September 25, 2020

The Importance of Market Research

Share the goods.

You know the saying, “we study history to not repeat the mistakes of the past?” It’s kind of like that with market research.
Communication strategies are not just pulled out of thin air. They’re based on information about consumers’ needs and preferences. How that information is gathered can differ—surveys, interviews, competitor analysis, etc.
The important thing is you actually do it. The best part of market research is you always, always, always go back to what the research tells you. Your strategy and the recommendations within are based on what the market actually needs or can support. Here are the basic types of market research.

Primary

Let’s break it down now. Primary research is meant to gather firsthand information on a business’ market and customers. The info is collected through focus groups, online surveys, phone interviews, and more. These are meant to better understand the challenges potential customers face and if there is any brand awareness associated with your company. This type of research is especially useful when building audience/buyer personas. We just recently conducted a survey to gather information for an upcoming product launch. We needed to better understand selling points, feasible price points and creative that would resonate with potential customers.
The results are now being used in finalizing product positioning and messaging for a soft launch.

Secondary

Secondary research is data a business has at their disposal to draw conclusions from and to identify trends. The data can be obtained through public, commercial or internal sources. This includes sales reports (internal—your own business info), digital and web reports/analytics (internal), government data (public—U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor & Statistics), market reports (commercial—Pew, Gartner, or Forrester) and more. While the process to collect and analyze market research can be a bit overwhelming, it is an integral part of any marketing strategy.

If you’re interested in learning more, we’re always available for a Zoom happy hour or coffee chat.

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Something on Your Mind?

Cardio, but make it Zoomies with Frank.

Just another morning in @bodespeaks life, where a dog is running laps around the office and the camerawoman is… trying to keep up.

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Cardio, but make it Zoomies with Frank.

Just another morning in @bodespeaks life, where a dog is running laps around the office and the camerawoman is… trying to keep up.

A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

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A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

Who made all these rules anyway?

Don’t wear color. Don’t share your ideas. Don’t put yourself out there. Don’t talk about your family.

We’re told to follow them, but @bodespeaks says question every single one. Then uncover your big hairy audacious goal, throw out the rulebook, and build a personal brand that actually works for you.

Thank you to Aggie and Cristy for having Kim on the @badass_women_in_business Podcast and, well... for being total badasses.

Listen to the full episode in bio.

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

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The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

We love Dr. Karen May’s mission.

What if we taught our daughters AND our sons about women’s health, hormones, and pregnancy? Not as a whispered “talk” or a one-time awkward conversation. Just normal dinner-table stuff.

The girls deserve to know what’s coming (perimenopause shouldn’t be a surprise party nobody wanted). And the boys? They’ll be partners, dads, coworkers, and bosses to women going through all of it.

Thank you, Dr. May, for sharing your best practices to keep the women’s health conversation going at our Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause event.

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