In Unit 8: Marketing Research, we will learn about how organizations learn more about their targeted market segments and how to best position products and services to appeal to those segments. Marketing research means focusing directly on the customer, and improving decision making by basing options on data.

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

• Explain the role of marketing information in helping firms understand and reach consumers
• Describe the key types of marketing information including internal data, competitive intelligence and marketing research
• Outline a standard process for using marketing research to address an organization’s strategic questions
• Recognize alternative methods for conducting marketing research, including primary and secondary research methods
• Identify major sources of available market data
• Explain how Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems can help organizations manage and gain customer insights from marketing information
• Use marketing information to inform the marketing strategy

In order to successfully complete this unit, you’ll need to do the following: 

1. Read this Open Educational Resource (free to access): Module 6: Marketing Information & Research¹
You do not need to complete the assignments or questions at the end of this resource. Please use the links on our Course Schedule to learn more and to complete the assignments for this week.

2. Check out this Marketing Research Guide³ on AHERFS Blog. 

3. Watch this video from TBChoice Films on YouTube² (also embedded below) to better understand what Marketing Segmentation is.

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Sources:

¹CC LICENSED CONTENT, ORIGINAL Why It Matters: Marketing Research. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution

²Makosiewicz, Mateusz. AHREFS Blog. “Market Research: What It Is and How to Do It” June 3, 2021.

³TVChoiceFilms on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLZLx4YxjsY