Gone are the days when marketing was based on assumptions and guesswork… In the era of big
data, every decision must go through data. For this reason, it is important to understand what
primary data and secondary marketing data are.
In planning, this data is essential for conducting market research . It helps to better understand
consumers, segment audiences, understand their behavior and expectations, and how they react to
brand strategies. A large amount of insights can be extracted and marketing can be built with
greater precision and efficiency.
But different types of data generate different information and can complement each other to provide
a more complete view of the study. That’s why it’s so important to understand the differences and
know how to use them in marketing planning and research .
In this article, you will understand what primary and secondary data are and how they can be used in your company’s marketing. Follow us!
- What is primary data in research?
- What is secondary data?
- What are primary and secondary data used for in marketing?
- Why reconcile primary and secondary marketing data?
- How to collect such data in marketing research?
What is primary data in research?
Primary data is data that has estonia phone number list never been collected . The researcher
will be the first to collect it, under some research demand, directly from the original source (primary
sources). It can also be called first-party data, since it is generated by the company itself.
In marketing, they can be used to better understand the characteristics, lifestyles, behaviors,
attitudes, motivations and perceptions of the brand’s audiences, which may be customers,
consumers, employees, sellers, competitors, partners, among others.
When you collect data from website visitors, send a form to your newsletter subscribers, conduct
customer feedback surveys or interview consumer groups, you are collecting primary data.
These data are sought to meet the specific needs of the ongoing research . They can then be
used as secondary data by other companies and researchers, if the company allows access to them, of
course.
Advantages and disadvantages of primary data
The main advantage of three steps to optimize your partner marketing budget in 2024 primary data is
control , from collection to use. The company itself defines research strategies in order to specifically meet its marketing objectives.
The method, the instrument, the definition of the sample, among other elements, are aimed at
providing a concrete response to the problem of the current research. Therefore, primary data tend to
be more accurate for research purposes than secondary data. Because they are collected by the
company, they also tend to be more reliable.
Moreover, by having raw data, the company can use it as it wishes, not only in decision-making, but
also in marketing automation (in remarketing, for example).
Research results can also be turned into a marketing product, sold or distributed to the market, as a
way of strengthening the company’s authority on that topic.
On the other hand, research using primary data tends to be more laborious , slower and more
expensive. It requires more planning, more time for data collection and processing, investments in
research tools and instruments, hiring researchers, preparing reports and other tasks.
In this way, research with primary data also tends to be more limited . Companies access only their
audience or part of it, because it would be very complicated and expensive to cover the entire market.
For this, secondary data exists, which we will learn more about below.
What is secondary data?
Secondary data are data afb directory that have already been sought by other organizations , for purposes other than those of the current research. That is, they already exist in an accessible form, they just need to be found by the researcher.
In marketing, this data usually reveals general characteristics and behaviors of the population, not specifically about the brand’s audiences, as it was not collected for the purposes of the current research. But, in this way, it is possible to identify the main market trends that can be reflected in the brand’s audiences.
When you look at articles in journals, results of academic papers, studies by professional associations, and surveys by research institutes, for example, you are looking for secondary data. This type of research is also called desk research or documentary research.
Advantages and disadvantages of secondary data
The main advantages of secondary data are the agility and scope of research.
The data has already been collected and processed, now it is up to the researcher to analyse it according to his research problem. This process is usually faster, and generates less marketing costs than research with primary data. But it is important to know that many research reports are sold (and the acquisition can be quite expensive…).
Secondary data also allows you to reach people and places you might not otherwise be able to reach. In this regard, you can look at research done by large institutes and organizations. If you were to do research of this magnitude, it would cost you a lot of money…
In this way, secondary data allows for research and analysis with a greater variety of sources and samples.
On the other hand, secondary data were not collected and processed for the purposes of the ongoing research, so they lose control, accuracy and reliability and may not answer the research questions.
Another disadvantage is that the lack of control over data makes it difficult to monitor over time, as the collection and processing is dependent on another organization. In addition, it is available to other competitors, which makes it difficult to differentiate strategies.
What are primary and secondary data used for in marketing?
In the era of Big Data and digital transformation , it is important that every decision is based on data. Companies must be increasingly precise and agile in their choices and avoid risks, and data is an essential tool for this.
Primary and secondary data are the raw material of marketing research , which underpins decisions and strategies in the area when marketing is guided by data . In general, they serve to:
- conduct market analysis;
- size and segment the market;
- better understand consumer behavior;
- monitor competitors and benchmarks ;
- plan and evaluate brand strategies.
But how does each type of data contribute to these objectives?
In marketing planning, primary data can be used specifically to better understand the brand’s customer and create the Buyer Persona , which guides Content Marketing strategies and production.
Uncovering the behaviors, concerns, needs, and perceptions of a brand’s audience also helps to extract insights for advertising campaigns, blog content, and other 4 P’s of marketing strategies .
A primary data search may show, for example, that consumers identify with a particular digital influencer, who you can partner with on your next product launch.
In addition, primary data is used to evaluate campaign metrics and feedback and to monitor competitors and benchmarks more closely . Tools such as Google Analytics collect this data and generate information for marketing planning.
Secondary data, on the other hand, offers a broader view of the market. You can consult large studies and databases to identify behaviors and trends in the macro and micro environment that influence your business.
In addition, because secondary data is comprehensive, it can be used to quantify and segment the market . Marketing can use this information to define the target audience for its strategies, as well as map the performance of competitors and your market share.