How does research apply to everyday life as a marketer?
Here at In Plain Sight Marketing, we understand and value the power of what good research can do for us and for our clients. We serve a variety of businesses in and while we’ve never claimed to be an expert on any of these topics, such as HVAC, ranching, or the wedding industry, we’re able to use the resources around us to position ourselves in a similar way.
A good design, campaign, event, blog, or even social media post all start with a LOT of research. It’s the first step to RPIE (research, planning, implementation, and evaluation), because without research we wouldn’t be able to plan or implement.
Our Content Creation Specialist Olivia and our Account Administrator Jordan spend a fair amount of time researching in their day-to-day jobs. Here are just a few examples of how research plays an important role in their positions.
New Client Research
New client research is one of the biggest research projects in Jordan’s role as account administrator. A new client research project consists of auditing the client, their website, social media, branding, etc. to get an understanding of what’s working and what could be improved. We then conduct a competitive analysis of their direct competitors in the industry. It’s important to understand what the local industry looks like in order to help our clients stand out.
We do everything we can to understand our clients at their core, because without knowing who they are and what they stand for, and the industry surrounding them, we’d never be able to create quality content for them. Research helps us take that extra dive into gaining the knowledge we need and want! It helps that we are a curious bunch, so we love exploring new ideas, concepts, and industries.
Blog Writing
The content we most often create (and my favorite thing to create) are blog posts for our clients. Our clients are knowledgeable in their fields, but blogs take that extra step in helping them expand that knowledge to their audience.
Before we start any blog, it begins with an outline filled with research. We are not experts on HVAC technology or weddings, but our clients are, and we help position them as such on their websites. Their knowledge and expertise, combined with credible, reliable sources readers can trust, make for a great blog post. The backbone to all of this is doing the right research to present to our clients.
Analytics
Without analytics, we would never know what’s working, what’s not working, and what needs to be improved. We pull a lot of analytics for our clients from their social media accounts, websites, email newsletters, sales cycles, the list goes on. They are important for us to pull, look into, and understand, but also to present to our clients so they are informed on their accounts.
It’s always important to conduct outside research for anything you’re doing for your clients, but its easy to overlook the internal research you should be conducting for your clients or for your own business. Taking a deep dive into internal data and truly understanding its meaning can exponentially expand opportunities for success and growth.
Content Creation
Being a Content Creator, Olivia deals with a lot of research as well. It’s important to research what kind of content works for our clients, whether that be looking into Pinterest or TikTok or LinkedIn, as our clients’ businesses should be on the platforms that make the most sense for them. It’s also important to know what kind of content is working, what’s performing well, and what people want to see.
Olivia researches several designs for content, as it’s hard to create something from nothing. Gathering inspiration and ideas for designs helps make that process a lot smoother. It also helps to know what designs might be more effective in marketing a certain product or client.
Recent Research Projects: TikTok & Pinterest
Recently, we have been considering starting a TikTok page for IPSM, along with a Pinterest page for IPSM and for our wedding venue client. Since these platforms haven’t been a fit for current clients before, it’s important to research the platforms to form a strategy and decide what kinds of content to develop. Looking into what we need to get started will help us have the most success.
This research also includes looking at other businesses TikTok and Pinterest pages to get an idea of what they are doing and what works best.
Researching, well, Research!
Have you ever researched research? It sounds counterintuitive, but there are many benefits to keeping research in the rotation of your daily tasks. Research helps problem-solving, keeps you up to date on the latest information, and builds your credibility because it gives you a solid basis for forming thoughts and opinions. This will directly relate to the work you do, as you want to build your credibility in your field, or your clients credibility in their fields.
Research ultimately helps our own success as well, as the marketing is always advancing and changing, so we must keep up with all the new trends and tactics.
You have the power to acquire knowledge effectively.
- Explore social media
- Read newsletters
- Listen to podcasts
- Listen to experts
- Always read different content
Stay curious AF and always dig deeper in your research as you work. We don’t know everything, and we never will, but the knowledge we have at our fingertips is too important to ignore!
Plain Talk About Marketing: Research in Marketing Downloadable PDF