If I was a marketer and had no budget for research… here’s what I would do…by a market researcher who used to be in marketing….
It’s really hard to be in food and drink right now, it’s really hard to be in marketing right now. Being a marketer in food and drink is lean….so we put together a list of things you can have a go at yourself, with examples of what the methodology works well for, what to watch out for and examples of who does it well to bring the idea to life.
Great if you have no budget, but even if you do have a research budget, there is no harm in knowing a bit more about your category and your customer.
Here's how you can start:
Engage Directly with Your Audience
One of the most straightforward and cost-effective ways to gather insights is by engaging directly with your audience on social media. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter allow you to conduct polls, ask questions, and encourage feedback in real-time. This interaction can help you gauge interest in new ideas and deepen your understanding of customer preferences.
What This Works Well For
- Quickly testing new ideas or product concepts.
- Gathering immediate feedback on specific questions.
- Building a stronger connection with your audience.
Things to Watch Out For
- Responses might be biased towards your most engaged followers, not representing the broader market.
- Managing and interpreting large volumes of feedback can be challenging without a clear strategy.
Who Is Doing This Well
- Greggs (UK-based bakery chain): Greggs frequently uses social media to engage directly with their audience, especially when launching new products or seasonal items. They famously used Twitter to tease and gauge interest in their vegan sausage roll before its launch, which turned out to be a massive success.
Leverage SEO and Keyword Analysis Tools
Understanding what your customers are searching for online can provide valuable insights into their needs and desires. Tools like Semrush, Google Trends, or AnswerThePublic can help you track popular keywords and queries related to your niche. These insights are crucial for informing your content strategy and identifying market opportunities.
What This Works Well For
- Identifying high-demand topics and keywords to target in your content and product descriptions.
- Understanding seasonality and emerging trends in your market.
- Tailoring your product offerings to match consumer search behaviour.
Things to Watch Out For
- Keyword data can be broad; ensure it’s relevant to your specific niche.
- SEO trends can change rapidly, so it requires consistent monitoring.
Who Is Doing This Well
- Halo Top (low-calorie ice cream brand): Halo Top has effectively leveraged SEO and keyword analysis to target health-conscious consumers. They identified key phrases like "low-calorie ice cream" and "guilt-free dessert," which helped them dominate search rankings and grow their market presence rapidly.
Participate in Industry Forums and Communities
Industry-specific forums and online communities like Reddit, Quora, or specialised Facebook groups offer a wealth of information on current trends, challenges, and consumer preferences. By actively participating in discussions or simply observing, you can gather insights into the conversations that matter most to your target audience.
What This Works Well For
- Gaining a deep understanding of niche-specific challenges and desires.
- Engaging with a highly targeted audience who are passionate about specific topics.
- Identifying emerging trends and unmet needs in your market.
Things to Watch Out For
- Information can be anecdotal and not necessarily representative of the broader market.
- Engaging in discussions requires time and consistency to build credibility.
Who Is Doing This Well
- Oatly (plant-based milk brand): Oatly has been known to engage in online vegan and environmental forums, where they gather insights on consumer preferences and discuss the benefits of plant-based diets. This has helped them shape their brand messaging and product offerings to align with their target audience’s values.
Analyse Online Reviews
Online reviews are an unfiltered source of consumer sentiment. Whether on your stockists' websites, Google, or other platforms, reviews provide direct feedback from customers. Analysing both your own product reviews and those of competitors can help you identify recurring themes in both positive and negative feedback.
What This Works Well For
- Understanding common pain points and areas for improvement.
- Discovering what customers love about your products and what differentiates you from competitors.
- Identifying potential new product ideas based on unmet needs.
Things to Watch Out For
- Reviews can sometimes be polarised, focusing on extremely positive or negative experiences.
- Fake reviews can distort your analysis, so it’s important to cross-reference with multiple sources.
Who Is Doing This Well
- Amazon (e-commerce giant): Amazon extensively uses customer reviews to improve product recommendations and identify areas for improvement in their own products (like Amazon Basics). Their ability to analyse and respond to customer feedback has been key to maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.
