Secondary & Behavioral Research Methods

We’re continuing our deep dive into “Understanding Your WHO” as part of the overall Campaign Strategy journey. While primary research gives you direct customer insights as we explored in our Primary Research Methods post, it's only part of the story. Secondary research and behavioral data analysis help you understand the bigger picture around your audience's actions and environment. Let's explore how to gather and analyze this information to help strengthen your campaign strategy.

Why Does Secondary & Behavioral Research Matter?

Think of secondary research and behavioral data as the context that helps you interpret and validate your primary research findings. While customer interviews might tell you what people say they do, behavioral data shows you what they’re actually doing. Essentially, behavioral data means digging into your website analytics, your CRM, or any other tool that helps track your customers’ behavior in aggregate – this is what’s going to confirm (or even contradict) what your target customers tell you. Secondary research helps you understand the environment in which these behaviors occur.

Let's continue with our fictional ReportAI example. The primary research performed through customer surveys and interviews revealed marketing managers' frustrations with manual reporting. Secondary research backed that up, showing that within the overall industry 80% of companies still use manual processes, while behavioral data demonstrated that most managers spend their highest-focus morning hours on report compilation. This combination of primary and secondary insights helped us understand both the scale of the problem and its real-world impact.

Secondary Research Methods

Let's explore three key areas of secondary research that will strengthen your campaign strategy.

1. Industry Reports & Market Research

Start with published research that gives you a broader view of your market:

Key Sources to Consider (If Available)

• Industry analyst reports: Access in-depth market analysis from respected firms for expert insights. If your industry isn’t covered or is in a niche market, allocate some research time to determine if not as well-known firms are worth the cost.

• Market research studies: Purchase or get access to research reports that can reveal market sizes, trends, and growth projections.

• Academic research: Explore peer-reviewed studies that provide information on industry developments and consumer behavior.

• Government data: Utilize official statistics and/or regulatory information that can offer validated industry and economic insights.

• Trade association publications: Learn from industry-specific publications that track developments and best practices in your field.

What to Look For

• Market size and growth trends: Analyze current market valuations and projected growth rates to understand and quantify your opportunity.

• Industry challenges and opportunities: Identify common pain points and emerging possibilities that could impact your strategy.

• Technology adoption patterns: Study how your target market embraces new solutions to better time your campaign.

• Regulatory considerations: Understand current and upcoming regulations that might affect your market approach.

• Economic factors: Consider broader economic influences that could impact your audience's decision-making process.

Here’s a simplified output of how our ReportAI research might look:

• Marketing reporting automation total market size: $4.5B

• Expected growth: 15% annually

• Top challenge: Data accuracy

• Key trend: AI adoption in marketing

🔍 Pro Tip: When reviewing industry reports, look for data points that either support or contradict your primary research findings. Discrepancies often reveal interesting insights that are absolutely worth investigating further.

2. Competitor Analysis

Understanding your competitive landscape helps you position your campaign effectively and ultimately helps lead you to your WHY, as in “what makes you unique and why should customers care enough to go with you?”

Analysis Framework

• Direct competitors: Identify companies offering similar solutions to understand how you need to differentiate.

• Indirect competitors: Study alternative approaches your audience might use to solve their problems.

• Market leaders: Analyze successful companies' strategies to understand what resonates in your market.

• New entrants: Monitor emerging competitors to spot new trends and potential market disruptions.

• Adjacent solutions: Examine related products or services that might influence your audience's expectations.

What to Document

• Positioning statements: Study how competitors present their unique value to understand market positioning gaps.

• Key messages: Analyze recurring themes in competitor communications to find underserved value propositions.

• Channel strategy: Document which marketing channels your competitors use most effectively.

• Content themes: Track the types of content that generate the most engagement in your market.

• Visual approach: Examine design and branding choices to inform your own visual differentiation strategy.

Tools for Research

• Company websites: Examine competitor sites for messaging, features, and positioning strategies.

• Marketing materials: Review downloadable content to understand competitor value propositions and sales approaches.

• Social media presence: Analyze engagement patterns and content strategies across different platforms.

• Press releases: Track company announcements to understand strategic directions and market focus.

• Product documentation: Study technical materials to understand feature sets and implementation approaches.

Here are some of ReportAI's example competitor insights discovered through competitor websites, marketing materials, and product docs:

• Most competitors focus on visualization, not automation

• Common pain point: Manual data collection

• Gap identified: Strategic analysis features

• Opportunity: Accuracy improvement

3. Market Trends

Stay current with developments that might impact your campaign. While this may not impact you in the short term for your campaign, it helps to ensure that your marketing strategy stays relevant and viable.

Trend Categories

• Technology shifts: Monitor emerging technologies that could transform how your audience approaches their challenges.

• Customer behavior changes: Track evolving preferences and expectations that might influence buying decisions.

• Industry developments: Watch for structural changes in your market that could affect how solutions are delivered.

• Economic factors: Consider broader financial trends that might impact your audience's budget and priorities.

