market research proposal

How to Create a Market Research Proposal (+Template)

Continuing the market research series, in this article, we’ll discuss what a market research proposal is and how to create one.

To recap, what we’ve covered so far in the series, we’ve talked about what market research is, the different types of market research you need to do to grow your business, and the benefits of conducting market research .

What is A Market Research Proposal

Conducting market research is expensive, and if you work in a large organization, then you would need to justify such expenses.

Before conducting your research you’d need to shed some light on past data about your market, gaps in the data, and why new research is necessary.

This is where a Market Research Proposal come in to play.

Typically, a research proposal is a document proposing a research project, usually, these proposals are done by a scientist or an academic.

The proposals are then evaluated on the cost and potential impact of the proposed research, and on the soundness of the proposed plan for carrying it out. Research proposals generally address several key points:

What research question(s) will be addressed, and how they will be addressed
How much time and expense will be required for the research
What prior research has been done on the topic
How the results of the research will be evaluated
How the research will benefit the sponsoring organization and other parties involved

The same principles apply here, only that your business market environment is what is being researched, which is your target market.

A market research proposal is a document that details the what, the where, the when and the how of market research and the information and costs associated with it.

If this sounds complicated, then here’s what you need to know about a market proposal. It addresses:

Why market research is necessary and what you aim to gain from the research
What resources are required for the research
Past research done on your market
How the data from this market research will be collected, stored and used
How the research will benefit your business

Keep in mind that at this point you are not conducting the research yet, you are simply providing a rationale behind why market research is necessary.

In the next article in this “Market Research” series, we will discuss the process of conducting market research, but for now, we need to provide a compelling document on why, how, when and where the research will be conducted.

11 Steps to Create A Market Research Proposal

Now that you know what a market research proposal is, it’s time to create one. There are 11 steps to create a sound and compelling market research proposal

1. Market Research Proposal Summary

Start your proposal by briefly explaining the purpose of the market research and why it is required. Also, give an overview of what the desired outcome of the market research is.

If your business is interested in pouring resources into an in-depth market research then surely, there is something you hope to gain from it.

Remember to provide reasoning for the need of this specific market research and let whoever is reading this, such as the CEO, COO. know what contributions this research will make to the company.

TEMPLATE TO USE:

The market research project, entitled [RESEARCH PROJECT TITLE] hopes to discover more information regarding market trends in [SPECIFIC AREA]. The following summary will give an overview of the causes, processes, and possible effects of the market research proposal, detailed below.

2. Research Objectives

In this section of your proposal give full details about what problem has been identified that requires market research to be conducted. I.e. Show why there is a specific need for this research in the first place.

Explain what the market research results will be used for and how they will help achieve the overall goals. Describe the goals which you hope to achieve with this project.

The proposed market research project contains the following objectives:

Objective one
Objective two

3. Background Information on Past Market Research

Odds are you’re not the first person/company to conduct research on your market. This means that there is existing information on your market. However, this knowledge might be outdated, or might not provide the data your business needs.

So, in this section explain what information already exists on this topic and what is already known. Also, highlight the gaps in knowledge that the market research will hopefully fill.

Here you will show information from existing sources regarding the specific topic to be researched. It is great to provide cited sources, graphs, charts, and statistics.

You will use this section to show that you know a great deal about the market you will be researching, but you also need to show the holes in the current knowledge.

You can then demonstrate the specific need for your proposed research plan, and how this market research plan will fill these holes and contribute to the knowledge of this subject.

4. Market Research Proposal Hypothesis

If your business needs to conduct market research, then you probably have a few ideas of what you hope to get or learn from the research.

In this section describe what you believed to be the likely outcome of the market research and what you hope to learn.

5. Research Target Audience

Your business doesn’t target everyone, and odds are your business targets different audience types. So who is this research targeted at?

This is a very important part of your proposal and you need to be as detailed as possible about the target audience or audiences you will be researching.

Also, describe how you will source this target audience and how you will ensure they meet the correct criteria.

6. Data Collection of Market Research

Time to get to the good stuff. In this part of your proposal, you MUST detail all the data collection methods that will be used during the market research and, how they will be carried out.

You MUST also explain how the accuracy of data will be maintained, how potential candidates for the research will be approached and, if applicable, how they will be reimbursed for their time and contribution.

Use specifics and consider potential questions such as.

How will you maintain the accuracy of data?
How will you approach potential survey or research candidates?
Will these participants be paid for their time?
At what times of day will you make phone calls?
In what ways will you ensure an accurate data sample?

The more information you can provide in this section, the better.

Our methods of data collection will be best suited to the project at hand. Research methods will include:

Focus groups
Collection of social media data
Surveys via the Internet, phone, or email
Long range in-home consumer tests
Distribution of samples
In person promotionals

These individuals will be selected [HOW THEY ARE SELECTED] to ensure an appropriately constituted pool of data from which we can infer accurate insights and trends.

The pool itself comprises of individuals who have expressed to us an interest in participating in such surveys, and they will be compensated by [METHOD OF COMPENSATION]….

7. Research and Analysis Methodology

In this section of your proposal, you are to discuss the strengths and possible limitations of your research methods.

Provide an overall blueprint for your methodology in approaching research data, and describe the implications of each method of data collection, and explain the methods you will use to interpret the data.

Lastly, discuss the means of evaluating the collected data and how you will account for errors, holes in data, or inaccuracies.

8. Ethics to be Followed During Research

You’re almost done with your proposal, but there are still a few important details that need to be included.

Explain how the market research will adhere to ethical codes by thinking about how issues such as participant confidentiality, data security, privacy, and consent of research participants will be addressed.

Include waivers or documents you plan to provide to research participants, if applicable

9. Market Research Timeline

In this section, provide a detailed timeline of when the research needs to begin and when a full report is required, ensure sufficient and realistic time for both data collection and data analysis are considered.

Market Research Timeline

Task 1 ([DATE] [TIME])
Task 2 ([DATE] [TIME])
Task 3 ([DATE] [TIME])

10. Market Research Budget

We’re almost done with our proposal, but it’s time to include arguably the most important section. After all, if your company does not have the funds and resources then there would be no research in the first place.

Provide an overall budget for the proposed project. Make sure to include all possible cost considerations. You can provide a breakdown of those here.

Don’t forget budgets for sections such as Participant Reimbursement, funds for documents, rental space.

11. Conclusion

This is the last part of your market research proposal. You can add ways in which this market research will provide further benefits or include unique applications of the potential results.

Now that you know the market research proposal process and the importance of market research, in the next article will discuss the actual market research process.

Comment with any questions you have about Market Research Proposals and I will get back to you ASAP.

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How To Write Market Research Proposal: Tips and Best Practices

Entrepreneurs and companies need to get critical information about their industry or specific market landscape to help ensure their business becomes a success.

This is where market research plays a role. But to be effective, proper steps must be outlined through a market research proposal.

If you’re a business owner or a marketer, you must learn how to write a market research proposal correctly . So here’s a handy step-by-step guide on how to do just that. Plus, we’ll throw in a free template to help you get started.

Table of Contents

How To Write a Market Research Proposal

When drafting a market research proposal , you can adopt various styles depending on the industry or business. But to put forth a more organized proposal, it helps to adhere to proven structures and follow these steps.

1. Start with an overview

It’s always wise to open with an overview to give the readers of the proposal a general idea of what the market research is all about, as well as set their expectations. If you don’t want to use the term overview, you can also go with an executive summary or an introduction.

You can do a simple overview consisting of one to three paragraphs. Or if the situation calls for it, you can also present your executive summary with supporting information that may include any or all of the following:

Definition of terms. List the terms that will be used in the market research proposal. Make sure to define them properly.
Market conditions. Give an overall picture of the current market conditions. Explain the industry’s state and the competition level, as well as mention relevant economic or even political factors.
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis. You can also present market conditions through a SWOT diagram, which summarizes everything neatly.
Feasibility. If you want to cut to the chase, state the overall feasibility. You can also consider including the potential ROI (return on investment ).

2. Define the objectives

When writing a market research proposal, define the project’s goals as clearly as possible. You can begin with a larger, encompassing objective and then break it up with its corresponding parts.

If you are dealing with multiple goals, make sure to explain how each separate objective relates to or affects one another.

Remember that clearly defined goals will guide the execution of the market research project – from the budget to the types of surveys or questions you will use.

3. Outline the execution

Market research can be accomplished in various ways, but there needs to be a clear plan for executing it.

Outline your methodology and approach to getting the information you need. As far as methods are concerned, you can choose from options like organizing focus groups, deploying online surveys, or holding interviews over the phone or face-to-face.

You should also consider if your approach is multi-faceted. Will the surveys be done once or through a series of batches? Will you follow up on the first wave of interviews with email surveys?

Never forget to include the rationale for choosing your methodology. Factors to remember include costs, logistics, and timeline.

4. Explain how the results will be analyzed and reported

Market research proposal creation would be incomplete without including the mechanics for analyzing and reporting the results.

You must present a concrete plan for how the market research data will be collected and safely stored.

Next on your list is to explain how the data will be analyzed. Of course, what comes after is the reporting part. It’s more than just presenting the facts. You should also include your interpretations and, more importantly, your recommendations.

5. Discuss the timeline, costs, and conditions

Market research takes time and isn’t free. So, you’ll need to define your timeline and expected costs clearly.

It’s also important to tackle the terms and conditions of the market research project. The more transparent you are, the more you can prevent misunderstandings in the future.

Download the Market Research Proposal Template

When drafting a market research proposal, you can accomplish things faster using a reliable template.

Sign up now for a free account at Fill to get a market research proposal template. It’s just one of several templates that we offer for free.

Market Research Proposal

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Market Research Proposal

It’s not enough to know how to draft a market research proposal. You also have to be aware of common mistakes people commit when preparing these proposals.

Lack of details. When you already know how to create market research proposals, you use certain structures and templates repeatedly. But sometimes, you forget to add elements that make your proposal look legit instead of being an apparent copy of another.
There is not enough review and fact-checking. We’re not talking about simple spelling and grammar errors. We’re referring to the information you included in your market research proposal. Are they up-to-date? Are the sources considered trustworthy?
There is too much hype. Be careful not to get caught up in the excitement of your proposal. Remember that you are dealing with business people. Be realistic and be clear about the goals. The last thing you need is to promise something you can’t deliver.
Disorganized presentation. You can follow a decent structure when writing your market research proposal. But if you don’t organize the information you present in each section, you will you’re lose your reader’s interest.
Underestimating visuals and diagrams. Yes, it’s showing real data is important, but you can be more persuasive by strategically using visuals, graphs, charts, and tables in your proposal.

