10 Tips To Help You Get Marketing Research Clients

To land new clients as a marketing research consultant, you have to be able to market yourself. That may sound a little counterintuitive, but it’s true. 

As a consultant, you’ll likely have skills in getting people to buy in and making them feel comfortable about your abilities. However, doing that for yourself can be tough. 

If you’re looking for more clients but aren’t sure where to turn next, these tips will get you started on the right foot:

Takeaways
1. Identify Your Niche: Define your target market and specialize your services accordingly.
2. Build an Online Presence: Establish a professional website and leverage social media to showcase your expertise.
3. Offer Valuable Content: Create insightful content that demonstrates your knowledge and attracts potential clients.
4. Network Effectively: Attend industry events, join relevant online forums, and engage with peers and prospects.
5. Leverage Referrals: Encourage satisfied clients to refer you to others in their network.
6. Showcase Success Stories: Highlight case studies showcasing your successful projects and outcomes.
7. Provide Free Workshops or Webinars: Offer valuable workshops or webinars to showcase your expertise and build trust.
8. Collaborate with Other Professionals: Partner with complementary professionals to expand your reach.
9. Stay Updated: Stay current with industry trends and advancements to maintain your competitive edge.
10. Be Persistent: Building a client base takes time; stay persistent and dedicated to your goals.

1. Your Portfolio

Your portfolio is one of the most important elements in finding clients, but it can also be a bit intimidating. That’s why we’ve put together some tips on how to build an eye-catching portfolio that will help you land more clients and opportunities in the future.

Showcase your best work: Don’t just show one project or client show off every project that stands out to you as particularly successful, including ones where you excelled under pressure. 

Or even better, pick out projects where you didn’t excel! It shows that even though things didn’t go so well at first, with perseverance and determination (and some good old-fashioned hard work), anything is possible.

Showcase your best clients: If any companies have hired you for marketing research before then make sure they’re part of your portfolio too! 

This shows potential customers that not only can they trust these organizations but also gives them a reason to believe in what else these companies might need from an agency like yours – like maybe creative design services? 

Or maybe social media campaign management? The possibilities are endless! But whatever service they need from an agency like yours, they’ll want someone who knows what they’re doing, and guess what? You do!

If you’re looking to get paid for creating marketing research, you’re on the right track. Our guide on How to Get Paid to Create Marketing Research for Companies will walk you through the steps to monetize your research skills and attract valuable clients.

2. Write Testimonials

Testimonials are the best way to get new clients.

A testimonial is someone happy with your work, and writing you a recommendation. You can use these on your website or social media, or just keep them in a file for future reference. 

When someone is looking at your website, they are going to be wondering what other people think about you and your business. 

A good testimonial will help reassure them that things will be ok if they choose to hire you. Testimonials also show off your personality and make people feel more comfortable working with you (even if it’s only via email).

3. Be Unique

The one thing you can do to stand out from the crowd is to be unique. This doesn’t mean that you have to be different, but it does mean that you should make sure your marketing materials, communication style, and brand are all unique.

Here’s an example: I was recently asked by a client to review their website because they felt like there were some issues with it. They also wanted advice on where they could make improvements and what else they could do to improve their online presence. 

Here’s what I found when I looked at their site: they had tried so hard NOT TO LOOK LIKE A WEBSITE! 

Their site design was outdated (and not in a trendy way); there were no images or graphics; it took them five steps just to get from the homepage into a blog post; their menu options didn’t work properly; etc., etc. 

The problem here is this person went out of his/her way not only to make their site look bad but also to make sure there were no tools available for people who wanted information about them! 

Why would anyone want to hire someone who has made such an effort NOT TO BE SEEN BY THEIR CUSTOMERS?!?

Conducting successful marketing research interviews requires finesse and expertise. Dive into our article on How to Run a Rocket Powered Hyper Focused Marketing Research Interview to discover strategies that will help you engage participants and gather valuable insights.

4. Get Social

Social media is an excellent tool for a market research agency. It can help you connect with potential clients, show your personality and expertise, and get your name out there. Here are some tips on making the most of social media:

Blog regularly to demonstrate your expertise on industry topics or niche areas related to marketing research. You should also use social media as a way to stay up-to-date with news in the field (e.g., new technologies).

