Do you ever wonder who uses market research? You may think, “marketers, of course,” but there can be many more audiences to market research than just marketers or even management. The findings could impact everyone in the organization from the CEO to the front line employees.

I came across this somewhat old article today about tailoring your reports to your reader. Makes complete sense of course, and it’s something we strive to do as well (we’ve even given presentations with hardly a chart or graph if we think there are better ways at presenting the data). But I’ve often wondered if our reports end up on the desks of people that we weren’t aware of when creating the report, or perhaps more likely, the results are not clearly communicated between one user and another (since they all look at it through their own eyes).

Writing different variants of reports – or at least different sections clearly tailored to different audiences – is obviously one solution. But you still have to know WHO you are audience is and WHAT THEY NEED. I liked the article’s suggestion to go visit the actual client (not just the primary contact or purchaser); see who they are, how they interpret data, and what they need out of the research. So, if you hire us in the future, don’t be surprised if I come knocking at your door for a tour and meet-and-greet.