Memberwise article 30/04/12

Five Steps to Writing the Perfect Market Research Brief:

When looking to commission any research with an external research agency, the brief is crucial.
A carefully considered research brief helps the agency develop the most suitable solution within
the context of your overarching business needs. The more time you can give to thinking about
your research, the more likely the final outcomes will meet your needs and feed into your
business objectives.

We would also advocate writing a research brief when conducting the research in-house;
composing the brief will allow you to clarify your own thinking, prioritise your objectives and
establish how the research will be used moving forward.

A brief should ideally contain the five pieces of information.

Market,
Background Research
business Timings,
to and role target and
and Objectives budget and
of the suggested
strategic deliverables
research approach
overview

1. Market, Business and Strategic Overview

This should provide relevant information on your organisation’s market and its
dynamics, i.e. who you are and what you do, your mission, your organisation’s
strategic objectives, the markets you operate in, your target markets, your
competitors, your challenges and so on.

2. Background to and Role of the Research – How will it be used?

This section should provide an overview of the reasons, opportunities, issues or concerns that
have led to your decision to undertake the research.

You should specify where the research fits into your strategy and, critically,
how it will be used moving forward (e.g. to inform your new
communications strategy, to help tailor your membership retention strategy,
to support the rationalisation of your membership benefits package, etc.),
and the stakeholders of the research. Within this section it is also worth
stating any relevant existing research that your organisation holds.

© Research by Design 2012

3. Business and Research Objectives
This section should formally outline the overarching business objective
and the context for the decision for undertaking the research, e.g. to
develop a communications strategy by end of 2012.

The research objectives should be a list of more detailed objectives of

what the research is trying to establish, e.g. to explore perceptions of the
organisation amongst potential members; to measure awareness of the association amongst the
wider profession, etc.

4. Research Target and Suggested Approach

The brief should identify your target market or audience (often referred to as research
respondents). Are they current members, lapsed members, non-members, potential members,
wider public, influencers, etc.?

Identify any specific groups, sub-groups or demographics that are relevant to the study, such as
membership type, location, gender, career level, etc.

If you have a preferred approach, state it in the brief. However, the research
objectives should give a good indication of the best research approach; ask
the research agency to provide a recommendation on the best research
methodology and to justify the reasons for this.

5. Timings, Budget and Deliverables

Remember to include internal and other key stakeholder
timescales, such as meetings and decision-making
deadlines, and highlight any time constraints you may
have. You will need to consider the process as a whole,
from the request for proposals to the delivery of the results
of the research project. Remember; ensure you provide enough time for tenders or quotations
to be submitted and that your timescales are not unrealistic, given the objectives of the study!

Ideally, if you have an idea of the available budget, include this in the brief. Understanding your
budgetary constraints will help agencies provide a considered proposal based on what is
achievable.

Identify what format you want the research deliverables to take, e.g. a written report,
presentation, workshop, etc., and state anything else you expect the agency to provide, such as
raw data, tabulations, transcripts, etc.

Typically, you should invite 2-3 companies to tender; this allows you to compare approaches
and helps you select an agency that best understands your needs. Ideally one of the agencies
you invite would include Research by Design!

Research by Design is a market research consultancy that works closely with

clients to provide insights that are objective, evidence based and, most

© Research by Design 2012

importantly, make a real difference. Founded in 1994, and with a specialist membership
research division, our clients include the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Royal College of
Physicians (RCP), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), British Occupational Hygiene
Society (BOHS), Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) the British Chambers of Commerce and
British Water.

For more information or to talk through your research requirements please contact Ruth Bolle,
Head of Membership Research, Research by Design on 0121 643 9090 or
ruthb@researchbydesign.co.uk.

© Research by Design 2012