Research is the foundation of all marketing activity.
And marketing is a deep, almost obsessive, understanding of our customers.
Once we know who our customers are, listening to them shows us the products and services they need and how they want us to communicate with them.
If we’re unsure where to go with some activity, even if it’s just a colour on a page, we can ask them.
When I started out, research involved focus groups (watching people through one mirrors). Or hiring telephone researchers.
Now we have the web and apps that help us ask and listen. Social media lets us ask and listen.
It’s never been easier.
Social media is a gift that lets us listen to our customers on our mobiles and not through a one way mirror.