Shhhh, I have a secret to tell you. Are you listening? The secret is this: if your research is going to be effective at supporting marketing, then you have to get the word out. Your customer feedback program must use its voice!
As marketing researchers, we often forget that we are marketers at heart. Customer segmentation studies are more valuable when they are used by brand managers, product development teams and advertising directors to create effective products and messaging. Let’s just say I have seen segmentation studies used as doorstops, and they don’t really work that well.
So how can you get the word out that your data is available and ready for business? There are many ways, but technology can be your friend in helping to socialize your results. Research departments large and small are using desktop publishing and presentation tools to create newsletters, stand-alone emails and portals. If your company has a SharePoint or a collaborative drive then you can house your studies in these locations.
There are a few questions to ask before launching down this path. First, can your data be used to support more than one internal client? For example, does the analysis from your most recent customer satisfaction study have implications for sales, customer service, finance, marketing, or other departments? If so then you have good reason to present your findings to these groups. This can be done in a single presentation (often harder to do than it sounds) or in smaller team meetings. The latter approach allows you to tailor your story to meet specific team needs. This may entail more work; however it will go farther toward having your data used to make strategic decisions. Ask yourself if the additional workload is worth the payout?
An effective tool I have used frequently is the email with condensed findings targeted toward specific audiences. If you have web support then you can add links in your email that take recipients to more detailed findings.
This is certainly not an exhaustive treatise, but you should takeaway the need to socialize your findings (which adds to your personal value), and the fact that there are many ways to get your word out.