Stop Wasting Time on Research that Doesn’t Move the Needle
I know, this topic doesn’t seem like the smartest business idea for me to be broadcasting. Telling people not to do research? Great for the bottom line, Jake…
But lately I’ve been seeing a lot of companies make the mistake of spending time and resources on research that actually does more harm than good. Of course, it’s critical that companies use data as the basis for making important decisions, but all too often teams will launch into doing market research because they know that they should instead of using it strategically.
They end up with ambiguous data that leaves them with more questions than answers or information overload with no clear conclusions to draw. With so much investment on the line, “good to know” is just not good enough.
Doing marketing research is only as valuable as the strategy behind it.
Research without strategy isn’t just inefficient, it’s risky. It can lead you in circles, waste time and budget, and worst of all, make you feel like you’re learning something when you’re not. Just last week I was chatting with a brand team who had done a few rounds of customer interviews, but couldn’t help shake the feeling that their data wasn’t pointing them in the right direction.
“We’re not sure if we’re asking the right questions.”
If this sounds familiar, you’ve come to the right place.
Research Is a Tool, Not the Goal
Research isn’t the destination, it’s a tool to help you get there. It’s not about just checking off a box, it needs to be about getting the right information to guide important choices.
Let’s say you’re developing a new strategy to revitalize a legacy brand that has seen sales drop. You don’t need to know every single thing your customers think of the brand today. We are moving forward, and the way customers feel about our brand today is (hopefully) going to change – otherwise we wouldn’t need a new strategy!
If we’re looking to grow our brand to new heights, we need to understand whether or not our customers are open to taking that journey with us. What is the true value that we are providing to our customers? Would it be crazy for our brand to modernize, in their eyes? Could we become a premium option? Could they see us being offered in different types of stores or through different channels? What competitors do they think we are most similar to?
These are the questions that will help us make decisions to get us closer to our goals. In other words, strategy drives the research plan – not the other way around.
This also doesn’t mean biasing your questions to get the answers you want. It means being honest about the strategic decisions at stake and designing research that can give you objective insights to make them wisely.
How to Make Research Actually Useful
Before you spend a dollar or schedule a single interview, take these steps:
Start with the decision.
What’s the business question you’re trying to answer? Are you launching something new? Fixing a drop in sales? Your research should be built to evaluate this specific choice.List your must-know questions.
What do you absolutely need to learn in order to move forward? Keep it focused. The goal isn’t to learn everything, just the things that matter most.Define who matters.
Who do you need to hear from to get meaningful input? Speaking to the right people in research is equally as important as asking the right questions. Hint: it's not always your biggest fans or most vocal customers. It’s the people whose needs, behavior, or decisions directly impact your strategy.Check for alignment.
Ask yourself: “If we get clear answers to these questions, from this group of people, will we know what to do next?” If the answer is no, refine until it’s yes.Don’t answer the questions before you start.
It can be so easy to lead people down the path to the answer you want. This is not what research is for. You’re not steering the insights, you’re making sure the research is set up to give you an honest answer to the right question, from the people who actually matter.
The Bottom Line
Impactful research doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built on purpose. That means starting with a strategy, designing questions to match the decision at hand, and involving the right audience from the start.
When you do all three, research becomes a powerful tool to move your business forward, not just an art project.
