to do to streamline your marketing research methods. However, not all of them are helpful. And in all truth, not all of them will work for everyone. 

To help put you on the right path, I’ve rounded up some of the best marketing research methods that are backed by results.

1. Use Surveys Where You Can

Using surveys or individual interviews for marketing research is one of the most common methods of using research in general. And with good reason.

Using surveys allows you to explore a wide range of topics and questions. But, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.

As with any other method, you need to know what techniques work best for your company before diving in headfirst. If you’re just getting started, then surveys are going to be a great place to start because they can be incredibly easy on your time and effort budget.

It’s important to note that surveys can be used to obtain data from a large number of people. This makes it easy to get a larger pool of responses that can easily be filtered and analyzed.

However, if you’re looking for deeper answers, it can be limiting. Using an interview would help to better understand the person’s mindset, but it is more difficult to frame the questions and responses.

2. Use Focus Groups for More Thorough Data

There are two main goals of focus groups; to learn more about your market and your customers and to either identify people to send surveys or invitations or create a more in-depth survey from the information gleaned from a group session.

A good way to learn from focus groups is to use them in the same way that you would a survey. Once you have the basic information from a session, break it down and find the main trends and patterns. This can help you to identify areas of your product or services where your customers are lacking and make sure that you address them correctly in future development.

Here, it’s important to make sure you ask the right questions and set the right parameters. That way, your focus groups are going to be able to provide you with the most accurate results.

3. Observe

Observing your customers is essential. It helps ensure that your branding is on point and that you’re able to meet the needs of your customers. If you can see what your customers are doing in their day-to-day life and why they’re choosing to do it, then you can use that information to better tailor your product or service.

Keep in mind that this is going to be different for each company. So, you’ll need to find out what works best for your business.

For example, a small business that makes t-shirts might focus on the people who walk by the storefront. A real estate agent might focus on the people who visit their website to help them pick the right building for their needs.

Furthermore, it’s important to watch your customers in action so that you know what they’re saying during their interactions. This is a great way to figure out what the real problems are and if there are any ideas or needs that could benefit your business.

4. Don’t Forget About Your Customer Personas

The most effective marketing strategy is the one that your customers are already using. If you have a good handle on your customer’s needs, wants and desires, then your marketing research methods can be seamlessly integrated into those processes.

Personas are used in the same way that any other form of customer research is used; to get an understanding of the why behind what they’re doing. It helps to define who they are and how they think.

Personas are also used to help you to better understand how customers are going to react in certain situations. This can help you to plan ahead and test new marketing strategies with a small group before implementing them as a larger part of your business.

Beyond that, they also help push you in the right direction. Think of it this way: you won’t know what kind of content your audience responds to unless you have an idea of what they like and dislike.

The Takeaway

There is no one right way to do things in business. However, it’s important to have a plan and to be able to know what you’re doing at all times. Without a structured approach, it’s easy for entrepreneurs to get lost when they don’t know what they’re doing or why they’re doing it that way.

The same is true of marketing research methods. If you aren’t sure why or how the methods work, then you won’t be able to apply them correctly and get the most accurate results from them.

That’s why it’s important to look for the existing marketing research methods out there and find the ones that are already being used in your industry.

Once you have ideas of which methods work, it’s time to start putting them into action. It can be easy to get caught up in the excitement of planning and brainstorming, but you need to keep your eyes on the prize.