Marketing Research

Neuromarketing: what it is and how to use it to your advantage

Neuromarketing: what it is and how to use it to your advantage

A new science is emerging in the field of marketing that allows you to get in the minds of consumers and understand what they want and why! Neuromarketing can reveal the unconscious motives and behaviors of consumers, allowing you to perfectly design marketing efforts based on the brain's responses.

Staying on Target - Build & Execute Strategy around a Sustainable Target

Staying on Target - Build & Execute Strategy around a Sustainable Target

Whether you're writing a questionnaire for marketing research or building a five year company strategy, you must start with a clear, sustainable target (avoiding a "moving target").  As obvious as this seems, the lack of a well defined target is a critical mistake we see time and time again.  Learn why the execution formula - set a sustainable target, align your strategy to the target, and execute according to your target - is critical to success.

Correlation vs. Causation - A Lesson in Careful Interpretation

Correlation vs. Causation - A Lesson in Careful Interpretation

Understanding the difference between correlation and causation is a critical skill for any business or marketing analyst, as well as any managers or executives using data analysis to drive business decisions.  Knowing how they work, and being able to distinguish between a causal and non-causal relationship could be the difference in a multi-million dollar decision working in your favor, or helping out your competitors.
Part 1 of The "Marketing Analyst's Guide to Business Statistics" Series

5 Mistakes You're Making Marketing to Millennials

5 Mistakes You're Making Marketing to Millennials

“Millennial,” the all too familiar buzzword that strikes fear into the hearts of every silver-haired executive. The prodigal child who refuses to be reached by the marketing marvels of the Mad Men era. But what exactly are Millennials, and why are countless blogs, books, and seminars dedicated to deciphering them?

Choosing the Best Survey Method to Reach Your Customers: A Comparison of Mail, Phone, and Online Surveys

Choosing the Best Survey Method to Reach Your Customers: A Comparison of Mail, Phone, and Online Surveys

When surveying for data, the first and most important question is: who are my target respondents and how will I reach them? the three most popular methods of surveying are phone, mail, and email. This post highlights the pros and cons of these three most commonly used survey methodologies. [infographic]

Don’t Live in the Ivory Tower – 5 Important Questions to Ask When Conducting Marketing Research

Don’t Live in the Ivory Tower – 5 Important Questions to Ask When Conducting Marketing Research

Conducting Marketing Research is something that nearly every successful company does.  But not all research is equal - some companies are much better at thinking strategically and getting the most out of their research than others.  In this article, we'll arm you with the 5 important questions to ask when conducting marketing research in order to fully maximize your research plan and objectives.

Four paradoxes of research – how to accurately use research to drive decisions

Four paradoxes of research – how to accurately use research to drive decisions

One of the most difficult (and in certain times, the most difficult) aspects of research is the need to draw conclusions from results. Sometimes the difficulty lies in the “Monday Morning Quarterback” assessment: we asked the wrong question. Other times, the results are counterintuitive, and speak to the opposite spectrum of accepted theory and practice. 

Then there are simply human errors of perception and judgment, notably relating to results interpretation and the expectation of research outcomes. Sometimes we have lofty, and even unrealistic, expectations of our research.  What we often do not realize is that, when unmet, this in-and-of-itself is a spectacular outcome.

All this noted, let’s explore four interesting paradoxes of research.

The 12 most important questions to ask when selecting a market research firm

The 12 most important questions to ask when selecting a market research firm

So you’ve decided to hire a firm to conduct market research? Great!  Now on to the hard part – how do you decide which firm to select as your research partner?

It’s easy to get intimidated when looking for research partners.  After all, the core of marketing research is scientific, beginning with the scientific method and extending into complex mathematics and experimentation.  Like most things that fall under science, it’s filled with unintuitive jargon, complex concepts and formulas, and a core scientific discipline – in this case, statistics.  (Sometimes you’ll even get the stereotypical big ego to match their many advanced degrees.)  They’ll all tell you that they’re the best at what they do, have the most innovative methods, the most versatile collection techniques, and the most actionable insights.  That all sounds great, but how do you find the firm that’s the right fit and can help your company accomplish its objectives from the project? Not to fear – we’ve created a comprehensive list of questions to ask and factors to consider before hiring a firm.