Last Updated on July 3, 2025 by admin
One of the most underrated skills you can have as a marketer is marketing research — which is great news for this unapologetic cyber sleuth.One of the most underrated skills you can have as a marketer is marketing research — which is great news for this unapologetic cyber sleuth. From brand design and product development to buyer personas and competitive analysis, I’ve researched a number of initiatives in my decade-long marketing career. And let me tell you: having the right marketing research methods in your toolbox is a must. Market research is the secret to crafting a strategy that will truly help you accomplish your goals. The good news is there is no shortage of options. How to Choose a Marketing Research Method Thanks to the Internet, we have more marketing research (or market research) methods at our fingertips than ever, but they’re not all created equal. Let’s quickly go over how to choose the right one. 1. Identify your objective. What are you researching? Do you need to understand your audience better? How about your competition? Or maybe you want to know more about your customer’s feelings about a specific product. Before starting your research, take some time to identify precisely what you’re looking for. This could be a goal you want to reach, a problem you need to solve, or a question you need to answer. For example, an objective may be as foundational as understanding your ideal customer better to create new buyer personas for your marketing agency (pause for flashbacks to my former life). Or if you’re an organic sode company, it could be trying to learn what flavors people are craving. 2. Determine what type of data and research you need. Next, determine what data type will best answer the problems or questions you identified. There are primarily two types: qualitative and quantitative. (Sound familiar, right?) Qualitative Data is non-numerical information, like subjective characteristics, opinions, and feelings. It’s pretty open to interpretation and descriptive, but it’s also harder to measure. This type of data can be collected through interviews, observations, and open-ended questions. Quantitative Data, on the other hand, is numerical information, such as quantities, sizes, amounts, or percentages. It’s measurable and usually pretty hard to argue with, coming from a reputable source. It can be derived through surveys, experiments, or statistical analysis. Understanding the differences between qualitative and quantitative data will help you pinpoint which research methods will yield the desired results. For instance, thinking of our earlier examples, qualitative data would usually be best suited for buyer personas, while quantitative data is more useful for the soda flavors. However, truth be told, the two really work together. Qualitative conclusions are usually drawn from quantitative, numerical data. So, you’ll likely need both to get the complete picture of your subject. For example, if your quantitative data says 70% of people are Team Black and only 30% are Team Green — Shout out to my fellow House of the Dragon fans — your qualitative data will say people support Black more than Green. (As they should.) Primary Research vs Secondary Research You’ll also want to understand the difference between primary and secondary research. Primary research involves collecting new, original data directly from the source (say, your target market). In other words, it’s information gathered first-hand that wasn’t found elsewhere. Some examples include conducting experiments, surveys, interviews, observations, or focus groups. Meanwhile, secondary research is the analysis and interpretation of existing data collected from others. Think of this like what we used to do for school projects: We would read a book, scour the internet, or pull insights from others to work from. So, which is better? Personally, I say any research is good research, but if you have the time and resources, primary research is hard to top. With it, you don’t have to worry about your source’s credibility or how relevant it is to your specific objective. You are in full control and best equipped to get the reliable information you need. 3. Put it all together. Once you know your objective and what kind of data you want, you’re ready to select your marketing research method. For instance, let’s say you’re a restaurant trying to see how attendees felt about the Speed Dating event you hosted last week. You shouldn’t run a field experiment or download a third-party report on speed dating events; those would be useless to you. You need to conduct a survey that allows you to ask pointed questions about the event. This would yield both qualitative and quantitative data you can use to improve and bring together more love birds next time around. Best Market Research Methods for 2024 Now that you know what you’re looking for in a marketing research method, let’s dive into the best options. Note: According to HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing report, understanding customers and their needs is one of the biggest challenges facing marketers today. The options we discuss are great consumer research methodologies, but they can also be used for other areas. Primary Research 1. Interviews Interviews are a form of primary research where you ask people specific questions about a topic or theme. They typically deliver qualitative information. I’ve conducted many interviews for marketing purposes, but I’ve also done many for journalistic purposes, like this profile on comedian Zarna Garg. There’s no better way to gather candid, open-ended insights in my book, but that doesn’t mean they’re a cure-all. What I like: Real-time conversations allow you to ask different questions if you’re not getting the information you need. They also push interviewees to respond quickly, which can result in more authentic answers. What I dislike: They can be time-consuming and harder to measure (read: get quantitative data) unless you ask pointed yes or no questions. Best for: Creating buyer personas or getting feedback on customer experience, a product, or content. 2. Focus Groups Focus groups are similar to conducting interviews but on a larger scale. In marketing and business, this typically