• Regulatory updates: Stay informed about policy changes that could affect your market or solution implementation.

Research Sources

• Industry news: Follow respected industry publications and news sources that consistently track market developments.

• Social media discussions: Monitor professional networks where your audience discusses challenges and solutions.

• Professional forums: Participate in industry-specific communities where practitioners share experiences and insights.

• Conference presentations: Review keynotes and sessions from major industry events that signal future directions.

• Academic papers: Study research publications that provide deeper analysis of emerging trends and technologies.

What might ReportAI’s trend analysis look like based on industry news or diving into forums?

• Rising interest in AI automation

• Increasing focus on data accuracy

• Growing demand for strategic insights

• Shift toward integrated solutions

Behavioral Data Analysis

The numbers never lie, but they do need interpretation. Your website and digital platforms contain a treasure trove of behavioral insights that can validate or challenge what customers tell you directly. By analyzing how users actually interact with your content and offerings, you can uncover patterns that might never surface in surveys or interviews. This data is particularly valuable because it shows what people do rather than what they say they'll do.

1. Digital Analytics

Your website and other owned digital platforms (e.g., your email service provider) offer a ton of behavioral insights, including:

Key Metrics to Track

• Page visit patterns: Track how users navigate your site to understand their information-seeking behavior.

• Content engagement: Measure which content formats and topics generate the most meaningful interaction.

• Search behaviors: Analyze internal search terms to understand what information your audience seeks most.

• Conversion paths: Map the most common journeys that lead to valuable customer actions.

• Time-based patterns: Identify when your audience is most active and receptive to different types of content.

Analysis Approaches

• User flow analysis: Track how visitors move through your site to identify common paths, drop-off points, and opportunities for optimization.

• Heat mapping: Study where users click, scroll, and focus their attention to understand content engagement patterns and improve page layouts.

• Session recordings: Review actual user interactions with your site to understand behavioral patterns and uncover usability issues.

• Form analytics: Monitor how users interact with your forms to identify friction points and optimize conversion rates.

• Search term analysis: Examine what users search for on your site to understand their information needs and improve content strategy.

Here’s a quick summary of what ReportAI found out through their own digital insights:

• Peak research time: Monday mornings

• Most viewed: ROI calculator

• Common search: "Automated reporting"

• Key concern: Integration options

🔍 Pro Tip: Set up custom event tracking for specific user behaviors that align with your research questions. This helps you gather more relevant behavioral data.

2. Social Media Insights

Social platforms, with enough audience and engagement, can also provide unique behavioral data.

Elements to Monitor

• Engagement patterns: Track how your audience interacts with different content types across platforms to optimize your approach.

• Content preferences: Identify which formats, topics, and styles generate the strongest response from your target audience.

• Conversation themes: Study recurring topics and pain points that emerge in industry discussions and customer conversations.

• Influence networks: Map connections between key voices in your industry to understand how information flows.

• Platform usage: Analyze when and how your audience uses different social platforms to optimize your posting strategy.

Analysis Framework

• Content performance: Measure how different content types and themes drive meaningful engagement with your target audience.

• Audience behavior: Study how your audience interacts with industry content to understand their information consumption habits.

• Network analysis: Examine relationship patterns between industry voices to identify potential collaboration opportunities.

• Sentiment tracking: Monitor emotional responses to different topics and approaches to guide your messaging strategy.

• Time patterns: Document when your audience is most active and responsive to determine optimal posting schedules.

ReportAI’s social insights might look like this:

• Peak engagement: Mid-week

• Top content: Time-saving tips

• Common pain: Manual processes

• Positive sentiment: Automation

3. Customer Purchase Pattern Analysis

Understanding buying behavior helps strengthen your campaign. Leveraging your CRM or customer database can help uncover the following information:

Data Points to Consider

• Purchase timing: Track when customers make buying decisions to identify seasonal patterns and optimal campaign timing.

• Product combinations: Analyze which solutions customers typically buy together to inform your packaging and cross-sell strategy.

• Decision cycles: Document how long customers take to move from initial interest to purchase to better pace your campaigns.

• Price sensitivity: Study how different price points and structures affect purchase decisions across customer segments.

• Feature adoption: Monitor which capabilities customers use most to understand what drives real value in your solution.

Analysis Methods

• Cohort analysis: Group customers based on shared characteristics or timing to identify patterns in behavior and success.

• Customer journey mapping: Document the typical paths customers take from awareness to purchase to optimize touchpoints.

• Feature usage tracking: Measure how customers engage with different capabilities to inform product development and marketing.

• Upgrade patterns: Study what triggers customers to expand their investment to improve upsell campaign timing.

• Churn analysis: Identify early warning signs of customer departure to develop proactive retention strategies.

What might ReportAI’s purchase insights look like?

