Pierpont Communications, Inc.

1. Family
2. Friends
3. Clients
4. Good health
5. Smart , fun and positive coworkers
6. Sweater vest weather (when we can get it!)
7. Turner Classic Movies
8. Twitter.com
9. Yelp.com
10. Learning how to keep plants alive longer than a week
11. Only getting lost in Downtown Houston once this year
    
12. A healed Achilles!
13. My mom’s Glühwein  and AMAZING apple crisp
14. My boyfriend’s sense of humor
15. Chapstick
16. Sunny days
17. Sleeping with the windows open
18. A house decorated for Christmas (with 12 Christmas trees and more!) and ready for the home tour.
19. That first stretch in the morning.
20. Knowing the answer to a trivia question before anyone else.
21. Sonic ice
22. Velcro hair rollers
23. Bak-klene nonstick cooking spray
24. My cast iron skillet
25. Having invested in gold – last year
26. My 12 year old car that still runs!
27. Low humidity = a good hair day
28. 100 calorie snacks
29. Makeup concealer
30. Jeans that stretch
31. High heels
32. Wheat Grass
33. Wash and go hair
34. Roses in my garden that bloom 12 months of the year
35. Working only 2 miles from home
36. Having a job in the recession
37. Childhood friends who find me on Facebook
38. Being married to my best friend
39. Having an 87 year old mom who bowls and does Pilates
40. The Zinfandel grape
41. Cheap gas (compared to the rest of the U.S. and Europe!)
42. Gulf Coast Seafood
    
43. No Gulf hurricanes this year
44. Water on the moon!
45. Black Friday sales
46. The Trail of Lights in Austin
47. Town Lake (aka Lady Bird Lake) for running, kayaking and the occasional stroll
48. Mac N Cheese and Frozen Dinners
49. Live music
50. Secret family recipes
51. My puppies
    
52. My 2 year old nephew learning how to do the “Hook ‘em Horns” sign
53. NEW MOON
54. The Starbucks holiday lattes (and their red cups)
55. Scarf-worthy weather

Market research, like a marketing or communications plan, doesn't come one size fits all. The process by which you develop and implement a plan depends on your organization’s needs and goals. Below I’ve outlined some of the general points I keep in mind when I embark on a new research project with a client.

There are a variety of ways to conduct the research. From focus groups (qualitative) to surveys (quantitative), the type of research you choose to pursue will depend on your business’ needs. As a general rule of thumb, qualitative is best at the beginning stages of research, when you don’t know exactly what you are looking for and need rich description to help you define your goals. Quantitative is best used later in the research process when you know what information you are looking for and need to classify it with numerical data.

Solid results require solid questions. The questions you ask are just as important as the data gathered. Make sure you're posing questions that will provide you with the information you need. Your questions need to clear and concise and you need to make sure they are eliciting the responses you're looking for. Test the questions on people who are not developing the study to avoid any ambiguity.

You need the right people answering. A strong set of questions won't prove useful if you're not surveying the right audience. Make sure your sample is representative of your target.

At the end of the day, research makes sense. Market research doesn't usually produce unexpected results. The outcome may not be what you wanted to hear, and it may provide new insight that you never considered, but the findings make sense. When they don’t, the data may not be correct.

Research is a great way to learn more about your customers and create communications plans that really resonate with your audience. However, poorly conducted research can be extremely detrimental, so make sure you take the time to develop a research plan that works for your needs.