Tips for Writing Research Questions  If you’re in the process of writing questions for a market research study, it’s helpful to know the questions typically fall into 25 categories. “These are the kinds of questions on which the market research industry was built,” says Michael Goodman. “And they are the ones that enabled the large corporations that asked them to create mega-brands that resonate with consumers.”
Here are four sample categories:
Habits and practices. Ask what consumers do, how often they do it and who influences their decisions to gain a big-picture view of their practices. You can learn what brands they use and which alternatives they might consider.
Usage and attitude. Ask consumers how much they use a product and how they feel about it. Does it evoke positive, happy feelings or negative feelings? Investigate whether the product is an impulse purchase and what other brands they might consider as substitutes.
Price elasticity. Is price a major consideration in the purchase of a product? You might learn that small price differences matter, or that only a substantial difference will motivate a sale.
Brand loyalty/switching. How loyal are your brand’s customers compared to competitors'? Discover who is most likely to jump ship and why, and why your most committed customers remain on board.
The
Po!nt: Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use the categories established by major companies to collect useful information in a systematic way.
To learn more about the 25 typical question categories, listen to Michael Goodman’s second installment of the MarketingProfs Small Business Seminar Series. Market Research airs this Friday at 3pm Eastern.
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