By: Hunter Smith
Yes, there are people out there that enjoy data analysis. I find it interesting what the customer wants by data probing. Apple announced a new operating software update for the iPhone line: iOS 7. Apple customers are swept off their feet with excitement. The new software is a major upgrade from the current software, including new graphics and new features.
Maybe Apple just magically decided that they wanted to change iPhones. Or maybe they decided to take the customer into consideration. Surveys and data analysis tools can tell you numerous things about what a customer wants. In my opinion, the results of surveys and data analysis are the key parts to marketing. If companies believed they had the solutions to customer needs, they would ultimately fail.
Marketing research is valuable to companies, big or small. For those fellow students, even if you’re not interested in market research, it’s required as a class. I finished the class this past semester and I learned many ideas in the marketing field.
One of the things I wanted to gain from the internship an understanding of market research in reality. We are using different data techniques to understand our audience. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), analytics, and web site tracking are all included. We send surveys out to different groups to better understand what they value from their Kelley experience. Like I said before, size doesn’t matter, all use and need market research. So, it shouldn’t come to a surprise, your own business school uses it.
I’m learning real-world situations and how we use it track activity among prospective students, current students, and alumni. It’s amazing the information we already knew and what we didn’t know and how it can shape Kelley its image. I love the collaboration among my colleagues to make Kelley the best it can be.
Marketing Research is not the only field of marketing to pursue upon graduation. Advertising and sales are other areas you can pursue. What is great about a marketing student is that entails a variety of positions, therefore, it needs a variety of people. Every industry needs marketing. Choose your area of interest and apply it to your skills.