Often, we overlook the hidden value of marketing research data. We explore how to engage consumers in a long-term, sustainable way, but how do we get more consumer insights with shorter surveys? Our clients demand that we dig deeper, but they are also tasked with the challenge of asking fewer and less tedious questions in the process. By bringing in third party data, we have the opportunity make surveys more enjoyable and engaging while still digging deeper.
The easiest way to add depth to an audience is by layering data that looks for commonality between datasets. The overlap in common attributes and attitudes between consumers develops a persona with robust characteristics that allow researchers to focus on what leads that audience down the path to purchase.
What is a persona?
Personas are specific archetypes of people in the target audience that are identified by gathering specific habits, preferences and attributes across a group to create a single entity that represents their collective needs. The better 
you understand your target segments, the greater return you’ll receive on your marketing investments because you are delivering something tailored to them. By building specific segments or personas, you can speak directly to the needs of your customer in regards to your brand or product.
How will data appends influence my research?
As the availability of contextual consumer data continues to grow, segmentation studies remain a major component in cost effective marketing. The core of segmentation work evolves from putting together different purchasing groups and understanding their lifestyles, habits and preferences. However, the art of segmentation is focusing on both your current consumers and those you aspire to convert. By combining your online survey data with third party data sets, such as Experian Mosaic, researchers open the doors to understanding the context to the how, when and why of consumer engagement in purchasing decisions, timing and brand awareness. Experian Mosaic, for example, has more than 40 Mosaic personality types that can be matched with an online survey respondent. Matching consumer feedback with third party personality types can provide powerful guidance on how a consumer interacts with your products and services. It can provide insights that are not only relative to a single purchase, but overall purchasing power, individual attitude and influence in communities they belong to.
How do I define my attributes?
Data programs are used by marketers to more precisely define and understand customer needs through actionable data. Defining your attributes is the first step to identifying your prospect database, but how do you determine what categories matter most? Marketing researchers can pull purchase, behavioral, attitudinal and geo-demographic details into your project. Defining your attributes = defining your target audience.
From voter preferences to social causes and credit card usage to fitness activities, Lightspeed’s AmplifyR Appends can pursue 2.6 million profile attributes. With today’s data appending technology, you’ll be able to group your customer databases into separate categories and personalize each one.
Behavioral vs. attitudinal data: What should brands leverage more?
Attitudinal data gathers qualitative insights into a consumer’s thoughts, feelings, attitudes, needs and even motivations. On the other hand, behavioral research measures what users actually do (where they shop, what they buy and when they use products), collecting quantitative consumer data.
Both attitudinal and behavioral research methods have their place in marketing research projects, but the most valuable and actionable insights will come from using techniques in conjunction with one another – painting a more complete picture of your target consumer.
