Why DEFINING clear OBJECTIVES in market research matters and why you should spend time and energy on it UPFRONT

While it may seem obvious that having clear objectives is important to a successful market research project (or any project, really), it’s crucial to recognize and acknowledge this first and most important step in the process.

I would even say that NO work should start without clarity of what you want to achieve.

Whether you are working with your own internal team or working for a client, do your due diligence with this first step. 

In my 20+ years of experience in market research, I have seen plenty of examples of the impact of well-defined project objectives on strong outcomes versus those that started with shaky goals.

Clear goals do three things: 

1. Make Research RELEVANT

2. Make Research ACTIONABLE

3. Save TIME & MONEY

Make Research RELEVANT

Without a clear research objective, the research may become directionless – you may either ask too many irrelevant questions or ask the wrong questions.

It’s easy to fall into this trap, especially when you haven’t spent the time to think through what you want to learn about your audience and why.  

This is also the time when you should and must involve your stakeholders and clients.

As the key users of the research, there should be clear alignment on what your learning goals are and how the learnings will be used.  

The answers to the “what” will guide the entire research process, from the design to the analysis and interpretation of the data.

You will be able to gain clarity on who the research should be conducted amongst (target audience), which markets or regions, and the methodology (do we send a survey to hundreds of people or should we have a more in-depth discussion with 5 to 6 people?) And, most importantly, what questions should we ask so that we can address the business problem we are solving for?

Make Research ACTIONABLE

Research should never be done for the sake of doing research.

Because you have the budget set aside, because someone is asking for it, or because it is in your plans, are all poor reasons to conduct research.  

The questions you should ask are: What decisions will be made based on the insights from this research?

Who will use the insights from the research?

What specific insights will be used and how?

What will we do with the data we gather?

These are important questions to ask and answer as a team.

This will make the research findings actionable i.e. the insights will be useful to build impactful products or make improvements to products that customers seek. 

Making the research actionable also means survey writers can ask clear, concise questions and avoid unintended consequences of long surveys (survey fatigue, cost, etc).

Save TIME & MONEY

A poorly designed project is a recipe for disaster.  And it all starts with poorly defined objectives.

A research project can typically take anywhere between a few weeks to many months and cost thousands of dollars.

To avoid costly mistakes, it is imperative that you are clear on what you want to learn.

Otherwise, not only will you not ask the right questions, you will also have wasted a lot of resources, specifically time and money.

In summary, identifying the research objective is the most important step in market research because it sets the foundation for the entire research process and ensures that the research is relevant, useful, and actionable.

In short, Start Well to End Well!

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