Include a photo of yourself in each post so that people have something personal to relate their experience with you as an individual research manager or analyst at the company where they would like to work for!

Offer giveaways or discounts through contests based on Twitter followers or other metrics related directly back into their accounts! That’s why it’s important not just about being popular but also about tracking what works best for each one individually.”

5. Create Killer Email Campaigns

Email marketing is a powerful tool for small businesses looking to expand their reach and build trust with customers. Email marketing has an open rate of 90%, which means that you can reach 90% of your target audience without spending any money on advertising. 

This is a great way to keep your brand in front of your target audience, while also building trust with them by sharing valuable resources and building rapport with them over time.

One of the best ways to leverage email marketing is by creating killer email campaigns that get people excited about what you have to offer, whether it’s a new product launch or just some useful information that they might find interesting!

6. Guest Blogging Is A Must

Guest blogging can be one of the best ways to get in front of new audiences and get exposure. 

Whether you’re a small business owner or a large company, guest blogging has proven that it’s an effective way for businesses to improve their SEO and spread their message on social media.

You’ll want to make sure that your content is written well so that people will see it as a valuable resource, not just another ad. 

The content needs to be relevant, authentic, and provide value for your target audience. You can do this by asking yourself: “What problem am I trying to solve?” or “What questions am I answering?”

The best thing about guest blogging is that you don’t have to create all of the content yourself! You can share what other experts have created on different topics related directly or indirectly to yours (e.g., health).

In the world of content creation, length matters. Discover the science behind engaging blog posts in our guide on Determining the Optimal Blog Post Length to Get Social Media Shares, and learn how to create content that resonates with your audience.

7. Be Available All Of The Time

When you’re a self-employed marketer, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that because you’re not working at a company with an HR department and rules about how much time you spend in the office, you don’t have to be as available as your colleagues.

Well, if you want clients, being available when they need and expect is crucial. Being “hard to get” doesn’t make clients want to hire you it makes them think they can do just as good a job themselves and save the money on hiring someone else. 

That’s why I suggest being available all of the time:

Be available via social media hours per day (and nights). 

If people are interested in hiring market research consultants like me and my team at VisionSight Marketing & Research Consulting Group Inc., chances are good that they’re looking for information about our services online and we’ve got plenty for them! 

Make sure your business pages are polished (I know what I’m talking about) and engage regularly with anyone who reaches out to ask questions or comment on posts the more engaged users feel about your brand or products/services.

The more likely they’ll be interested in becoming a client someday soon. 

It may seem like annoying spamming now but trust me: those “fans” will become paying customers eventually if given half an opportunity!

8. Research Your Prospects

Social Media

Social media is a great resource for learning about your prospects. You can use social media to discover what kind of content they like, who their influencers are, and what they’re talking about. This will help you tailor your pitch to them in a way that’s more relevant and interesting to them.

Google Alerts

If you have no idea where to start when it comes to finding prospects then Google Alerts could be the perfect solution for you. Set up an alert for one or more keywords related to your area of expertise, then wait for results! 

You’ll get emails whenever new results come up on Google from now until forever (or until someone cancels their subscription). This is especially helpful if you’re looking for potential clients in industries that aren’t so active online such as manufacturing or construction.

LinkedIn -You can also use LinkedIn as another resource for finding leads since most professionals have profiles there too! There are tons of ways people use LinkedIn so I highly recommend checking out some other articles on how best to utilize this tool (here’s one). 

One cool trick I learned was using hashtags in titles which helps attract those interested in similar topics but may not necessarily know who specifically wrote those words yet.

9. Never Stop Marketing To Existing Clients

Whether you’re a freelancer or the CEO of a marketing research agency, it’s important to never stop marketing to existing clients. 

When you do stop marketing, this can lead to what I call “the black hole effect” where you lose touch with your clients and they don’t know who else to turn to when they need new work done.

