How to Write a Market Research Study

So you’ve spent many long hours researching a particular market and are looking to have it put to good use. Research is no good when it’s in your head, and so to have someone use it, you’re going to need to write a market research study outlining what you have done and what you discovered.

You may be the best researcher your company has ever employed -- but if your skills in the market research study writing department are lacking, then you may have to say goodbye to any hopes of a bonus or promotion. This article walks you through writing a market research study from start to finish, to get you on your boss’s good side.

Get Off To A Good Start

Start your market research study with a bang -- use a good headline and opening paragraph. Spending an hour on just this small section isn’t unjustified. A good start can make the rest sound much better.

Think about it; you don’t want the main text to be bad -- but that’s better

than having a really good market research study that never gets read because the opening is so poor. However, bear in mind that your reader can get lost at any point -- so the chances of getting a market research study with “poor body text” read throughly is low. Every word needs to be perfect.

Make Sure You Plan

Reading a market research study should be easy because people feel no shame in throwing away something they can’t follow. Jump from point to point at your peril. Ever heard the saying, “failure to prepare is preparation to fail”? The same applies here; your market research study

should be well laid out and thoroughly planned. I know planning is boring -- but it will benefit you.

At the same time, don’t dwell too long on any one point in your market research study. Treat it with a ‘hit and run’ attitude. Get in there, make your point, back it up and then leave, moving onto the next point. People don’t have all day to read unimportant details.

One of the most important things you can remember is that your market research study’s reader doesn’t believe you. Quite often the findings of a market research study produce unexpected results, and if they surprised you they’ll definitely surprise a reader who has less experience than you, so you better convince them that what you’re saying is correct. A skeptical reader is no good.

If you make a point, back it up with a verbal justification, the method you used to produce that result, and preferably with numbers! Numbers are the number one convincing method to support your conclusions.

Know Your Audience

When you write a market research study, chances are it’s just for one person -- and you may know that person quite well. If this is the case then personalize it. Add some personal comments if you think it’s appropriate.

Finally, remember the purpose of your market research study. Each one you do will have a slightly different brief, so don’t go off on a tangent or start adding bits relevant to your last market research study -- it will only serve to bore the reader. Keep it simple, keep it to the point, and look forward to a generous bonus and a promotion.

Colleen Spiegel is the founder of Clean Fuel Cell Energy LCC, and author of "Designing and Building Fuel Cells" (McGraw-Hill, 2007), “PEM Fuel Cell Modeling and Simulation Using MATLAB” (Elsevier Science, 2008), and (coming soon) “The Brilliant Mind: Fuel Cell Experiments for a Bright Future” (The Brilliant Mind, 2008). You can get a free fuel cell ideas booklet filled with simple tips to help you build your own fuel cells, plus a free newsletter and many free articles simply by visiting: www.cleanfuelcellenergy.com

Colleen Spiegel
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