• Decision cycle: 2-3 months

• Key trigger: Report errors

• Common blocker: Budget timing

• Success factor: Easy integration

Research Integration Framework

Collecting data is only half the battle, the real value comes from how you bring different research types together to form a complete picture. Think of this like solving a puzzle where each research method contributes unique pieces to the whole. The key is creating a systematic approach that helps you see patterns across different data sources while ensuring no crucial insights get overlooked. This framework will help you transform raw research into actionable strategy.

Without a clear integration framework, you risk missing valuable connections between different research types. For example, ReportAI discovered that while their survey data showed high interest in automation, their behavioral data revealed many teams were hesitant to fully adopt automated solutions initially. This insight might have been missed without systematic cross-referencing of different research types.

Organize Your Findings

• Sort by research type: Categorize your research data by method and source to create a structured foundation for analysis.

• Tag key themes: Label recurring topics and insights across all your research to identify important patterns.

• Note contradictions: Document where findings conflict to identify areas needing further investigation.

• Identify patterns: Look for recurring behaviors or preferences that emerge across different research types.

Cross-Reference the Data

• Compare sources: Review how insights from different research methods support or challenge each other.

• Validate findings: Confirm key discoveries by checking them against multiple data sources.

• Spot gaps: Identify areas where you need additional research to complete your understanding.

• Find correlations: Connect related insights across different research types to strengthen your conclusions.

Create Your Research Insights

• Synthesize findings: Combine validated insights into coherent themes that inform your strategy.

• Draw conclusions: Develop clear, actionable takeaways from your research synthesis.

• Document evidence: Support each conclusion with specific data points from your research.

• Share learnings: Create clear communications that help stakeholders understand and act on your insights.

Common Research Pitfalls

Secondary and behavioral research come with their own set of challenges that can trip up even experienced marketers. Understanding these pitfalls helps you design more effective research approaches and avoid common mistakes that can compromise your insights. Most importantly, recognizing these challenges early allows you to adjust your approach before investing significant time and resources in the wrong direction.

Data Overload

In today's data-rich environment, it's tempting to track and analyze everything possible. However, more data doesn't always mean better insights. The key is focusing on metrics that directly inform your campaign strategy.

What It Looks Like:

• Bad Practice: Collecting every possible metric without clear purpose, leading to confusion and analysis paralysis

• Good Practice: Identifying specific metrics that align with your campaign goals and focusing analysis there

Outdated Information

Markets move quickly, and yesterday's insights might not reflect today's reality. This is particularly crucial in fast-moving industries where customer behaviors and preferences can shift rapidly.

Impact on Research:

• Bad Approach: Relying on market studies or behavioral data that's more than a year old without validation

• Good Approach: Regularly verifying data currency and supplementing older studies with current market checks

Correlation Confusion

When analyzing behavioral data, it's easy to mistake correlation for causation. This can lead to misguided strategy decisions based on false assumptions about customer behavior.

Common Mistakes:

• Bad Analysis: Assuming that because two metrics move together, one causes the other

• Good Analysis: Testing relationships thoroughly and looking for other factors that might influence behavior

Analysis Paralysis

The wealth of available data can sometimes paralyze decision-making. While thorough analysis is important, at some point you need to move from research to action.

Finding Balance:

• Bad Habit: Continuously gathering more data without making decisions

• Good Habit: Setting clear research timelines and decision points while maintaining flexibility for new insights

🔍 Pro Tip: Create a "Secondary Research Quality Framework" that helps you evaluate your research process. Include checkpoints like:

• Is this data recent enough to be relevant?

• Are we focusing on metrics that matter to our campaign?

• Have we validated assumed relationships?

• Do we have clear timelines for moving from research to action?

Review these points regularly throughout your research process to maintain focus and effectiveness.

Summary

Secondary research and behavioral data analysis provide crucial context and validation for your primary research findings. Here are the key points to remember:

Use These Research Sources

• Industry Reports: Analyze market size, trends, and competitive landscape

• Competitor Analysis: Study positioning, messaging, and market approaches

• Market Trends: Track technological, behavioral, and regulatory changes

• Behavioral Data: Monitor actual customer actions and engagement patterns

Analyze Behavior Data

• Digital Analytics: Track website behavior, content engagement, and conversion paths

• Social Media Insights: Study platform preferences, content performance, and discussion themes

• Purchase Patterns: Analyze buying behavior, decision cycles, and customer value

• Integration with primary research findings for complete understanding

Make This a Repeatable Process

• Create systematic processes for gathering and organizing data

• Establish regular review cycles for market intelligence

• Document insights in shareable, actionable formats

• Update findings as new data becomes available

• Connect behavioral patterns to customer statements

Remember: Like studying the surrounding environment before construction, secondary and behavioral research provides essential context for your campaign strategy. Combine these insights with primary research for a complete foundation.

Next Steps

Before moving on to creating buyer personas:

• Review your secondary research sources

• Set up behavioral tracking

• Create your integration framework

• Start documenting patterns

In our next post, we'll explore how to transform all your research insights into detailed buyer personas that guide your campaign development.

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