Using Fill to Create Your Market Research Proposal

Now that you know how to write a market research proposal, it’s time to put your learnings into practice immediately.

Create an account at Fill and grab a free market research proposal template today.

Andria is a seasoned content writer, specializing in document management solutions and HIPAA compliance, providing valuable insights for businesses and professionals alike.

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How to Write a Market Research Proposal

The market research proposal is an important first step in near all studies. First and foremost, a skeleton that details a study’s direction, goals, and focus, such proposals are typically the first point of reference for management. While the proposals make or break a project’s funding, there is one other strength no research team can ignore: direction.

Critical for any undertaking that involves research, direction helps with both the pragmatics and concepts of near all studies. Market research proposals are vital for outlining both. They also explain the potential returns or results a study can yield. Ideally, the proposal should convince outside readers while informing research and development teams.

Language is important for writing a proposal, as is organization. A lot of detail goes into the typical research proposal, and sometimes there is no clear place for essential odds and ends. Luckily, there is a general organization, or logic, that most research proposals adopt. This allows readers to quickly absorb details, jump to pertinent sections, and digest its conclusions.

While not mandatory, using these structures add a cohesion that makes reading these papers more convenient and cohesive. Length, detail, and overall complexity are all factors when considering how a research proposal should be organized. Similarly, weigh the study’s goals and potential returns. Not every proposal necessitates the same sections. In fact, simple studies can do without a lot of sections that more involved or longer studies require. That mentioned, never write off these critical five elements of your research proposal.

Overview, Definition, and Terms

Important for summing up the study’s incentives, intents, and overall feasibility, overviews prep readers for the project’s strengths. Like everything else in a proposal, clarity is also all-important. Definitions and terms are vital. Overviews are also excellent for showcasing market conditions, opportunity, goals, and overall impact to ROI. While very important, always make sure to focus on the client. Their edification should be at the forefront of any proposal writer’s mind.

Hypothesis and Goals

While referenced in the overview, extrapolation about a project’s actual agenda goes a long way. Near everyone reviewing a research proposal will search for a hypothesis. While fine to reference in the overview, an outright hypothesis will always predominate the research proposal and its direction. Be clear as possible!

The hypothesis itself, however, explains the goal’s prospective burdens, costs, and returns. Also explain how these different elements combine to form a whole level of different parts. Perhaps most intrinsic is the order of said goals, as well how they compliment each other.

Realizing goals requires exploring a range of target segments that can appreciate the product, content, or whatever else. Exploring these different targets includes any range of periphery methods, not to mention actual possibilities. What is vital, however, is a full explanation as to why the target is pertinent.

Methodology and Conditions

The logical extension, research proposals must detail methodology. Include practices and conditions, study types, analysis standards, and other crucial aspects. Make sure extrapolation focuses on the actual methodology, however. Pragmatic intricacies can be glossed over, but that really depends on the reader. Researchers will typically want to know about the whole process, while management typically focuses on efficacy and ROI.

Discuss.io can offer deliverables within 48 hours, the fastest in the industry. Establishing a clear timeline is still critical though. Product and content dev teams typically need to keep informed. A common timeline really encourages such cohesion, not mention also keeps MR better aware as to the product or content’s direction. Along with setting a schedule, timelines also helps inform team members of their objectives and schedule. Such a cohesive view both informs researchers as reminds them of the importance of each task.

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How to Write a Winning Market Research Proposal

The current pandemic may have curbed our travel, but that doesn’t mean we don’t all still know the value of having good maps and a suggested itinerary. Indeed, a solid plan of action makes any endeavor — whether it be a fun-filled vacation, an educational goal, or a professional enterprise — more focused, less stressful, and, thus, more effective. It doesn’t matter if life interrupts our plans (“Hello, COVID-19!”); in fact, interruptions are a given, but we still know that good plans prepare us for whatever lies ahead. They help us to define our priorities and clarify our needs so that we can better manage our resources. The result: we are better prepared to handle uncertainties and more formidable and more productive in whatever we choose to do.

For businesses, good plans are based on good research. More than good products and services, good information sets profitable companies apart from their competition, allowing them to prepare for — and plan for — success. This is why market research proposals are so important. A market research proposal is a document a company uses to map out its future. It unites company stakeholders in joint discovery of information so that everyone knows who and what really matters. In short, a market research proposal outlines the specifics of an information-gathering project. This is how to write a winning one:

Keep It Brief

A market research proposal is sometimes called a “market research brief” because it's just that: brief. It should also be clearly written with no unusual acronyms or industry jargon and only the necessary points to underscore the overall research objective (as well as how it will be addressed) highlighted.

Include a Company Overview

The beginning of the proposal should include a short overview of the company, including such details as its mission and vision statements; market performance history; industry facts, figures, and trends; competitor data points and any other past research findings that shed light on the issue(s) at hand and why further research is needed.

Clearly Define the Objective

The research objective is the most important part of the proposal, as it clearly outlines the information a company needs, and, thus, defines the overall goal of the project. It’s basically the question a company wants to be answered and needs to be specific and measurable (but not necessarily quantitative) with the desired outcome.

Explain the Research Methodology

Of course, a market research proposal should also include a section explaining how the information to address the research objective will be obtained. Details about data collection (including the definition of the target audience, sample selection criteria, and proposed methodology) need to be clarified (since specific demographic, technological, economic, political, and even environmental concerns inevitably impact research outcomes) and should be evident with reasons for their use thoroughly transparent.

List Expected Outcomes

Finally, a good market research proposal needs to include a list of expected outcomes. An estimation of budget concerns, as well as a timeline for specific research milestones and project completion, should be listed here, along with an overview of projected deliverables to be anticipated. This helps both company executives and researchers to remain focused and on point.

Ready to Learn More?

A winning market research proposal isn’t just the one that seals the deal on a research project. It’s the one that provides actionable insights for companies and researchers alike. Following a determined set of standards, a winning market research proposal has the potential to garner data that can be used to inform better business decisions. Our team at Research America has the expertise needed to craft winning market research proposals that yield meaningful results for all involved. Please contact us to learn more.

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Market Research Proposal Template

Use this template to create a proposal for a market research study.

Estimated time required: 4 hours
Skills required: Proposal writing

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Market Research Playbook

This tool can be used alone, but it’s also part of the comprehensive Market Research Playbook. It provides step-by-step planning guidance while also helping you utilize more than 25 downloadable tools from the popular AMA Marketer’s Toolkit library.

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Market Research Proposal Template To Close Deals

Companies that conduct market research and analysis can use our sample marketing research proposal template as an example of how to write a market research proposal, and as a guide when preparing survey proposals, data collection proposals, or business research.

This template allows you to explain your methodology for gaining qualitative and quantitative research, and provides a section to break down your research timeline into phases. It also includes a statement of work section to clarify what the customer will receive from the research, along with a detailed contract

All Proposify proposal templates are 100% customizable.

Executive Coaching Proposal Template

Companies preparing proposals coaching services can use this executive coaching proposal template when pitching their services to potential clients.

AdWords & PPC Proposal Template

The perfect pitch guide for marketing agencies offering pay-per-click (PPC) advertising services like search engine marketing (SEM) and Google Adwords.

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Managing proposals is a breeze in Proposify. Save all your case studies, fees, images and team bios all in one central library.

Tag them, search them and drop them into your layout. Proposals just got... dare we say... fun?

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No more emailing big PDFs, printing and shipping proposals or faxing back signatures (ugh). Your client gets a branded, interactive proposal they can sign off electronically. No need for extra software or logins. Oh, and we tell you as soon as your client opens it.

Track everything

Keep a pulse on your the sales pipeline of your agency. Proposify lets you know your close rate, which sections of your proposals get viewed and for how long, and all kinds of insight into what goes into your most successful proposals so you can sell smarter.

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Proposals are just one part of your agency sales process. We tie together your other software, so you can import contacts from your CRM, auto create deals and generate invoices in your accounting software. We are regularly adding new integrations.

Customer Support to the Rescue

We understand that when you’ve got questions, especially when you’re on a tight proposal deadline, you NEED answers. Our customer happiness specialists are at the ready, armed with friendly, helpful, timely support by email or online messaging. We’re here to help, regardless of which you plan you’re on or if you’re just taking us for a test drive.

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Market Research Proposal

Setting the direction for any market research effort is an essential and critical step that you have to consider whenever you would like to look into the trends in the marketplace or assess the key factors that affect the purchasing decisions of your target audience. Before doing any program or activity related to the specified matter, you first have to know how to execute an effective proposal writing procedure.

Developing a comprehensive and detailed market research proposal can help you a lot in terms of organizing the market research processes that you would like to conduct as well as the resources that you will be needing.

Google Docs

Size: A4, US

State the objectives, scope of work, research methodology, target market, and other such important information of your market research by downloading and using this above-shown research proposal example template. This ready-made template’s content can be edited and customized in various file formats such as MS Word, Pages, Gooogle Docs, and editable PDF. Hurry up and try it out now!

Market Research Proposal Example

Download and make use of this market research template so that you can conduct your market research effectively. Using this, you can conveniently outline the objectives and goals for your market research, thereby, saving you enough time to do other tasks related to the research. Edit and customize using MS Word and Pages. You can also click on multimedia project proposal examples .

Marketing Research Proposal Example

It is important to not let yourself get confused between a market research proposal and a marketing research proposal. The marketing research proposal deals with the presentation of potential promotional and advertising activities that can be implemented by a company to present and market its products, services, deals, and other offers while the marketing research proposal is focused on learning the market movement based on the market’s trends, activities, and size.

Proposal for Market Research Example

Size: 10 KB

If you want to create your market research proposal, one of the things that you can do to help you have an easier time when developing the document is to look into references like downloadable examples. Simply browse through the market research proposal examples in PDF that are available in this post so you can have an idea of how to properly create the best market research proposal for your business.

Free Market Research Proposal Example

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Importance of a Market Research Proposal

A market research proposal helps you properly think of the things that truly matter when it comes to the market research. With the help of this document, you can give priority to the factors and elements that can contribute to the advancement and growth of your business .

Using a market research proposal can also give you time to put together relevant and necessary processes that are most likely helpful in achieving not only the goals of your market research activities but the corporate goals of the business as well. Here are some of the reasons why you need to create and use a market research proposal:

1. A market research proposal is one of the most essential documents that are used by businesses to properly plan the entire process of their market research activities. It presents the outline of the market research’s goals and it also focuses on the action plans that can lead the business to the achievement of its objectives and vision.

