How can I learn more about marketing/consumer research?
I am looking for websites that teach market research online to develop my qualitative and quantitative skill set, (if not in accra). I know that the best way to learn is being on the job, but because that's not realistic right now I'm trying to find a way to continue my education.
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Jun 2, 2014
Dust yourself in the market for 180 days for a fictitious customer behavior report and meet people. By the time you reach 179th day you would have known much about marketing. There is no website or script that can teach you sitting on chair.
May 30, 2014
Why not join an affiliate program & learn by doing? I use supermonkey, facebook, website quick surveys, phone and Linked In for my market research. Here's an example ... http://www.outstandinglives.org/your-opinion3.html
May 30, 2014
Munnira,
Watch Gruen Transfer, you can find many of it's episode online. You will learn more from watching this show than reading any book.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gruen_Transfer
Second, make it your homepage. Seth has written some amazing books about marketing like Purple Cow.
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
May 30, 2014
Munnira, it is all good and well looking at wesbites and ordering textbooks, but before you do that, I would strongly suggest the following:
1. Why - Why do want do this?
Be very clear in your mind why you want to do this. This will give you more clarity on what you need to think about and what you need to do on a more focused basis.
2. What - Be more specifci on what you want to do. While there are a number of "Universal Principles" that apply to all Market Research activities, what is your area of interest? Is it Consumer Behaviour, Product/ServIce Behaviour / Demographic related topics, scientific research etc. Once you are clear to yourself you can move forward on a more focused basis to access the right repources that you will need.
2. Resources: Use both e-sources and living sources: As advised by others below, explore websites and books that you can for instance buy from Amazon. But, there is nothing better than talking to professionals in the Market Research field, who would no doubt, love to share insights. If you are in Accra, Ghana, there are a few companies you can talk to there. Also, for example, if your interest is in consumer research, contact A.C. Nielson, one of the most respected Market Research houseS in the world.
That's enough for a Friday...good luck! Tom
May 29, 2014
Munnira - may I challenge you on the "not realistic right now" since there is no point learning something that has little chance of being useful to you tomorrow or the day after. Last time I was in your situation the training costing thousands of dollars was informative at best until my day to day work required me to actually use the skill. Now I lunch with people who are Kung Fu Masters in the topic to keep up with the evolution of this tool. Conclusion: marketing research being something you learn whilst doing just contact a friend who runs a business and ask what they know about their customers/market. Then you say "Give me a month and let me dig my teeth into this for free and hop on a computer with Google available". I would gladly review your report.
May 29, 2014
If you really want to learn about consumer behavior you have to start with human behavior, in other words, what makes people tick. Today’s over emphasis on statistical analysis has its place but numbers only tell you part of the story. Numbers will tell what’s happened but they won’t tell why, and they won’t tell what people will do in the future.
You might want to check out the free previews of our series of e-books on Blurb. They may help clarify how you should approach developing marketing and branding strategies that actually connect to people on a human level. I would start with “What’s The Big Idea?”
The links are below.
Jerry Bader
MRPwebmedia
Double Take Marketing Techniques
http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/473388-double-take-marketing-techniques
Brand Universe
A Big Idea Marketing Strategy
http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/p8b3ac01f0cabebf4d1e8
What’s The Big Idea? A Guide To Creative Marketing Communication
http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/408096-what-s-the-big-idea
May 29, 2014
Hi Munnira,
Please visit my You Tube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/1ClickSolutionsLLC/videos
You can view a collection of very short and easy to understand "Tips" and "Best Practices" video about many of the critical elements now need for effective Intern Marketing. My company takes a holistic approach to the digital because everything is so interconnected now; Responsive Designed Website (Mobile Optimized HTLM5) > Adaptive SEO™ > Keyword rich relevant content > Social Signals > Online Review & Reputation Management etc.
I also use a tool called the Webscan Report, reach out to me and I would be happy to share more details one on one, maybe we could Skype.
Cheers,
CJ in Denver Colorado
May 29, 2014
I am going to answer your first question and I answered that same question last night at Ucla. I said "Observe and listen." Wherever you are and whatever you are doing....watch.
A friend and I would go on weekends first we started at Costco and then to a couple of malls. You can learn a lot by observing. See what people have in their carts. Don't be creepy.
It's nothing formal but it will help you develop and write better questions. Make more impact with your insights and in delivering them in meetings. .
We talked about that yesterday. Last night I gave a presentation on the “Confusion between Marketing & Advertising: What is Marketing? Advertising? Use of Media and Social Media. It was with more than a hundred examples at UCLA’s Graduate class, Television & New Media: Business and Legal Issues. Good luck watching.
May 29, 2014
Frequently, students (and non-students) will make an appointment for an "informational interview" with me, to just pick my brain about how I entered marketing research, the evolution of my career and the nature of my role and responsibilities where I currently work. Perhaps you could arrange some similar interviews for yourself, where - in addition to whatever you find online - you could learn about research approaches that have "test driven" by others in the field.