“Research is creating new knowledge.” — Neil Armstrong
At Rizco, we embrace research. It is at the heart of our every day and allows us to create a fresh, new perspective for our clients. Our strong reputation of being data-driven allows us to be relevant in any business vertical by digging deeply to discover, learn, develop, and track results. Our team crafts every plan based upon insights uncovered through our customized research-based process. We then implement programs that move beyond ideas and transform them into actions to effectively generate meaningful results.
So, what is Rizco’s research process? Well, I can’t give away all of our secrets, but as an account manager at Rizco and research-digging enthusiast, I answer why research is so important and how we use it to help our clients succeed.
“Why is research so integral at Rizco?”
I don’t know about you, but I personally love a good research session. Whether it’s to uncover the right vacation destination or the best restaurants to eat my way through a city, or crowdsourcing for opinions on my next big purchase, it’s all that digging that gets me excited. It helps me become more knowledgeable and guides me through a valuable discovery phase where the end result is based upon an educated decision.
At Rizco, I get to make the same discoveries for our clients. With each project, I immerse myself into the brand to evaluate where it stacks up in the market and where we want to take it to achieve its goals. The research allows us to become an expert in any vertical and act as an extension of the client’s marketing team.
“Research can be so broad; how do you approach the process?”
‘Ok, Google’ … (Alicia laughs). Joking aside, while each client project and goal may be different, it all starts from the same place … the audience. Who are we targeting and how will we engage and resonate with them? At Rizco, whether we are building a brand or a website, or implementing a social media or marketing campaign, defining the audience allows us to springboard into discovery and customize programs to support business goals, communications needs, and drive bottom-line results.
“What resources do you tap in to for your research?”
Research, like Webster’s Dictionary tells us, is literally about investigating systematically. With so many resources to choose from, it’s helpful to have a system for using the necessary tools based on the client project so you can begin the investigation.
For Rizco, our resources can include anything from reviewing existing brand communications, doing a competitive landscape analysis, studying trends in the marketplace, evaluating industry reports, and/or overseeing surveys and phone interviews with critical audiences. Just to name a few. Along the way, I may stumble upon new resources, but having our go-to tools as a foundation for the process gives our team the confidence to know we will get the desired results.
“How do you know when to stop digging?”
At Rizco, we start every project using effective questioning with our clients as we know how valuable it is to have the right information to steer our research and keep us on track. The last place you want to find yourself is being pulled into the black hole of internet research. Don’t get me wrong … it’s okay to go down a new path or try out a new research avenue, just as long as you have defined the goals upfront that will help you to know when you’ve dug up all you can.
So, don’t be overwhelmed by research. Think of it as Armstrong said, it creates new knowledge and that discovery … is what allows for creative campaigns to grow.
