How To Win New Advertising Accounts With Research

I am a research junkie. I think it comes from having started my career at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, a huge NYC agency that excelled at consumer research and had a range of proprietary tools all managed by a multi-person research staff. And then, a couple of years at Saatchi London, with its cadre of Account Planners. And, over the years, I worked with clients like General Mills, J&J and Sara Lee that used advertising research to track everything before they made big buck decisions.

And, I know that smart targeted research is one of the best new business attractors. Read this article on how to grab the attention of virtually any client “An Irresistible New Business Sales Pitch“.

And, when used strategically in an in-person pitch, smart, compelling research can help you win the heart and mind of a client within the first five minutes of your meeting. Used correctly, research can be a dramatic wake up call or a smart way to confirm that you get the client’s business and industry.

It’s Gotten Easier

Good news on the research front is that with digital tools, we do not necessarily need to run expensive research programs to generate decision-making or new client attracting data. Here are a few tools that even an intern can manage (manage, not set up) to whet your information appetite.

Google Trends. If you are a marketer and don’t use Google Trends to learn and confirm hypotheses you’ve been missing one of the best ways to look at our world via Google’s search lens.

AYTM. The Ask Your Target Market online platform is a sweet set of research tools plus, and this is a good one, a consumer panel of over 25 million folks. Having online survey tools is nice. But having them and a customizable panel is even better.

SurveyMonkey. This was the first online research tool I used. It is still a market leader.

SurveyAnyplace. A more recent tool that helps with the growing issue of surveyitis. What they say: “With today’s technology, there’s no excuse for boring surveys. We offer ingenious ways to engage people and get you better insights.”

Google Consumer Surveys. I’ve used this easy to use and inexpensive survey website to dazzle prospective clients and win new business pitches. This works because Google delivers a sweet panel based on their associated websites and this survey tool delivers virtually instant results.

wishpond’s Top 50 Online Research Tools. A nice list just for you.

Think With Google. Throughout the year, there are trends and events that create opportunities to connect with consumers in the moments that matter—from Super Bowl kickoff to holiday gift giving. The Marketer’s Almanac surfaces data, insights, and consumer trends around these key moments to help you get a jump on your marketing plan.

PEW Research Center. Timely – must read –  research on politics, media, social trends, the Internet, science, hispanics and global trends. Here’s an example of a the kind of mass market data you could use – especially if you are talking with Amazon.

Cases Please

If you’d like to hear about a couple of cases where one of my agency clients used research to woo and win an account, give me a Corleone shout.

That’s all folks.