Research—The Unsung Hero of the Marketing Program

By June Bisel

BBG&G Advertising & Public Relations

“There are lies, damn lies…and then there are statistics.” That’s what many business people feel when they are presented with statistical evidence of any kind, and it’s understandable. A lot of research is slanted; developed to bolster a particular perspective rather than to present unbiased information.

Frequently, the word “research” conjures up images of large polls and elaborate studies along with big dollar signs. That’s unfortunate, as research should be conducted before a business opens its doors and then again when an investment on any advertising or marketing expenditures are considered. Why? Because your success will be determined by how thoroughly you understand your prospective customer. Or, said another way, it’s hard to know what to say unless you know who you’re talking to. What will make your product or service be chosen over your competition’s?

Research should be the foundation of every business plan and certainly every promotional effort. The good news is that many studies are fairly simple and can be conducted by anyone who knows the right questions to ask and how to listen for answers. The bad news is that many business people are simply too busy to take the time to conduct the necessary surveys. And the even worse news is that many of the decision makers are sure that their view of their business is correct and that everyone sees things the same way they do. Misconceptions can accumulate over time and eventually affect the bottom line.

Oftentimes, the information you need is just a phone call away. Some businesses conduct simple surveys in-house. Others rely on outside sources. The benefit to outsourcing the research function is that employees and customers typically speak more freely and feel more ‘confident’ about ‘confident-iality’ when they’re speaking to a third party.

When advertising and marketing campaigns are being developed, research is critical. At BBG&G, we call it “the work we do before we do the work.” What are some ways that you can make sure your next marketing campaign is on target? Here are a few suggestions:

              - Interview your entire management team to make sure you understand, and everyone is in agreement on, the goals of the promotion. By setting clear objectives, advertising can be more targeted and, in turn, more effective.

               - Look closely at your product — from what it is to how it’s packaged. For one recent client, we did research on a product from the distributor’s perspective. The result? By simply moving the placement of the bar code so the product could be shelved more efficiently, we could bring the client considerable savings on warehousing shelf space.

              - Do you sell your services to top executives? Place a call to their assistant. Nobody knows that person better, and is more likely to give you valuable information on likes/dislikes and personal preferences. You may find that you’ve been overlooking the most important benefit of your service; or worse, that you are falling short in an area of importance to your key prospects.

It takes a lot of discipline to make sure a strategy is built on solid research and information. We’ve had to strike down many strong creative ideas because no matter how memorable, the message was off target. The air waves and newspapers are littered with many memorable advertising messages that don’t motivate people to take the desired action.

So before you spend large amounts of money on advertising and marketing, find out what is really important to your customers. Research is a crucial component in producing advertising that is effective. What’s more, research can bring significant returns on your marketing investment.

June Bisel is a founding partner of BBG&G Advertising & Public Relations in Middletown, New York. BBG&G has been creating effective advertising, marketing, and public relations campaigns for over 12 years for a diverse clientele. She can be reached at SmartStrategies@bbggadv.com.