2. A market research proposal can give an idea about the funding that is needed by the team to execute the activities for market research. Financial support from the organization is needed to be addressed to make sure that all plotted procedures will be implemented accordingly. You may also see business proposal examples .

Developing the market research proposal with the knowledge that funding will be given for its implementation can make the marketing team, as well as the other people involved in the activity, become more proactive and efficient as it is most likely that what they envisioned and planned will be realized.

3. A market research proposal, especially one that contains a marketing SWOT analysis and a market condition overview, can help you look into the external and internal factors that affect your business operations.

The knowledge about the nature of your business, the competition that you need to look out for, the threats and risks that you need to prepare for, the needs and demands of your audience, the movement and shifts in the marketplace, and the opportunities that you should grab can make you become more well-rounded and multifaceted when drafting the market research proposal that you would like to present. You may also check out project proposal examples .

4. A market research proposal can discuss the milestones that are expected to be achieved by the business with the help of market research strategies and general action plans . Hence, this document can persuade and convince its target audience that a proposed market research activity must be approved especially if expected results can excessively benefit the business or provide a solution to its current issues, problems, and concerns.

Sample Marketing Research Proposal Example

Size: 90 KB

Proposal for Marketing Research and Market Intelligence Example

Size: 607 KB

Market Research and Analysis Report for Proposal Referencing Example

Size: 152 KB

Market Research Proposal Content

Different market research proposals have different sections, clauses, or areas of discussion. The content of a market research proposal depends on the purpose of its usage, the scope of the activity, the expected returns of the business, the professional goals of the market research, and the relation of the document’s usage to the vision of the business.

Even if there are differences when it comes to the information that you can see in many market research proposals used in various industries, there are still common or usual information that is seen in any market research proposal. Some of the details that are essential to be included in a market research proposal are as follows:

1. Develop a hypothesis. This is very important as you need to present the potential impacts of the market research proposal when implemented. This can also help you identify the ways on how you can interlink or align all the elements that are essential for the successful execution of all the market research proposal’s areas. You may also see short proposal examples .

2. Present an overview of the market research activities that you would like the business to consider. You have to sum up the intent of the market research as well as the output that you expect from it. More so, you have to discuss the feasibility, attainability, and sustainability of your general plans . Being able to showcase these strengths can help your market research proposal become more appealing and relevant.

3. Just like when making a development project proposal , use a timeline that can give an idea of the entire duration of the market research proposal’s actual usage. You have to set time frames where specific deliverables should be seen or observed already. With this, you can ensure your target audience that the proposal is time-bound and realistic.

4. Especially if you will use technical terms, a proper definition of terms is highly suggested to be included in your market research proposal. This part of the document can make the general proposal more understandable for any reasonable person.

5. Know your targets so you can easily come up with the methodology that is relevant to your needs. All the practices and activities that you would like to immerse in should be thoroughly defined in the document so that the general analysis of the measures of your proposal can be objectively done.

6. Discuss the current market conditions in the marketplace where your business belongs. Aside from the trends that you need to consider, you also have to list down the opportunities that the business can take to help it achieve its goals and return of investments.

Marketing Information Management System Research Proposal Example

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Research Proposal Usable for Market Study Example

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Market Research and Developing a Marketing Plan Proposal Example

Market Research Conduct and Proposal Drafting Example

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Discussion Flow for a Simple Market Research Proposal

The format and discussion flow of the market research proposal can contribute to the document’s successes, or the lack thereof. This is the reason why you have to be careful with how you will present the market research proposal to your audience. You have to ensure that the document is visually pleasing and well-organized so that people will not have a hard time reviewing its content. You may also see freelance proposal examples .

A basic discussion flow that you can use when presenting the details of your market research proposal are listed below:

The title of your market research proposal sample
The date when the market research proposal has been made and the dates of its updates
The name of the company who can benefit from the document
The name of the person who prepared the proposal and the department or division where he or she is assigned at
The executive summary of the market research proposal
The objectives of the market research proposal
The current condition of the business and the market as well as other important existing knowledge
The expected output of the document’s usage, when approved
The demographics targeted by the business with the help of the market research proposal
The processes of data gathering, collection, assessment, and presentation
The methodology that will be applied for the research project plan intended for a particular market
The dates and periods where particular tasks should already be done
The budget proposed by the team or the individual who made the proposal
Any ethical considerations that must be looked into before the implementation of the market research

Proposal to Conduct Consumer Experience of Care Surveys or Market Research

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Request for Proposal for Solicitation for Contract for Market Research Example

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Marketing Research Group Project Proposal Example

Marketing Research Firm Proposal Example

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Tips to Develop an Impressive Market Research Proposal

Aside from having an advertising and marketing business plan , you should also have a market research plan. It is not enough for you to rely on your knowledge about the things that you can control. You also have to think of the elements that are not within your hands like the trends in the marketplace and the reaction of your audience and competition with regards to these trends and/or any other market changes.

Listed below are a few of the tips that you can use if you want to develop an impressive market research proposal for your business:

1. Since a market research proposal is one of the first documents that you will be needing for your market research, you have to ensure that the content of the document is flexible enough to adapt to possible changes within the development of the market research planning and implementation phases. You have to ensure that there are windows where appropriate changes can be inserted as well as channels, mediums, or platforms where you can incorporate backup plans when necessary or called for.

2. Keep in mind that the language and tone that you will use when creating the content of the market research proposal must be highly considered.

You have to ensure that the document is formal, business-appropriate, and compelling. Aside from the fact that the market research proposal is expected to be complete with all the details about your proposed market research plan, it is also imperative for you to make sure that the document is understandable, well-defined, and clear. You may also see security proposal examples .

3. Know the basics of market research proposal organization. There are different kinds of structures that you can look into so that your market research proposal can look cohesive and well put together.

The structure of the document should depend on the length of your discussion, the details that you will incorporate in your market research undertakings, and the key factors that you need to give focus and highlight on when presenting the complexity of the market research. You may also like budget proposal examples .

It will rather be more efficient for you if you plan to use references like templates and examples while preparing your market research proposal.

Maximize the help that you can get from the downloadable examples in this post as well as the related discussion that we have presented. Always ensure that there is an organization in the procedures of market research proposal development so you can be well-guided in terms of getting the output that you would like to have for your market research undertaking.

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Free Market Research Proposal Template That Wins Clients

Do you want a completely editable market research proposal template that brought more than $133 million in sales to companies worldwide in 2023 alone? Add, delete, or change sections as you see fit, make it your own, and improve your market outreach fast and easy.

Market Research Proposal Template Slide 1

A look at everything in this Market Research Proposal Template

Stunning cover.

The first thing your client sees when your proposal shows up in their inbox is a nicely designed cover. As a business owner, you understand how hard it is to gain the client's attention, so the goal is to start the proposal with an attention-grabbing image.

You can change everything, from the text, logo, and background image to make it a better fit for your needs.

Pre-written introduction section

There is no better way to explain your market research plan to your potential clients than with our pre-written introduction section. It consists of a meeting summary, proposed research that includes everything from social media to focus groups, and a structured breakdown of your services. You just need to add a few client specifics and that's it.

Like everything else in this sample proposal, it's 100% editable - the colors, the text, images, layout - everything.

Processes and timelines

Explaining to the client the structure of each of the market research methodologies you are going to use can be difficult. You want to give enough detail about your data collection methods and how you generally conduct market research but not so much it seems overwhelming.

Fortunately, we created a plan of action already sectioned to fit the amount of information needed to design a perfect proposal. Just make a few adjustments to suit your exact process.

Case study example

A client success story is a powerful tool in convincing your clients to close the deal. It gives you the perfect opportunity to show them that you understand their goals and objectives and have a way to make them come true. In this market research proposal template, we've set out an example case study.

All you need to do is replace our example with one of yours and use the structure we've used.

No matter if your pricing strategy includes charging hourly, monthly, or optional up-sell services, like special images and videos, you can do it all with this automatically calculated pricing table. The final steps are simple - just enter your numbers and a short description, and both your market research proposal and quotes are ready for your client's eyes.

Next steps with digital signing

Any business will eventually be tested in handling increased customer traffic. Lessen the strain of paperwork by choosing a digital signature over traditional mail. The 'Next steps' tab will allow you to explain your process after signing and offer a line for the customer to give their electronic consent.

Our digital signatures are legal and compliant. When your client signs, you can see their digital signature certificate in your Better Proposals account.

Pre-written contract

Whether you're just starting a company or you're a seasoned professional, Terms and Conditions will probably slip your mind when you're discussing some new market research projects. To ensure your business is still protected, we have added fully customizable T&Cs at the end of this template.

Take payments from your clients

Getting paid - it's the hardest thing to do in business. The sooner and the easier you can get that money in your account, the better.

Using our integrations with Stripe, PayPal, and GoCardless, you can take a payment from your client the moment they sign your proposal.

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150+ other free proposal templates just like these are also available inside Better Proposals

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Market Research Proposal Template

Capture clients' interest with this well-crafted Market Research Proposal Template – demonstrate research approach, expert knowledge, and potential results.

About this template

Secure more market research projects with our Market Research Proposal Template. Designed to showcase your research methodologies, expertise, and success stories, this visually engaging template demonstrates your capabilities and helps you win more business.

Capture the attention of potential clients by highlighting your unique approach to market research and the valuable insights you provide. Our Market Research Proposal Template is tailored to present the best of your research offerings, driving increased interest and bookings for your services.

What's included?

Executive summary
Timeline and costs

What is a Market Research Proposal?

A Market Research Proposal is a strategic document outlining the objectives, methodologies, timeline, and budget of a proposed research project. It's crucial in securing stakeholders' support by clearly communicating the project's value. Utilizing a proposal management system streamlines the creation and management of such proposals, ensuring efficiency, accuracy, and consistency in presenting the project's details and objectives to stakeholders.

Market research is vital for understanding target audiences and their preferences, uncovering new opportunities, and improving existing products or services.

Key elements in a proposal include clear research objectives, appropriate methodologies like surveys or interviews, a realistic timeline, and a well-planned budget covering all stages of the project. This essential document helps businesses efficiently conduct market research within their financial constraints.

When should you use a Market Research Proposal?

A Market Research Proposal is crucial when introducing a research project to stakeholders. It enhances the likelihood of securing internal funding or client approval. This proposal outlines the research's objectives, methodologies, expected outcomes, timeline, and budget.

Market research, a critical part of business strategy, provides insights into customers, competitors, and market trends. Your proposal should be tailored to meet stakeholder needs, focusing on the potential benefits for the company or how it can help external stakeholders achieve their goals.

Benefits of using Qwilr's Market Research Proposal Template?

