Marketing research is the process of gathering information and insights about your market, so as to make informed decisions. It is always valuable to do a brainstorm before commencing market research, so you can decide what information is of value and that will inform future business decision making. You can research many things including your target market, current client behavior, current client needs, potential client needs and research into other products your competitors may be offering.
There are many difference methods you can use to collect this information. You can do secondary or desktop research, which involves summarising and synthesising existing research. This can be found on the internet or in dedicated analytical programs such as Google Analytics. The most important thing to remember is to pull out the information you need and collate it into a logical format, such as a summarising document, table or PowerPoint presentation.
The other type of research you can do is primary research, which is when you go and collect the information yourself. You can do this by speaking to your clients directly, sending out feedback forms or creating surveys and customer focus groups. This can take more work but if done correctly can be of more value, as it’s specific to your needs. It is useful to plan out your questions and then to get another person to review them, to make sure they are clear. If you need any help gathering marketing insights for your business, contact JFM Marketing + Design.
