How can you improve your marketing efforts with secondary research?

1 Identify your research question

Before you dive into the data, you need to have a clear and specific research question that guides your search and analysis. Your research question should be based on your marketing objectives, such as increasing awareness, generating leads, or improving conversions. For example, if you want to launch a new product, your research question could be: What are the needs, preferences, and pain points of our target customers for this product category?

3 Evaluate the data quality

Not all data is created equal. Some data may be outdated, biased, inaccurate, or irrelevant for your research question. Therefore, you need to evaluate the data quality before you use it for your marketing purposes. You can use the CRAAP test, which stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose, to assess the data quality. For each source, you should ask questions such as: When was the data published or updated? How does the data relate to your research question? Who is the author or publisher of the data? How reliable and valid is the data? What is the goal or agenda of the data?

4 Analyze the data

After you have collected and evaluated the data, you need to analyze it to extract meaningful insights and patterns. You can use various methods and tools to analyze the data, depending on the type and format of the data. For example, you can use descriptive statistics, such as mean, median, mode, frequency, and percentage, to summarize numerical data. You can use qualitative methods, such as thematic analysis, content analysis, or discourse analysis, to interpret textual or visual data. You can also use software applications, such as Excel, SPSS, or NVivo, to facilitate your data analysis.

5 Apply the insights

The final step is to apply the insights from your secondary research to your marketing efforts. You should use the insights to inform and improve your marketing strategy, tactics, and actions. For example, you can use the insights to segment your market, identify your value proposition, create your buyer personas, develop your marketing mix, craft your marketing messages, or measure your marketing performance. You should also document and communicate your insights to your team members, stakeholders, and customers.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?