Qwilr's Market Research Proposal Template offers several benefits that enhance your proposal creation process:

User-Friendly : The template is designed to be simple and intuitive. You don't need advanced design skills to build an impressive, professional proposal.
Customizable : You can tailor the template to meet your specific needs, including adding or removing sections, changing the color scheme and fonts, and uploading your company logos or images.
Real-Time Collaboration : The platform allows for synchronous collaboration. You and your team can edit, comment, and fine-tune the proposal together, streamlining the process.
Engagement Tracking : Qwilr provides analytics on proposal engagement, alerting you when someone views your proposal and how long they spend on each section.
Responsive Design : With its adaptive design, your proposal will display correctly and attractively on any device, enhancing the user experience.

How do you use Qwilr's Market Research Proposal Template?

Here's a quick video overview of how to get started with this template:

Using Qwilr's Market Research Proposal Template is easy. To begin, simply select the template from the Qwilr library and customize it to match your needs. Add your business information, project objectives, and timeline for completion. You can also add visuals such as graphs or images that will help illustrate the proposal's key points. Once you're finished, share, and track engagement with your team or external clients.

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Establish your brand settings once and automatically apply to every piece of collateral.

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Add Calendly links, videos, surveys, Looms, GIFs and more to every page.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you write a market research proposal.

When writing a market research proposal:

Start with an overview of the project's objective, methods, timeline, and budget.
Describe the target market and research methodology, including the sampling method, sample size, data collection tool, and survey questions.
Address potential limitations and provide a timeline for completion.
Outline the budget and provide a breakdown of the cost estimate.

What are the components of market research proposal?

The components of a market research proposal include an overview of the project's objective, methods, timeline, and budget, as well as the target market and research methodology, a description of potential limitations, and a budget breakdown.

How do you create a market research proposal in Qwilr?

To create a market research proposal in Qwilr, select the Market Research Proposal Template and customize it to match your needs.

Add your business information, project objectives, and timeline for completion. You can also add visuals such as graphs or images that will help illustrate the proposal's key points.

Finally, share and track engagement with your team or clients.

How do you price a market research project?

To price a market research project, consider factors such as complexity, time, and manpower needed to carry out the research.

As a rule of thumb, pricing should be commensurate with the project's scope and level of effort.

It's also a good idea to evaluate the competition pricing to ensure you remain competitive without undercutting your work's value.

What makes an effective market research proposal?

An effective market research proposal clearly outlines the objective of the project, the research methodology, and the budget.

Detailed graphics and visual aids can help illustrate key points and make the proposal easier to understand. Additionally, a clear timeline for completion and potential limitations should be addressed.

Finally, it should be presented in a professional and visually-appealing format that can be easily shared and tracked.

Free Marketing Research Proposal Template

Fully editable with custom branding and templated offering.

Bonsai has helped create 1,023,928 documents and counting.

What is a Marketing research proposal?

A marketing research proposal is a document designed to sell your services by showing potential clients the research that you will carry out for their project. Whether you’re a freelance marketing consultant or you have your own marketing agency, a market research proposal will cover what research needs to be done, how you’ll go about it, and why they should choose you for the project.

A proposal is typically one of the first points of contact that you have with an organization. Therefore, it’s a chance to make a strong first impression.

Note: Sign up now to get your free marketing research proposal template that will make yours stand out for all the right reasons.

What to include in the Marketing research proposal

A market research proposal will outline your market research plan and each critical step you need to take to perform the necessary research. It usually consists of three parts.

Introduction: This includes project objectives and scope, target market, and methodology, including data collection methods.
Discussion: This covers existing knowledge of the market, case studies or competitor analysis, a project timeline, proposed budget, deliverables, and ethical considerations. ‍
Summary: This concludes what you expect to achieve from the market research, how it will support the initial objectives, and why your company is the best for the job.

Introduction

At the top of any market research proposal template should be the title of your document followed by who it has been written by and who it’s for. You can also include both company addresses here if you wish.

Proceed to outline the project description and the purpose of performing the market research. What are you trying to achieve? Why is this research needed? Who will be conducting it? What problem are you trying to solve for the client?

You should also include a methodology section in your introduction. The research methodology should dive into what primary and secondary research will be conducted, how data will be collected, and the expected outcomes. As a freelance researcher, you’ll already know this, but it’s worth covering what’s included in each to the client:

Primary research is research that you carry out yourself in the form of two research methods: qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative research relies on first-hand observation from things like interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups. Quantitative research, on the other hand, relies on the collection and analysis of data from an online survey and polls.
Secondary research is research that has already been published and comes from secondary sources. This may include academic literature, print publications, and online studies.

It’s important to give an overview of your target audience in your methodology too.

For instance, if your client is trying to determine whether it’s a good time to launch a new product, your methodology in your market research proposal would explain how you plan to arrange a focus group with their target audience of females aged 16-24. Being present in the meeting, asking the right questions, and making notes to refer to later on would confirm whether the prospective product could be useful and — ultimately — successful.

The discussion section of your marketing research proposal is typically the meatiest. It’s where you should demonstrate what you already know about the industry and company, while getting into the finer details of the market research project.

Existing Industry Knowledge: Prospective clients are likely going to want to hire someone who knows what they’re talking about. Right? Demonstrate that’s you by discussing the market and how it’s being affected in terms of the PEST analysis (politically, economically, socioculturally, and technologically). You can also cover case studies or a competitor analysis of companies that have already undertaken the same research and achieved similar goals.
Timeline: For the research items that you listed in your methodology, include time frames of when each one will be conducted. You don’t have to be super precise here — it’s more about giving your client a realistic idea of the timings of key project milestones. However, exact details can be tweaked and laid out in a marketing research contract once your proposal and project quote has been approved.
Proposed Budget: Any market research proposal template has to include a budgeting section. This is where you would break down how much you expect the research to cost, while offsetting it with how the client can make the most out of their investment. Just like with the timeline, the information doesn’t have to be exact at this stage. It’s more a rough estimate to ensure that the project expectations of both parties align.
Deliverables: This section should answer any questions that a prospective client may have on the general organization of the project. In other words, it should tell them how you plan to present the research and its findings, whether it’s in the form of a one-off report, series of meetings, or collaborative Google Docs. You may choose to hand-deliver a printed copy of your findings or email through a PDF file. Either way, this section is a significant part of a market research proposal as the findings taken from the document need to be actionable by the marketing team.
Ethical Considerations: This part of the market research proposal should outline any ethical issues that may arise throughout the course of your research, from conflicts of interest to concerns about supplier relationships. It should also cover how you plan to deal with participants, data gathering, and privacy issues before the project has even begun.

For example, you may write something like the following: “Each participant will be told that their input in this research is voluntary. They will be provided with a form to assure them that their data will remain confidential for the purposes of this research and won’t be used by third parties. They must sign this form in person or we can accept digital signatures to consent to these terms.”

The summary tends to be the shortest section of your market research proposal. It’s where you would refer back to the initial project objectives and conclude the desired outcomes from the market research.

It’s a good idea to end on a punchy note by describing why your potential client should become an actual client.

What can your company offer to this project that no other company can?
Why are you the perfect person or team to perform the research?
What makes this proposal unique?

Don’t lose sight of the fact that you’re trying to convince somebody (or some people) of your value. You want them to take action after reading your proposal, which is why you should include a compelling Call-To-Action (CTA). Let them know what the next steps entail, and how to take them.

How to write a Marketing research proposal

The truth is, it’s difficult to draft a market research proposal without some key information from your prospective client.

To gather all of the details you need to create a winning marketing research proposal, follow the below steps.

Find out exactly what the client wants to achieve

During your initial email or phone discussion, ask your client what they want to get out of the research. Are they rebranding and want to redefine their target market? Or are they testing out a new product with a small group of people before unleashing it to the masses?

Either way, it’s useful to know their final goals so that you can start to make a plan on how to help them achieve them.

Discuss the finer details

Alongside your prospective client’s research objectives, you need to find out more details in terms of their:

Target demographics
Project deadline
Project budget

You should also ask them if there’s any other key information that they would like you to include in the market research proposal. This will ensure that you have everything you need upfront without having to make extensive edits later on.

Figure out what sets you apart

Keep in mind that you haven’t been awarded the job yet. A work proposal is essentially a sales document — it almost serves as a resume before the client decides that you’re the ideal person to hire.

As such, do some company research to put you ahead of your competition. Is there a link you can make with the company based on your background and interests? Why should they care about you? What do you offer that no one else does?

Be sure to feature all of this information in your market researching proposal, and don’t be afraid of highlighting your strengths and wins.

Creating a Marketing research proposal is simple with Bonsai

There's plenty to think about when conducting marketing research, which is why you can make life a little simpler with Bonsai. Bonsai's all-in-one tool for small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs streamlines administrative tasks and covers all bases when it comes to proposals, contracts, and invoices.

You can find a template specific to market research and edit it to meet your needs in minutes. Then all you have to do is send it off to your client, which you can do without even leaving the platform. Talk about a time- and energy-saver!

The marketing research proposal template is professional and refined in structure. This provides clarity to your potential client by laying out exactly what you can do for them within their timeline and budget.

Simply enter your information, sit back, and be prepared to wow your prospective client so much that they hire you on the spot.

Note : Sign up for free and get started!

Marketing research proposal FAQs

How long should a marketing research proposal be.

A market research proposal should be concise and fluff-free. It should cover all the obligatory information without dragging it out. After all, prospective clients are busy reviewing other proposals and working on further aspects of their business.

The perfect length is between 1-2 pages, but try to ensure that it’s no more than 3.

What should the tone and writing style of a marketing research proposal be?

Because your market research proposal is only a couple of pages long, the writing style should be clear and easy to read. The language should be simple, everyday, and familiar, using short sentences that get to the point and won’t clutter up the document.

The tone of your plan should be informative and position you as the expert to leave a positive, long-lasting impression on your prospective client.

What is the main purpose of marketing research?

Marketing research aims to investigate and assess how certain factors influence consumer behavior. This provides key insights that are relevant to decision making.

Marketing research can identify new business opportunities and avoid business failures. That said, above all, it can be used to inform a company’s marketing strategy to help them achieve their business goals.

Free Marketing Research Proposal Template

How do you write a marketing research proposal?

What is market research and examples, what is research proposal template.

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A market research plan, similar to a brief, is a vital document that details important information about your market research project. Though it is often an overlooked step of the market research process , an effective plan is often a critical factor in determining whether or not your market research efforts are successful.

Why? Because a well-thought through plan, more so than objectives alone, can be a vital instrument in focusing your investment. It ensures you know, ahead of the commencement date, the timeline, budget and desired outcomes from the project. It can even be used as a tool for receiving quicker sign-off from management when embarking on a new venture.

