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The Six Steps In Marketing Research

While there are dozens of little steps along the path, each fits into one of the six steps in the marketing research process.

The main steps in marketing research are:

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Step 1. Identifying and defining your problem

If you are considering conducting marketing research, chances are you have already identified a problem and an ensuing informational need. Of the six steps in marketing research, this is always the first one. Your problem or issue will likely be recognized by one or more levels of management. Sometimes, further definition of the problem or issue is needed, and for that there are several tools you can use. For more information on step 1, see our resources page on the first of the marketing research steps.

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Step 2. Developing your approach

Once your problem is better defined, you can move onto developing your approach. Generally speaking, your approach should be developed almost exclusively around a defined set of objectives. Clearer objectives developed in Step 1 will lend themselves to better approach development. Developing your approach should consist of an honest assessment of your team’s market research skills, establishing a budget, understanding your environment and its influencing factors, developing an analysis model, and formulating hypotheses. . For more information on step 2, see our resources page on the marketing research approach.

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Step 3. Research design

Based upon a well-defined approach from Steps 1 & 2, a framework for the designing your marketing research program should be apparent. This step is the most encompassing of all steps in marketing research, requiring the greatest amount of thought, time and expertise — and is the point at which the less experienced will obtain assistance from an internal/external market research experts. Since the intelligence eventually gained from the research is so closely related to the selected research design, this is the single most important six steps in marketing research, and the step most vulnerable to the typical research errors. Research design includes incorporating knowledge from secondary information analysis, qualitative research, methodology selection, question measurement & scale selection, questionnaire design, sample design & size and determining data analysis to be used. For more  information on step 3, see our resources page on marketing research design.

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Step 4. Collecting the data

Often called data collection or survey fielding, this is the point at which the finalized questionnaire (survey instrument) is used in gathering information among the chosen sample segments. There are a variety of data collection methodologies to consider. For more information on step 4, see our resources page on marketing research data collection.

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Step 5. Performing data analysis

All analysis that can be performed, from complex to simple, depends on how the questionnaire was constructed. Less complex analysis on smaller data sets can be handled with any of a number of office suite tools, while more complex analysis and larger data sets require dedicated market research analysis software. Types of analysis that might be performed are simple frequency distributions, cross tab analysis, multiple regression (driver analysis), cluster analysis, factor analysis, perceptual mapping (multidimensional scaling), structural equation modeling and data mining. For more  information on step 5, see our marketing research resources page on survey data analysis.

 

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Step 6. Reporting and presentation

Reporting and presentation, if not the most important of the steps in marketing research, is easily the second behind research design. All business critical information and knowledge that comes from your market research investment are limited by how they are presented to decision makers. There are as many reporting styles as there are research reports, but some are definitely better than others, and there are definitely trends to be aware of. For more information on step 6, see our resources page on marketing research reports.

Contact us if you’d like to explore the steps in marketing research in more detail.