Don’t worry if you’re not sure where to start I’m going to outline ten simple things that all make an impact on keeping your client base happy and engaged:

Keep in touch with them (via phone, email, or text) regularly so they know that you’re always available when needed

Ask for referrals (this is usually something like saying “if someone asks me about my experience working with this company would I be able to confidently recommend them?”). If the answer is yes then congratulations! You just scored yourself another client by word-of-mouth alone!

Send them cards/gifts from time to time because who doesn’t like getting something nice in their mailbox? Just make sure this isn’t too frequent as it could come off as being too pushy – but now and then feels perfect! 

The key here is consistency: this should be something done consistently over time rather than randomly once every couple of months only then forgotten about again until next year…

Embrace the scientific approach to marketing research by understanding the nuances of observation, inference, and testing. Our article on Observation, Inference, and Testing: The Scientific Approach to Marketing Research explores the foundation of credible research methodologies.

10. Record Some Testimonials For Video Marketing

One of the best ways to market yourself as a research company is through testimonials. When you record some testimonials for video marketing, you can use these videos on your website and also on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

When recording your testimonial, make sure that it is short and sweet by asking the person being interviewed questions like “What do you think about my services?” or “How can I improve?” 

If you have a lot of clients that have been with you for a long time (or even short term), ask them what they like most about working with your company. 

Make sure that everything they say in the video is positive because this will help get more business from other customers who are considering using your services after seeing how great others feel about working with you!

You Can Learn To Market Yourself If You Are Diligent

If you’re going to market yourself as a marketing research consultant, then you need to know that marketing is a skill that can be learned and developed. 

Marketing is not something magical or mystical it’s simply the art of communicating your value proposition in a way that makes potential clients want to work with you.

The first step toward mastering this skill is figuring out what exactly makes up your value proposition and how best to communicate it so that others see the same thing. Once you know what differentiates you from other market researchers, then it’s time for action! 

Your next step should be making sure all of your materials communicate those differences to potential clients: website copywriting, brochures and flyers, email newsletters (if applicable), social media posts (if applicable), etc.

Asking the right questions can make or break your marketing research endeavors. Learn the art of effective questioning in our piece on How to Effectively Ask People About Their Everyday Lives, and elevate your ability to understand and address client needs.

Conclusion

This is probably the most important piece of advice we can give you. If you’re resenting your clients, or if you only see them as a means to an end, then this resentment will start to show in your work. 

You might not think it does, but even the smallest hint of insincerity in your voice will be picked up by any potential clients on the other end of the phone. 

And if they don’t sense that you truly care about their business and are committed to helping them, they won’t be convinced by what you have to say no matter how good a salesperson you are. 

So pick and choose your clients wisely; there’s no point in wasting all of this time and energy on people who aren’t right for your company!

Further Reading

5 Ways to Improve Your Business Market Research: Discover practical strategies to enhance your business’s market research efforts.

8 Tips to Do Market Research Like a Pro: Learn valuable insights and tips for conducting effective market research like a professional.

Market Research in the Buyer’s Journey: A Comprehensive Guide: Explore the role of market research throughout the buyer’s journey and its impact on marketing strategies.

Now, let’s move on to the “FAQs” section based on the semantic of the title:

FAQs

How can I improve my business market research?

Improving your business market research involves a multi-faceted approach. Consider diversifying data sources, refining survey techniques, leveraging technology, and staying updated on industry trends.

What are some expert tips for effective market research?

Experts recommend thorough planning, defining clear research objectives, using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, segmenting your audience, and keeping an eye on competitors.

How does market research integrate with the buyer’s journey?

Market research plays a pivotal role in understanding customer needs, preferences, and pain points at each stage of the buyer’s journey. It informs content creation, targeting, and communication strategies.

What are some common mistakes to avoid in market research?

Common mistakes to avoid include relying on outdated data, having biased or leading questions, overlooking proper sample sizes, and failing to interpret findings within a broader context.

How can I apply market research insights to my marketing strategy?

Market research insights can guide your marketing strategy by identifying consumer preferences, helping you tailor messaging to specific segments, optimizing product offerings, and maximizing the effectiveness of your campaigns.