But it’s also important to remember that the research plan is not just for your team. To make full use of this document, it should be written in a way that can be distributed to agency partners as well – ensuring that your insight team and specialist partners are all working towards the same goal.

Tips for Crafting a Successful Plan

The first rule of writing a successful market research plan is to keep it short. The perfect length is between 1-2 pages, but as an absolute maximum try to ensure that it never exceeds 3. This will give you enough space to explain the background, scope and practicalities of the project while ensuring it is concise enough to be read in full. Throughout these few short pages, the tone of your plan should be informative. Remember that you are outlining information that you already know.

Write in a way that holistically encompasses all aspects of the project. Throughout the duration of your scripting, data collection, analysis and reporting stages of your project you should always be referring back to this document in order to remain focused. As any researcher knows, one of the biggest challenges in any research project is staying true to your original objectives.

With both exploratory and confirmatory research alike, new information is likely to arise which may spark other ideas or bring light to previously unknown issues. Remember these, but set them aside for further investigation at a later date. Travelling too far down the rabbit hole is the quickest way to overspend and under deliver on your original goal.

The 10 Elements of the Best Research Plans

First, let me preface this with a reminder: every project is different. A long term co-creation community will have different needs and requirements to a customer feedback survey or ad testing project. However, despite this – it is important to give equal consideration to all projects, and plan each with the same high degree of meticulous care. With this in mind, these are the 10 key aspects we recommend that all research plans should include:

1. Overview

Use this first section to outline the background to the problem that you are attempting to solve. Include background information on the business to provide context, as well as the circumstances that have led to the need for research. Overviews should be limited to 200 words at most, with most of the word count dedicated to the business circumstances & challenges surrounding the research.

2. Objectives

Arguably the most important aspect of the entire document, objectives should be in bullet point format. List 3-5 of the decisions or initiatives that the research will inform – this will become the remit of the project. Below are a few examples of both well and poorly written objectives:

Well written research objectives:

Understand the channels in which our customers are most comfortable shopping, in order to decide which should be prioritised in the 2017 Q1 budget
Develop an active co-creation community that contributes 2 user-generated product improvements for testing to the R & D team per month
Learn what is leading to an increase in customer churn so that a new retention strategy can be put in place within 12 weeks

Poorly written research objectives:

Survey 1,000 potential customers to find out how our products can be improved
Develop a panel of employees that are able to provide answers to research questions on an ad-hoc basis
Learn how our company is perceived in comparison to competitors and how we can stand out in the marketplace

3. Deliverable outcomes

This section acts as a list what you expect to be produced at the end of the project. This can include, but is not limited to: a target number of responses you expect to receive, descriptions of how the data should be presented and the extent to which the data will be used to inform future decisions. In long term projects such as panels or communities, this may include a target for the amount of decisions that research is expected to inform and/or a pipeline for new ideas in exploratory studies.

4. Target audience

Different to sample, your target audience describes the population that you wish to research. This can be defined by a number of factors depending on the nature of your project. Some of the most common include: demographics, psychographics, life stages and company/ product interaction.

5. Sample plan

The sample plan should be used to indicate the amount of participants you wish to research, as well as a breakdown of each group. This will be affected by the choice to use qualitative, quantitative or multi-method approaches, as well as the estimated size of the target population.

6. Research Methods

List the different research methods that you plan to use in your project. This will be used by your team and agency partners to ensure that the insight you need comes from the most appropriate tools. Be sure to include any non-traditional methods you plan to use as well – it’s important that your team are aware of how data will be captured, even if it is being gathered by an experimental technique.

7. Timeline

These usually take the form of a Gantt chart, but can vary depending on the scope and length of your project. Try to break down tasks as much as possible but be wary of dependencies within your chart. Be sure to schedule enough time in case some research tasks over-run or response rates are lower than expected.

Perhaps the most dreaded aspect of any research plan, budgeting is never easy. But by providing a breakdown of costs and outlining which elements of the project require most investment, a well-planned budget can be a benefit rather than a hurdle.

9 & 10. Ethical and Further considerations

Finally, you should outline any ethical/ other considerations or issues that may arise throughout the course of your project. Whether these are as simple as a conflict of interest or a concern about supplier relationships – this is your chance to address any problems that may arise before they do.

Free Market Research Plan Template

Use this link to download our free market research plan template . The template comes complete with each of the sections outlined above, with instructions on usage and tips on how to make the most out of it. Currently available in .docx format, please email [email protected] if you have any problems with the download.

What do you believe should be included in a successful market research plan? Share your advice with us in the comments below and join the conversation.

About FlexMR

We are The Insights Empowerment Company. We help research, product and marketing teams drive informed decisions with efficient, scalable & impactful insight.

About Chris Martin

Chris is an experienced executive and marketing strategist in the insight and technology sectors. He also hosts our MRX Lab podcast.

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How to Write Effective Marketing Research Proposals

Table of Contents

Are you struggling to write effective marketing research proposals that will leave a lasting impression? Are you unsure how to structure your ideas and approach in a way that resonates with clients?

If so, then this article is for you! Here, we’ll provide step-by-step guidance on how to write marketing research proposal templates that get results.

We’ll also explore key tips used to create winning bids. Whether you’re an experienced market researcher or starting out, these tips will help you produce convincing proposals that deliver excellent outcomes.

What is a Marketing Research Proposal?

Market research proposals are documents that sell your services to potential clients. It aims to educate them about what they can accomplish by hiring you to complete their projects or research .

It typically outlines the research project’s objectives, methods, costs, timeline, and expected results.

Key Elements of Marketing Research Proposal

A summary outlines the purpose and objectives of the proposed marketing research project. It should provide an overview of what will be investigated, as well as how this knowledge can benefit the organization.

This section lists what information needs to be gathered from the research study and why it is needed. These should focus on gaining insight into customer behaviour, attitudes, or preferences that can help inform decisions made by the company.

Targets refer to the target audience who will participate in the research. This includes criteria like age group, gender, profession, and other demographic characteristics relevant to the topic being studied.

Methodology

The methodology defines the methods and techniques used to collect data during the research process. This may involve interviews, surveys, focus groups, field experiments, and so on, depending on the study’s scope.

A timeline provides a realistic schedule for carrying out the project. It should identify when each phase begins and ends while addressing potential roadblocks or delays.

Proposed Budget

A proposed budget outlines the estimated costs of conducting the research study. This ensures sufficient resources are available to cover all expenses for successfully carrying out the project.

white printing paper with Marketing Strategy text

How to Write Marketing Research Proposal Templates

Get to know the client..

You might already have written audience personas available that can help you shape your proposal’s tone, language, plan, or other components. If not, it’s best to start researching the client’s target audience, industry, products/services, keywords or topics, and other relevant details.

It also helps to ask about the client’s pain points so you can better address them.

Knowing their main pain points gives you an idea of how to market your products or services as the best solution for their problems. Consider how your experience, expertise, and background can benefit them.

List the scope of work.

Include a scope of work section in your marketing proposal , which describes all the services you plan to provide the client. It should fulfill marketing tasks that clients do not have enough time or resources to accomplish.

For example, the Scope of Work for a social media marketing proposal may outline the following tasks:

Creating a content calendar
Uploading or automating posts
Analyzing social metrics.

Provide timelines for deliverables.

Based on the scope of work outlined, provide estimated time frames for each deliverable associated with the project. This will help keep track of progress throughout its development and establish expectations between both parties involved.

Include costs and terms.

Include a cost breakdown in your proposal and any applicable terms or conditions. Explain what they are paying for and how much they will be charged, so there are no misunderstandings later down the line. This section can include the following:

Pay rate (by milestone, week, and so on.) or pricing strategy (flat or hourly rate)
Payment requirements (deposit required before project start, full payment due upon completion, and so on)
Work location (on-site or remote)
Any warranties you may provide
Situations that warrant the termination of a contract

Show how you plan to measure results.

Demonstrate how you plan to measure the effectiveness of the research once it has been completed. Present strategies for tracking key performance indicators such as response rates, ROI, sales numbers, and so on. This will make potential clients more confident that you know what you’re doing.

A well-constructed, persuasive marketing research proposal is essential to attracting and acquiring new clients. It should provide relevant details about your research goals and highlight what clients can gain from working with you.

With the help of these steps on how to write marketing research proposal , you should have no trouble getting started. Now get out there and start putting together those winning research proposals!

How to Write Effective Marketing Research Proposals

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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What (Exactly) Is A Research Proposal?

A simple explainer with examples + free template.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020 (Updated April 2023)

Whether you’re nearing the end of your degree and your dissertation is on the horizon, or you’re planning to apply for a PhD program, chances are you’ll need to craft a convincing research proposal . If you’re on this page, you’re probably unsure exactly what the research proposal is all about. Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Overview: Research Proposal Basics

What a research proposal is
What a research proposal needs to cover
How to structure your research proposal
Example /sample proposals
Proposal writing FAQs
Key takeaways & additional resources

What is a research proposal?

Simply put, a research proposal is a structured, formal document that explains what you plan to research (your research topic), why it’s worth researching (your justification), and how you plan to investigate it (your methodology).

The purpose of the research proposal (its job, so to speak) is to convince your research supervisor, committee or university that your research is suitable (for the requirements of the degree program) and manageable (given the time and resource constraints you will face).

The most important word here is “ convince ” – in other words, your research proposal needs to sell your research idea (to whoever is going to approve it). If it doesn’t convince them (of its suitability and manageability), you’ll need to revise and resubmit . This will cost you valuable time, which will either delay the start of your research or eat into its time allowance (which is bad news).

A research proposal is a formal document that explains what you plan to research , why it's worth researching and how you'll do it.

What goes into a research proposal?

A good dissertation or thesis proposal needs to cover the “ what “, “ why ” and” how ” of the proposed study. Let’s look at each of these attributes in a little more detail:

Your proposal needs to clearly articulate your research topic . This needs to be specific and unambiguous . Your research topic should make it clear exactly what you plan to research and in what context. Here’s an example of a well-articulated research topic:

An investigation into the factors which impact female Generation Y consumer’s likelihood to promote a specific makeup brand to their peers: a British context

As you can see, this topic is extremely clear. From this one line we can see exactly:

What’s being investigated – factors that make people promote or advocate for a brand of a specific makeup brand
Who it involves – female Gen-Y consumers
In what context – the United Kingdom

So, make sure that your research proposal provides a detailed explanation of your research topic . If possible, also briefly outline your research aims and objectives , and perhaps even your research questions (although in some cases you’ll only develop these at a later stage). Needless to say, don’t start writing your proposal until you have a clear topic in mind , or you’ll end up waffling and your research proposal will suffer as a result of this.