Conduct Competitor Analysis
Understanding your competitors is crucial in positioning your brand effectively. By analysing their social media presence, website, product offerings, and customer reviews, you can identify gaps in the market and areas where you can differentiate your brand. Tools like SimilarWeb and BuzzSumo can provide deeper insights into your competitors’ online performance.
What This Works Well For
- Identifying strengths and weaknesses in your competitors’ strategies.
- Spotting opportunities for differentiation and market positioning.
- Understanding successful content strategies in your niche.
Things to Watch Out For
- Over-focusing on competitors can lead to imitation rather than innovation.
- Competitor data might not be fully accurate or up-to-date.
Who Is Doing This Well
- Innocent Drinks (smoothie and juice brand): Innocent frequently conducts competitor analysis to maintain its playful and distinctive brand voice. By understanding how other brands communicate and position themselves, Innocent has managed to stand out in a crowded market while staying true to its brand ethos.
Tap into Social Listening and Trend Tracking Tools
Social media is a treasure trove of real-time consumer sentiment and emerging trends. Tools like Brandwatch, Sprout Social, Hootsuite (and its extension, Talkwalker), and Tastewise are invaluable for tracking brand mentions and analysing consumer conversations, especially in the food and beverage sector.
What This Works Well For
- Identifying real-time trends and emerging consumer preferences.
- Monitoring brand mentions and sentiment in the marketplace.
- Gathering insights on how your brand is perceived relative to competitors.
Things to Watch Out For
- Requires regular monitoring and analysis to be effective.
- The volume of data can be overwhelming without a clear focus.
Who Is Doing This Well
- Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola uses social listening tools to monitor global conversations about their brand and the beverage industry. This allows them to respond quickly to emerging trends, like the shift towards healthier drinks, and adjust their marketing strategies accordingly.
Left-Field Research: Observation and Conversations
Sometimes, the best insights come from unexpected places. Talking to checkout personnel at grocery stores can reveal trends and changes at a grassroots level. They often notice which products are moving quickly and which are struggling, providing top-level ideas for your category. Additionally, the lost art of ethnography—simply watching people shop—can be incredibly insightful (just be sure to observe without being creepy!).
What This Works Well For
- Gaining real-world insights into shopping habits and product uptake.
- Spotting subtle changes in consumer behaviour that might not appear in digital data.
- Gathering practical, on-the-ground feedback that can inspire new ideas.
Things to Watch Out For
- Insights from checkout conversations can be anecdotal and need further validation.
- Observational research requires discretion to avoid making customers uncomfortable.
Who Is Doing This Well
- Tesco (UK-based supermarket chain): Tesco has been known to conduct observational research and engage with in-store staff to better understand customer behaviour and improve store layouts and product placements. This has helped them optimise their in-store experience and drive sales.
Find Some Forums: Ask the Tough Questions
Forums are a great place to dive deep into consumer opinions. By asking pointed, sometimes pokey, questions, you can discover what makes your loyalists love your brand and why detractors are put off. These platforms allow for open dialogue, making them ideal for unearthing the true drivers of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
What This Works Well For
- Engaging with your most passionate customers and understanding their motivations.
- Discovering specific issues that might be deterring potential customers.
- Gathering qualitative data that can provide context to broader trends.
Things to Watch Out For
- Responses can be highly opinionated and may not represent the broader market.
- Engaging in forums requires careful moderation to ensure constructive dialogue.
Who Is Doing This Well
- Ben & Jerry’s (ice cream brand): Ben & Jerry’s actively participates in various online forums and social media platforms where they engage with their fanbase, discussing everything from new flavours to social issues. This engagement has strengthened their community and helped them maintain a loyal customer base.
Conducting your own customer research doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With the right tools and strategies, you can gain a deep understanding of your market, identify key trends, and gather valuable consumer insights—all before you engage a professional research agency. This proactive approach not only saves you money but also equips you with a better ability to challenge your agency, get a leg up on insight and make your marketing work harder for you.
Get in touch if you feel you need a bit more than a blog post to get started. Always happy to help and just remember us when you are ready to work with professional researchers to research your market!
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