Customer Insights

I recently came across a blog that suggested marketing was an area where a practitioner could be self-taught and be quite successful. In fact the author posits that self-taught marketers can actually be better than classically-educated marketers. The same line of reasoning can be applied to those in marketing research.

What’s my take on this discussion? Well in full-disclosure I am a classically-educated marketer and researcher. However, I believe that if you are motivated, and willing to do the work necessary to develop the skills, you can in fact become a competent researcher. This is the underpinning of the DIY (do-it-yourself) movement. With the advent of the internet and data collection method tools, such as Cvent and the Microsoft productivity suite, to name a couple, a motivated learner can develop the chops they need to conduct research that has meaning and substance.

Blogs such as this, along with the many sites dedicated to marketing and the sub-disciplines of marketing research, and survey research in general, provide a fertile ground for developing foundational skills. In addition, there are numerous textbooks as well as hands-on workshops through the American Marketing Association, Direct Marketing Association, Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO) and the Marketing Research Association. These options allow budding researchers the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and network with those already in the field.

Speaking of networking, LinkedIn has numerous groups dedicated to the research profession including:

• Next Gen Marketing Research
• Customer Intelligence and Insight
• Innovation and New Tools in MR
• Market Research Bulletin
• Market Research On-Line Sample Providers
• Market Research Professionals
• Online and Mobile Survey Research
• Professional Researcher Certification
• Voice of the Customer

This is a short list and by no means exhaustive.

So although I am classically trained, my education serves only as a foundation for which I am building on daily. It is that dedication to continual learning that makes me an effective researcher. If you are just getting started in market research, set up a learning path and feed it on a regular basis.