Need a helping hand?

As we touched on earlier, it’s not good enough to simply propose a research topic – you need to justify why your topic is original . In other words, what makes it unique ? What gap in the current literature does it fill? If it’s simply a rehash of the existing research, it’s probably not going to get approval – it needs to be fresh.

But, originality alone is not enough. Once you’ve ticked that box, you also need to justify why your proposed topic is important . In other words, what value will it add to the world if you achieve your research aims?

As an example, let’s look at the sample research topic we mentioned earlier (factors impacting brand advocacy). In this case, if the research could uncover relevant factors, these findings would be very useful to marketers in the cosmetics industry, and would, therefore, have commercial value . That is a clear justification for the research.

So, when you’re crafting your research proposal, remember that it’s not enough for a topic to simply be unique. It needs to be useful and value-creating – and you need to convey that value in your proposal. If you’re struggling to find a research topic that makes the cut, watch our video covering how to find a research topic .

Free Webinar: How To Write A Research Proposal

It’s all good and well to have a great topic that’s original and valuable, but you’re not going to convince anyone to approve it without discussing the practicalities – in other words:

How will you actually undertake your research (i.e., your methodology)?
Is your research methodology appropriate given your research aims?
Is your approach manageable given your constraints (time, money, etc.)?

While it’s generally not expected that you’ll have a fully fleshed-out methodology at the proposal stage, you’ll likely still need to provide a high-level overview of your research methodology . Here are some important questions you’ll need to address in your research proposal:

Will you take a qualitative , quantitative or mixed -method approach?
What sampling strategy will you adopt?
How will you collect your data (e.g., interviews, surveys, etc)?
How will you analyse your data (e.g., descriptive and inferential statistics , content analysis, discourse analysis, etc, .)?
What potential limitations will your methodology carry?

So, be sure to give some thought to the practicalities of your research and have at least a basic methodological plan before you start writing up your proposal. If this all sounds rather intimidating, the video below provides a good introduction to research methodology and the key choices you’ll need to make.

How To Structure A Research Proposal

Now that we’ve covered the key points that need to be addressed in a proposal, you may be wondering, “ But how is a research proposal structured? “.

While the exact structure and format required for a research proposal differs from university to university, there are four “essential ingredients” that commonly make up the structure of a research proposal:

A rich introduction and background to the proposed research
An initial literature review covering the existing research
An overview of the proposed research methodology
A discussion regarding the practicalities (project plans, timelines, etc.)

In the video below, we unpack each of these four sections, step by step.

Research Proposal Examples/Samples

In the video below, we provide a detailed walkthrough of two successful research proposals (Master’s and PhD-level), as well as our popular free proposal template.

Proposal Writing FAQs

How long should a research proposal be.

This varies tremendously, depending on the university, the field of study (e.g., social sciences vs natural sciences), and the level of the degree (e.g. undergraduate, Masters or PhD) – so it’s always best to check with your university what their specific requirements are before you start planning your proposal.

As a rough guide, a formal research proposal at Masters-level often ranges between 2000-3000 words, while a PhD-level proposal can be far more detailed, ranging from 5000-8000 words. In some cases, a rough outline of the topic is all that’s needed, while in other cases, universities expect a very detailed proposal that essentially forms the first three chapters of the dissertation or thesis.

The takeaway – be sure to check with your institution before you start writing.

How do I choose a topic for my research proposal?

Finding a good research topic is a process that involves multiple steps. We cover the topic ideation process in this video post.

How do I write a literature review for my proposal?

While you typically won’t need a comprehensive literature review at the proposal stage, you still need to demonstrate that you’re familiar with the key literature and are able to synthesise it. We explain the literature review process here.

How do I create a timeline and budget for my proposal?

We explain how to craft a project plan/timeline and budget in Research Proposal Bootcamp .

Which referencing format should I use in my research proposal?

The expectations and requirements regarding formatting and referencing vary from institution to institution. Therefore, you’ll need to check this information with your university.

What common proposal writing mistakes do I need to look out for?

We’ve create a video post about some of the most common mistakes students make when writing a proposal – you can access that here . If you’re short on time, here’s a quick summary:

The research topic is too broad (or just poorly articulated).
The research aims, objectives and questions don’t align.
The research topic is not well justified.
The study has a weak theoretical foundation.
The research design is not well articulated well enough.
Poor writing and sloppy presentation.
Poor project planning and risk management.
Not following the university’s specific criteria.

Key Takeaways & Additional Resources

As you write up your research proposal, remember the all-important core purpose: to convince . Your research proposal needs to sell your study in terms of suitability and viability. So, focus on crafting a convincing narrative to ensure a strong proposal.

At the same time, pay close attention to your university’s requirements. While we’ve covered the essentials here, every institution has its own set of expectations and it’s essential that you follow these to maximise your chances of approval.

By the way, we’ve got plenty more resources to help you fast-track your research proposal. Here are some of our most popular resources to get you started:

Proposal Writing 101 : A Introductory Webinar
Research Proposal Bootcamp : The Ultimate Online Course
Template : A basic template to help you craft your proposal

If you’re looking for 1-on-1 support with your research proposal, be sure to check out our private coaching service , where we hold your hand through the proposal development process (and the entire research journey), step by step.

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Research Proposal Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

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51 Comments

I truly enjoyed this video, as it was eye-opening to what I have to do in the preparation of preparing a Research proposal.

I would be interested in getting some coaching.

I real appreciate on your elaboration on how to develop research proposal,the video explains each steps clearly.

Thank you for the video. It really assisted me and my niece. I am a PhD candidate and she is an undergraduate student. It is at times, very difficult to guide a family member but with this video, my job is done.

In view of the above, I welcome more coaching.

Wonderful guidelines, thanks

This is very helpful. Would love to continue even as I prepare for starting my masters next year.

Thanks for the work done, the text was helpful to me

Bundle of thanks to you for the research proposal guide it was really good and useful if it is possible please send me the sample of research proposal

You’re most welcome. We don’t have any research proposals that we can share (the students own the intellectual property), but you might find our research proposal template useful: https://gradcoach.com/research-proposal-template/

Cheruiyot Moses Kipyegon

Thanks alot. It was an eye opener that came timely enough before my imminent proposal defense. Thanks, again

thank you very much your lesson is very interested may God be with you

I am an undergraduate student (First Degree) preparing to write my project,this video and explanation had shed more light to me thanks for your efforts keep it up.

Very useful. I am grateful.

this is a very a good guidance on research proposal, for sure i have learnt something

Wonderful guidelines for writing a research proposal, I am a student of m.phil( education), this guideline is suitable for me. Thanks

You’re welcome 🙂

Thank you, this was so helpful.

A really great and insightful video. It opened my eyes as to how to write a research paper. I would like to receive more guidance for writing my research paper from your esteemed faculty.

Thank you, great insights

Thank you, great insights, thank you so much, feeling edified

Wow thank you, great insights, thanks a lot

Thank you. This is a great insight. I am a student preparing for a PhD program. I am requested to write my Research Proposal as part of what I am required to submit before my unconditional admission. I am grateful having listened to this video which will go a long way in helping me to actually choose a topic of interest and not just any topic as well as to narrow down the topic and be specific about it. I indeed need more of this especially as am trying to choose a topic suitable for a DBA am about embarking on. Thank you once more. The video is indeed helpful.

Have learnt a lot just at the right time. Thank you so much.

thank you very much ,because have learn a lot things concerning research proposal and be blessed u for your time that you providing to help us

Hi. For my MSc medical education research, please evaluate this topic for me: Training Needs Assessment of Faculty in Medical Training Institutions in Kericho and Bomet Counties

I have really learnt a lot based on research proposal and it’s formulation

Thank you. I learn much from the proposal since it is applied

Your effort is much appreciated – you have good articulation.

You have good articulation.

I do applaud your simplified method of explaining the subject matter, which indeed has broaden my understanding of the subject matter. Definitely this would enable me writing a sellable research proposal.

This really helping

Great! I liked your tutoring on how to find a research topic and how to write a research proposal. Precise and concise. Thank you very much. Will certainly share this with my students. Research made simple indeed.

Thank you very much. I an now assist my students effectively.

Thank you very much. I can now assist my students effectively.

I need any research proposal

Thank you for these videos. I will need chapter by chapter assistance in writing my MSc dissertation

Very helpfull

the videos are very good and straight forward

thanks so much for this wonderful presentations, i really enjoyed it to the fullest wish to learn more from you

Thank you very much. I learned a lot from your lecture.

I really enjoy the in-depth knowledge on research proposal you have given. me. You have indeed broaden my understanding and skills. Thank you

interesting session this has equipped me with knowledge as i head for exams in an hour’s time, am sure i get A++

This article was most informative and easy to understand. I now have a good idea of how to write my research proposal.

Thank you very much.

Wow, this literature is very resourceful and interesting to read. I enjoyed it and I intend reading it every now then.

Thank you for the clarity

Thank you. Very helpful.

Thank you very much for this essential piece. I need 1o1 coaching, unfortunately, your service is not available in my country. Anyways, a very important eye-opener. I really enjoyed it. A thumb up to Gradcoach

What is JAM? Please explain.

Thank you so much for these videos. They are extremely helpful! God bless!

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thank you for the video but i need a written example

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Writing a Great Marketing Research Proposal: Outline to Completion

Market research proposals aren’t as simple as they may seem. Maybe you’re struggling to write your market research proposal , or simply want to make your proposal become even stronger.

Content marketing , especially for a freelancer, can be broken down into a digestible science, and there are several components that will make your market research proposal truly great.

As long as your proposal includes these four elements at the very least, consider yourself good to go.

Not sure how to write them? We’ll break down everything you could possibly need to make your market research proposal great.

How to Structure your Marketing Proposal

A marketing proposal has many different components that need to be considered regardless of the goals. From your proposal, a client needs to understand:

What are the goals and objectives of the engagement?
What work is going to be done?
When is everything going to be done?
How much is it going to cost?

In this guide, we’ll cover all of these different facets of a marketing services or marketing research proposal outline and what you should be thinking about when putting together a proposal that will close.

Overview & Goals

Take the time to truly understand what your client is looking for and how you’re able to support them. Get to the specifics of what they’re trying to accomplish.

Think about what you hope to gain from your research, and furthermore, determine why this research is important. Who does it impact? Why are you the perfect person to conduct this project?

In marketing, your goals could also include increasing brand visibility, increasing conversions, average order value, or overall revenue. Regardless of the goals, make sure you outline what you’re working toward as it will set up the rest of the pitch.

