Monday, January 6, 2014

Building a Career as a Marketing Research Analyst

Marketing research analysts help companies understand the marketplace, the needs of customers in a specific segment and geographical location, and the activities of their competitors. A large part of their job includes conducting researches, collecting and analyzing data and interpreting it. The typical work activities of marketing research analysts include:

  • Designing and assisting in developing questionnaires to capture necessary data
  • Storing and sorting the captured data
  • Conducting an in-depth data analyses and draw information out of it
  • Making reports converting complex information into comprehensible graphs, charts and tables
  • Making recommendations based on the research findings
  • Figuring out what to sell
  • Identifying the target market
  • Discovering preferences of potential customers
  • Keeping track of industry trends
  • Overseeing distribution and completion of survey
  • Supervising interviewers who conduct online interviews
  • Training marketing professionals

The exact roles and responsibilities may vary depending upon the employment, job title, and individual qualification and experience.

Career Prospects

The market research professionals can work with loyalty program management companies, marketing research firms and companies specializing in mobile marketing, direct marketing and e-marketing. They can also work with any organizations with in-house analytical and research functions, regardless of the industry.

Typically they work as marketing research analysts, web marketing analysts, CRM analysts, direct response analysts, online marketing analysts, data and analytics specialists, business analytics specialists, loyalty program analysts, sales data analysts and marketing strategy analysts.

The job opportunities in this field look promising as almost all businesses rely on some kind of research data. They need to come up with the best strategies to sustain and stay ahead in competitive markets. Market research analysts serve as beacons for them.

However, in order to become a research professional, it is required to have learnt different research methods and obtained the expertise necessary for creating effective surveys, industry trends, statistical analysis and consumer behaviour. In addition to this, individuals need to possess strong critical, analytical and problem-solving skills.

Marketing – Research and Analytics Program

A marketing research course can help interested individuals gain knowledge and skills required to become research professionals.  It teaches students the technique used to mine data and extract valuable knowledge about competitors and customers in a market setting.

Centennial College’s postgraduate program in marketing – research and analytics consists of a mixture of lectures and labs where students are exposed to SAS Enterprise Guide and SAS Enterprise Miner. These are leading software solutions used in research and analytics fields.

The marketing research analytics in Toronto program runs for one year and covers a wide range of subjects, including:

  • Business communications
  • Marketing
  • Marketing analysis and planning
  • Fundamentals of marketing research
  • Computer applications for marketing analytics
  • Statistics for marketing research
  • Case analysis and marketing metrics
  • Database mining and analytics
  • Advanced computer applications for marketing analytics
  • Fundamental of interactive marketing
  • Research and analytics – Capstone
  • Fundamentals of project management

The aim of the program is to help students

  • Apply marketing research and analytics to strategic marketing decision-making
  • Learn to design questionnaires, manipulate data, control quality and create statistical output
  • Develop research and analytical skills

The course combines in-class learning, case studies and simulations, project-based learning, presentations and report writing.

Enrollment Guide

To apply for this program, you will need:

  • College diploma or university degree in any discipline
  • Relevant work experience (for applicants with partial post-secondary education)
  • Proof of English proficiency

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