Market Research is your best friend


Marilia Spindler
Marilia Spindler

A Happy Account Manager



Do you base your business and marketing strategy decisions on assumptions or customers’ historical behaviour? If so, this could be costing you sales, money, connection with your brand followers and also making you miss great opportunities. But how do you then tune in with the very people your brand should be all about? If only you could get into your target audience’s minds and really see for yourself what they think, that would definitely help, wouldn’t it?

Well, you can do that.

Market research is the simplest way to get to the bottom of an issue, to find out what your audience thinks of your brand and of what you offer, to determine new trends, to test your new interpretations of your offer directly with your market, to improve on what you do and how you do it and be totally in tune with the people that actually get your business to exist: your customers. Without them, how would you survive? And so, doesn’t it make sense to listen to them?

At Happy we see market research as a friend in business. And, if you think of your own friends, you’ll know that no friend is the same. The same goes for market research.



1. The good listener friend
 
Some friends are great confidantes. They are hard to find. Most of us listen already thinking about what we will be saying next. Targeted interviews provide a space for your customers to say exactly what is on their mind. And what they share can be invaluable when devising your business and marketing strategies.
 
2. The popular friend
 
Everyone has that friend that just gets on with everyone. They seem to effortlessly go from person to person in a room, chatting easily and engaging the people around them. People gravitate towards them somehow. Market research experts do that sort of thing in focus groups. They involve everyone, get everyone talking and conduct the session like a beautiful dance.
 
3. The esoteric friend
 
Surveys are the type of market research that can get many useful responses, but you need to actually do it, not just keep it there, on your to-do list. A little like your friend that says you ought to say your affirmations and throw your visualisations out to the universe so that it can be aware of what you want and help make it happen. You’ve got to trust the process.
 
4. The friend that knows you well
 
These are the friends that are always checking up on you, ask about your feelings and know you inside and out. They can just look at you and they know if you’re sad, happy, overwhelmed or irritated. Now imagine how much information market researchers can get from just simply observing clients interacting with your product or using your service in a defined space, like a store for example? Sometimes what is not said in words is what is screaming the loudest.


 
5. The honest friend
 
Some friends agree with most of what we say and pat us on the back, no mater how wrong we may be. However the honest friend will pull us to one side and give us the real deal. They’ll tell us like it is. And we will feel their honesty is refreshing. Market research is like that. Honest, to the point, and remarkably useful at making you see things from a different perspective.
 
6. The skint friend
 
Yes, we all have that one too. Sometimes we are that friend. But in market research, there’s something for every pocket. Many types of market research don’t cost a lot and can give you so much in return.

And although budgets and resources are undeniably stretched now, with many businesses facing challenges to stay afloat, understanding your customers and target market is even more important. People’s attitudes, spending power and interests have changed a lot in the last couple of years, and these changes more than likely have affected what your brand means to your audience. Only the businesses that have their finger on the pulse of their consumer can survive.

 
7. The forever friend
 
You may then say:’ Ok, I think you have a point’. You then do some market research, use the results wisely in your decision-making but then, after some time, forget all about it.  Market research is not a one-time exercise. It shows respect for your client and shows a commitment to your brand that says that you are always striving to be the best you can for your target audience. Trust me, your brand followers will always appreciate your commitment to being continuously curious, to evolve and to grow - just like any good friend would.
8. The Happy friend
 
The prospect of doing market research can feel daunting and you may not know where to start. That’s where Happy comes in. We can hold your hand through the journey and make the process not only highly useful for your business but also enjoyable for all involved. We can introduce you to this amazing new best friend. And we won’t even be jealous.
 
 

Ask us how we can help you with your market research; call us on 01253 446933 or email hello@happy-creative.co.uk.

To receive more blogs like this, sign up here and we’ll send them when we add them. Only the best stuff. Promise. Subscribe now.

 
 

You may also like:

Marketing Planning: 4 Mistakes to Avoid
How strong is your brand?
Marketing Leaders in 2022 share these characteristics

 
 

Marilia Spindler is a Happy Account Manager and market research specialist. She worked in advertising in her homeland of Brazil, joining Happy in 2011.

 
 

Share this:


 

Marketing & Branding Specialists

Personalised for your organisation

 

Full Service Marketing

All the marketing and design skills you need for your business in one place (and without the overhead).
Find out more

Content Marketing

Creating a strong online presence that will help drive opportunities to your business.
Find out more

Brand Building

Build your brand across multiple media. Literature, DM, Ads, Digital, Livery and a whole lot more. And yes, we create logos too.
Find out more
Share this:

Related posts

June 8, 2022

Content Marketing: 7 ways it supports business growth

Read more
April 8, 2022

Avoid these 3 Marketing Mistakes

Read more
March 25, 2022

Social Media do’s and don’ts – How to shine online

Read more
01253 446 933

Please enter your email to subscribe to the Happy blog

REQUEST A CALLBACK

Paid Social Campaigns

Paid social media can be a brilliantly effective yet low cost form of lead generation, and it’s a great way to extend your reach, drive website traffic and generate likes and shares.

We’ll take care of setting up and managing your paid social media accounts, ensuring your spend is carefully targeted. Then we’ll provide clear, transparent reporting so you can keep refining the strategy to make your ad spend even more effective.

More about Paid Social Campaigns

Social Media

All the tweets and posts in the world won’t help generate leads unless there’s some strategic thinking behind what you’re doing.

We’ll help define the right social media strategy for you, so that you’re on the right platforms, saying the right things to the right people at the right time to generate the right leads.

More about Social Media

Design & Brand Building

Marketing is bit like those huge, swirling flocks of starlings you see from time to time. Individually your brochure, email, ad, meme or gif may not change the world.

But when you join them together and ensure they’re all heading in the same direction, you have the power to stop people in their tracks.

We design communications that help build a consistent brand and convert more leads to sales.

More about Design & Brand Building

Websites

Your website can generate leads in so many ways. Informed content. Strong calls to action. A simple, natural journey from ‘Hi there!’ to ‘Buy now’.

Yet websites are never ‘done’. They need to keep evolving to keep pace with your customers’ expectations, so we’ll be with you for the long haul to keep tweaking, refining and growing your site – and to deliver the PPC campaigns that help drive traffic towards it.

Because when your website keeps working to understand and speak to your audience, you’ve got more chance of converting.

More about Websites

PR & Content

There’s a knack to ensuring your business is seen in the right places at the right time. We’ll build your PR profile across the mix of channels that’s right for you (from press to social media to events) and use our contacts to spread the word.

So when your customers are ready to buy, it’ll be your brand they think of first.

More about PR & Content

Claim your happy offer

    Claim your happy offer

      Claim your happy offer

        Claim your happy offer

          Claim your happy offer

            What would make you happy today?