Scope of Work

Marketing is incredibly broad and can encompass many different areas. From digital marketing to traditional marketing, there are many different components of what you can work on. Highlight the main areas that you plan on executing.

The options below are only a few examples of what may be included within your digital marketing proposal. Whatever you decide to include within your scope, make sure that everything aligns back to your goals.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is one area that may be included in your marketing proposal. Determine which of your skillsets will best meet the client’s goals. Some examples of digital marketing areas may include SEO, PPC, social media, web design, and online content.

Outline whether you’ll be working on creating strategies or executing specific tactics. The scope of work is where you get as specific as possible on what you’ll be doing .

Traditional Marketing

If your client is less focused on online strategies, you can include different traditional marketing activities. These range from print media to billboards, trade shows, referrals, and partnerships.

These are less common marketing activities, but should still be considered depending on your client and their audience.

For Research, Provide Specifics of Your Approach

You may think that you’ve already covered your approach within the objective element, and you might be right. However, you want to have a separate section of your market research proposal within your SOW dedicated to the approach so that you can really hammer out the details.

Address items such as:

What will be your specific methods of conducting research?
Will you have focus groups? If so, how many?
How many team members will you need, or can you do this alone?

Determine precisely what you’ll need and how you’ll be conducting it. The more specific you are, the more likely the client will be to hire you. They need someone to fit their needs, just as you need someone to fit yours. Address the tiniest of details here so both sides can determine a good fit.

Once you know what you’re going to be pitching, the next step is determining a timeline. Some clients will come to you with a timeframe that they want, but other times you’ll need to provide a timeline of your own.

Be realistic about the amount of time something will take because this is your first step in building trust with your client and your ability to manage expectations.

Presenting a timeline can look like a content calendar, a physical timeline that shows the different deliverables mapped out against a calendar to visually see the dates, or a simple timeframe that says an estimated amount of time each area will take.

Pricing & Fees

“When money talks, there are few interruptions,” Herbert V. Prochnow claimed .

The cost of performing market research will be a key part of your proposal. This is where your client will likely pay the most attention, which means you’ve got to reel them in. The cost element is imperative for crafting a great proposal.

You deserve to be paid for your work, there’s no question about that. However, it’s important to consider what will be the most cost-effective way for you to be paid. Do you want to be paid hourly, paid upfront, or in staggered deposits? All of these are viable options.

Tiered Pricing

The larger your scope is, the more it’s going to cost. If you know your client is price-conscientious, consider creating a tiered system to your scope. This can be structured in a “good, better, best” model of what you would recommend that would help accomplish the client’s goals.

Type of Engagement

When putting together the pricing, determine what type of engagement makes the most sense for you and your client. This may be a retainer agreement, an hourly cost, or a project-based fee. This will impact how you structure your payment and how much to charge your client.

Come up with your expense budget and know that part of this will be addressed in your objectives. Since your client will already be thinking about money, you can include this on the front page of your proposal, in your initial email, and so on.

Duration vs. Market Value

One large consideration when figuring out the pricing is thinking about how long the project will take to execute vs. how much the information is worth. Oftentimes clients will want to charge you a lower hourly rate but that doesn’t always account for the years of time you’ve spent building this expertise. Understand what the market rate for this type of work is and the potential ROI that it will bring the client.

One way of determining your rate is to consider your value as a full-time employee or the cost that it would be for them to hire a full-time employee for this type of role. Calculating this number backward can just give you additional information you can work off of.

Presenting Your Proposal

The more complicated your marketing proposal is, the more information you need to provide. The amount of information that’s included within the scope of work will influence how the proposal is delivered. This can be in a text format, presentation, or a simple email. It all depends on your client, your information, and what you think will close the deal.

If you’re looking for a simple template to create your proposal, we have you covered.

Send better proposals with Indy

Indy Proposals makes it easier than ever to send proposals that look great and help you get approval fast.

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A good market research brief helps agencies lead successful projects. Learn what to include and how to write a detailed brief with our template guide.

A market research brief is a client document outlining all the relevant information that a research agency needs to understand the client’s specific research needs to propose the most suitable course of action.

A clear, informed brief will ensure the market researcher can deliver the most effective research possible. It also streamlines the project by reducing the need for back and forth between your company and the researcher. A good brief will leave no confusion and provide a meaningful framework for you and the researcher, maximising the accuracy and reliability of insights collected.

Start your project faster with our market research brief template!

In this article, we’ve broken down the key components of a well-written brief, with examples. Using this template guide, you can confidently equip the researcher with the right information to deliver exemplary research for your next project.

Business Background/ Project Background

This section of the brief introduces your company to the market researcher, giving them a more informed overview of your brand, product/service, and target market. You should provide all available context to ensure you and the researcher are on the same page with the project.

Relevant information to add in this section includes: company details, company mission/vision, industry status and trends, market performance history, competitive context, any existing research.

Business Objectives/ Marketing Objectives

Your business objectives/marketing objectives should answer why you are being asked to conduct the research. The researcher should be able to grasp the existing problems/issues your company is looking to address in the research.

For example, this could involve sales, competition, customer satisfaction, or product innovation, to name a few.

Research Objectives

Research objectives address the specific questions you would like the research to cover, including what insights you wish to gain. This is where you should detail what actions your company is planning to take based on the research you are commissioning.

Your research objective is one of the most important elements of your brief, as it dictates how your study will be conducted and the quality of results.

Target Market

Who will this research focus on? This is where you should state respondents’ demographic and profiling information, along with any pre-existing segments you want to target. Be specific, but also be aware that the more restrictive the criteria are, the higher the sample cost will be. Extensive limitations are also realistically harder to meet.

For example:

Market: Canada
Sample size: 200 – 1000
Demographics: Household income of $150k and above a year
Markets: Malaysia (priority), Thailand, Singapore
Sample size: N=200 (Product Variant Selector) + N=500 (Conjoint)
Demographics: 16 – 50 years old
National representation: Age, gender and location
Target definition: Bought electronics online in the past 12 months
Reads on: 16 – 30-year olds vs. 31 – 50-year olds
Market: South America
Sample size: 1800
Target definition: Main and joint grocery buyers
5 target groups: Income, urban/rural, age, family status, shopping frequency (divide each into 3 subgroups, e.g. low, medium, high).

Action Standards/ Decision Rules

Action standards outline which criteria will determine the decisions you make following research. These should detail specific numerical scores and any company benchmarks which need to be met in your research results for decision-making to go ahead. Clear and detailed action standards will allow you to make decisions faster and more confidently following research.

Nestlé’s 60/40 action standard which prioritises preference and nutrition, by aiming “to make products that achieve at least 60% consumer taste preference with the added ‘plus’ of nutritional advantage”.

Pricing is seen as credible by at least 40% of the target market.

Product has at least 50% acceptance from the target market.

Methodology

You should only include methodology if you are certain of the approach you want to take. If you do not know which methodology you should use, leave this section blank for agency recommendations.

Monadic test : Monadic testing introduces survey respondents to individual concepts, products in isolation. It is usually used in studies where independent findings for each stimulus are required, unlike in comparison testing, where several stimuli are tested side-by-side. Each product/concept is displayed and evaluated separately, providing more accurate and meaningful results for specific items.

Discrete choice modelling : Sometimes referred to as choice-based conjoint, discrete choice is a more robust technique consistent with random utility theory and has been proven to simulate customers’ actual behaviour in the marketplace. The output on relative importance of attributes and value by level is aligned to the output from conjoint analysis (partworth analysis).

Qualitative research : Qualitative forms of research focus on non-numerical and unstructured data, such as participant observation, direct observation, unstructured interviews, and case studies.

Quantitative research : Numbers and measurable forms of data make up quantitative research, focusing on ‘how many’, ‘how often’, and ‘how much’, e.g. conjoint analysis , MaxDiff , Gabor-Granger , Van Westendorp .

Deliverables

Deliverables should clearly outline project expectations – both from your company and the agency. This should cover who is responsible for everything required to undertake research, including survey inputs and outputs, materials, reporting, reviewing, and any additional requirements.

PowerPoint presentation
Crosstabs of data
Raw datasets
Excel simulator
Online dashboard
“Typing tool” for future research

Timing and Cost

Timing covers the due dates for key milestones of your research project, most importantly, for your preliminary and final reports. Cost should include your project budget, along with any potential additional costs/constraints.

Contacts and Responsibilities

This section states all stakeholders involved in the project, their role and responsibilities, and their contact details. You should ensure that these are easy to locate on your brief, for quick reference by the agency and easier communication.

Ready-to-use market research brief template with examples

Start your research project faster and get better results. Using this template, you can confidently equip the researcher with the right information to deliver exemplary research for your next project.

Read these articles next:

What is turf analysis and when to use it.

TURF analysis (Total Unduplicated Reach and Frequency) is a statistical technique that ranks combinations of products by how many people will like these combinations.

Kellogg's vs. Kellanova: Which Do Consumers Prefer?

To assess the effectiveness of Kellogg's recent rebrand to Kellanova, the Business Name Evaluator and Logo Test surveys compare the business names and their logos to see which respondents preferred.

Van Westendorp PSM Excel Template

The Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter is used to determine the psychologically acceptable range of prices for a single product or service. Learn more about the method and its output with our free Excel template.

Which one are you?

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Market Research

The 5 steps of the market research process

Steps of the market research process.

Define the problem you’re trying to solve
Design your research process
Use software to collect data
Convert data into an insightful report
Take action based on your findings

Market research is a valuable tool that can help businesses better understand their prospects and customers. Regardless of industry or business size, these insights can be useful for determining the future direction of an organization.

Whether you’re considering launching a new product or service, targeting a new market segment, or entering a new geographic area, market research can guide your organization in making the right decisions and mitigating potential risk.

Follow a strategic market research process like the one below to ensure you get relevant data you can learn from.

1. Define the problem you’re trying to solve

The first step in the market research process is to clearly identify the problem you’re trying to solve or the opportunity you’re considering. “The market is segmented into different parts, and from that a target audience is fixed,” says Daniela Sawyer, the founder of FindPeopleFast , a SaaS platform. “The organization then creates a team to oversee the data collection.”

It’s also important to ask yourself what the objective of the market research is and what you want to get from it. For example, do you want to understand why your company is losing market share? Are you considering launching a new product line and wondering how your target audience will react to it? Consider the causes of the problems your organization is experiencing so you can focus the questions in that area.

By defining the results you want to achieve with your market research, you can more effectively determine the questions you need to ask and the way you need to ask them. For exploratory research — which is an effective way to garner answers to a specific problem — you may decide to conduct focus groups or in-depth interviews with key stakeholders.

If you want to know more details about a market segment (a form of descriptive research), surveys and personal interviews are most effective. To understand cause and effect relationships, a form of causal research is necessary, such as estimation and analysis.

2. Design your research process

Collecting data is the most important aspect of market research, notes Sawyer. It can help determine critical aspects of the business, such as product demand, brand value, and customer viewpoints.

Once you know what problem you’re trying to solve, the next step in the market research process is to develop the market research framework you plan to follow. To do that, you’ll need to determine whether you’re going to use primary research (data you collect yourself) or secondary research (data that a third party has collected) or a combination of the two.

The market research plan not only outlines how you’ll conduct the research but also how you’ll analyze the data once you’ve gathered it. Your market research plan should include the following information:

The main problem you’re trying to solve
A clear definition of the information you’re trying to gather
The method(s) you’ll use to gather data, such as surveys, feedback questionnaires, and user tests (Sawyer notes that effective ways to gather data also include direct interviews with the target audience.)
The questions you’ll ask in the market research process
The sample size of your market research or how many people you’ll include in your research
Who on your team will conduct the market research or whether you’ll outsource it to another organization
Who will analyze the data you collect and develop reports from the information you’ve gathered
Who will review the reports and act on the market research
The schedule for the entire market research process

Outlining these pieces ensures that the market research process runs smoothly — and that there’s a plan of action once you’ve gathered the data. Many organizations conduct market research but neglect to follow through. If you don’t analyze the findings and plan to address what you’ve discovered, the exercise of data collection will be useless.

3. Use software to collect data

To put your plan in place — especially if you’re conducting primary research — it’s vital to have the right software for the job.

For an end user, providing information should be easy. If your software isn’t user-friendly, you may not have many participants in your research, as they may get frustrated and stop answering questions.

From an organizational perspective, you should avoid using software that requires a lot of setup and configuration time. “Collecting accurate data is the biggest challenge,” says Sawyer. “It’s a very time- and effort-consuming process.” Often, organizations can’t keep up with data collection unless they have a tool that makes the process easy.

Jotform is the ideal tool for automating data collection because it’s easy to use, both from the business and consumer perspective.

Marketing teams can use the hundreds of available templates to quickly develop surveys and questionnaires. Each template is easily customizable, so you can tailor form fields to address the problem you’re trying to solve. Examples of templates include demographic surveys , questionnaire sheets, user experience surveys , and much more.

4. Convert data into an insightful report

Once you’ve gathered the data with easy-to-use software, it’s time to learn from it. The analysis process is critical to the market research process, as it helps organizations better understand their prospects and customers.

When conducting analyses, look for trends within the data — but be sure to leave any assumptions you had behind. It’s important to avoid applying your biases to the data you’ve collected. Write up a formal report that outlines the process you used and the findings you’ve gleaned so you can share it with the relevant stakeholders.

Jotform Report Builder is an effective tool for converting the data you’ve collected into beautiful visual reports. Whether your research involves polls , feedback forms , or prospect questionnaires , you can turn them into visual insights within seconds. Using attractive charts and graphs will make it easier to glean insights from your market research, so you’ll be better equipped to make solid business decisions.

The reports are easy to share with others using a link, or you can convert them to secure PDFs. And in just a few clicks, you can customize your market research reports with your own branding.

5. Take action based on your findings

“Market research determines the demand for any product in any particular region,” says Sawyer. “It also helps show the best way and time to launch a product.”

Unfortunately, many organizations never reach this last step of the market research process. Either they’re not able to analyze the data properly, or they simply don’t communicate their findings to decision-makers within the company.

Regardless, this is one of the most important steps because it leads to action. How will your organization apply the findings to shape the future of the business?

Keep in mind that the market shifts continuously, so the data you’ve gathered is valid only for a short period of time. If you wait too long to put your insights into action, they may no longer be relevant or helpful.

Always relate your findings to the original problem or opportunity you identified in the first step of this process. For example, if you wanted to know how prospects would feel about a price increase, consider whether you’ll increase your prices based on the data you’ve collected and if so, by how much. Will you increase them all at once or stagger the increases slowly over the course of a few weeks?

The market research process can help businesses illuminate opportunities, mitigate risks, and resolve problems before they become larger issues. Now that you know what the process looks like, you can get started right away to lead your organization in the right direction.

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Marketing Research Proposal Examples

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Market Research Proposal Template
A market research proposal is a document that sells your services to potential clients by showing them what they can accomplish by hiring you to complete their project or research study. It includes a summary, objectives, existing knowledge, intended outcomes, target demographics, data collection methods, a detailed research methodology, a ...
7 Components of a Market Research Proposal [+ Free Template]
A market research proposal is the first and most critical step in your project or choosing a market research consultant.. It gives you all of the information you need on the process, approach, and most importantly: the cost 💸💸. You can also tell a lot about a market research company from the interactions you have before signing on the dotted line.
How to Create a Market Research Proposal (+Template)
A market research proposal is a document that details the what, the where, the when and the how of market research and the information and costs associated with it. Learn the 11 steps to create a sound and compelling market research proposal, including the purpose, objectives, methods, analysis and results. Download a free template to use.
How To Write Market Research Proposal: Tips and Best Practices
Definition of terms. List the terms that will be used in the market research proposal. Make sure to define them properly. Market conditions. Give an overall picture of the current market conditions. Explain the industry's state and the competition level, as well as mention relevant economic or even political factors.
How to Write a Market Research Proposal
A market research proposal is an important first step in near all studies. Learn the five elements of a good proposal, such as overview, hypothesis, goals, methodology, and timeline. Find out how to organize your proposal with language and logic.
How to Write a Research Proposal
Research proposal examples. Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We've included a few for you below. Example research proposal #1: "A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Management" Example research proposal #2: "Medical Students as Mediators of ...
Free Marketing Research Proposal Template (Updated)
COLLECTION OF DATA. Use this section of the marketing research proposal to thoroughly describe all data collection methods which will be utilized in your research. The overall strategy can be addressed, as well as the individual data collection methods. For market research, these often include methods such as focus groups, surveys, social ...
How To Write A Winning Market Research Proposal
Learn the basics of a market research proposal, a document that maps out a company's future based on good research. Find out how to keep it brief, include a company overview, define the objective, explain the methodology, and list the expected outcomes.
Market Research Proposal Template
Market Research Playbook. This tool can be used alone, but it's also part of the comprehensive Market Research Playbook. It provides step-by-step planning guidance while also helping you utilize more than 25 downloadable tools from the popular AMA Marketer's Toolkit library. View PLAYBOOK. This tool is powered by Demand Metric. Join AMA.
Market Research Proposal Template
Companies that conduct market research and analysis can use our sample marketing research proposal template as an example of how to write a market research proposal, and as a guide when preparing survey proposals, data collection proposals, or business research. This template allows you to explain your methodology for gaining qualitative and ...
Market Research Proposal
Download. State the objectives, scope of work, research methodology, target market, and other such important information of your market research by downloading and using this above-shown research proposal example template. This ready-made template's content can be edited and customized in various file formats such as MS Word, Pages, Gooogle ...
Free Market Research Proposal Template That Wins Clients
Start sending high conversion proposals today. Join 10,000+ happy customers and enjoy a simpler, faster, and more professional way to win more business. Try it Free. This free market research proposal template is written for anyone that offers market research services. Use it to save time writing better proposals.
Market Research Proposal Template
A Market Research Proposal is a strategic document outlining the objectives, methodologies, timeline, and budget of a proposed research project. It's crucial in securing stakeholders' support by clearly communicating the project's value. Market research is vital for understanding target audiences and their preferences, uncovering new ...
Free Marketing Research Proposal Template
A market research proposal will outline your market research plan and each critical step you need to take to perform the necessary research. It usually consists of three parts. Introduction: This includes project objectives and scope, target market, and methodology, including data collection methods. Discussion: This covers existing knowledge ...
How to Write a Market Research Plan (+ Free Template)
Survey 1,000 potential customers to find out how our products can be improved. Develop a panel of employees that are able to provide answers to research questions on an ad-hoc basis. Learn how our company is perceived in comparison to competitors and how we can stand out in the marketplace. 3. Deliverable outcomes.
Research Proposal Example (PDF + Template)
Research Proposal Example/Sample. Detailed Walkthrough + Free Proposal Template. If you're getting started crafting your research proposal and are looking for a few examples of research proposals, you've come to the right place. In this video, we walk you through two successful (approved) research proposals, one for a Master's-level ...
How to Write Effective Marketing Research Proposals
What is a Marketing Research Proposal? Market research proposals are documents that sell your services to potential clients.It aims to educate them about what they can accomplish by hiring you to complete their projects or research. It typically outlines the research project's objectives, methods, costs, timeline, and expected results.
What Is A Research Proposal? Examples + Template
The purpose of the research proposal (its job, so to speak) is to convince your research supervisor, committee or university that your research is suitable (for the requirements of the degree program) and manageable (given the time and resource constraints you will face). The most important word here is "convince" - in other words, your ...
8 Research Proposal Examples & Template to Use
Marketing Research Proposal Template. Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download . Artificial intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm and the marketing niche isn't left out. With this eye-catching template, you can attract attention to your proposed marketing research project for an AI-driven platform.
4+ SAMPLE Market Research Proposal in PDF
In this matter, we suggest that you follow the simple steps below while freely using one of our action research proposal templates in this article: Step 1: Identify Specific Market Research Goals and Objectives. Clearly explain your intentions and goals in performing market research.
Writing a Great Marketing Research Proposal: Outline to Completion
Market research proposals aren't as simple as they may seem. Maybe you're struggling to write your market research proposal, or simply want to make your proposal become even stronger.. Content marketing, especially for a freelancer, can be broken down into a digestible science, and there are several components that will make your market research proposal truly great.
How to Write a Market Research Request for Proposal [+ Free Template]
If the budget is tight, the market research company should be willing to be flexible to offer options for 200, 300, and 400 responses. 💡 The Key Takeaway: The main elements to consider when receiving your RFP responses are the following: responsiveness, interest, experience, and cost.
Market Research Brief
A market research brief is a client document outlining all the relevant information that a research agency needs to understand the client's specific research needs to propose the most suitable course of action. A clear, informed brief will ensure the market researcher can deliver the most effective research possible. It also streamlines the ...
The 5 steps of the market research process
Market research is a valuable tool that can help businesses better understand their prospects and customers. Regardless of industry or business size, these insights can be useful for determining the future direction of an organization. Whether you're considering launching a new product or service, targeting a new market segment, or entering a new geographic area, market research can guide ...