Talkin’ Turquoise

Renée Buchanan, VP of Research & Digital Strategy, leads Turell Group’s research team.

Understanding who you serve — and what they think about you — is essential to running a successful organization. But how can you truly meet their needs and make a lasting impact?

That’s where market research comes in. Partnering with a professional marketing firm can give you deeper insights into your current audience and uncover untapped opportunities.

Turell Group has the expertise to help ensure your decisions are backed by data. Renée Buchanan, VP of Research & Digital Strategy, leads our research team with more than 20 years of experience and delivers refined reports and presentations with clear and actionable information.

“Many of our clients want honest feedback from those they serve,” Renée explains. “Others are trying to understand which messaging and platforms will best connect with audiences they haven’t yet reached.”

Defining the Scope

Before diving in, let’s start by answering a few key questions:

• What are your goals, and how will you use what we learn from the research?
  Understanding how you will implement what you learn helps us gather the information and present it in a way you can easily use.

• Who are you trying to understand?
  Targeting specific demographics, psychographics, cultural identity and economic characteristics help us focus on specific audience segments.

Understanding the diversity and challenges within your audience makes it easier to better define a scope of research that is focused, actionable and impactful.

Engage Your Stakeholders

To get a complete view of your organization, its challenges and potential, start by engaging key stakeholders. This might include surveying or interviewing staff at every level, board members, volunteers, community partners, customer or client segments, donors, business partners or anyone else you feel would have a unique view of your organization.

Be open about why you want their perspective or opinion and how you will use what you learn. Building trust starts with committing to possible change. Even if you are unable to implement what your key stakeholders unearth for you, acknowledge that their feedback was heard and valued.

Types of Research

At Turell Group, we use a mix of primary and secondary research methods to build a full picture of your organization and its needs. We offer a range of custom research packages, from small to large in scope, with a variety of collection methods.

Primary Methods

• Surveys: Online or in-person surveys provide broad insights into public opinion and general trends.
• Focus or Discussion Groups: Guided, small-group conversations help uncover deeper motivations, preferences and concerns.
• Stakeholder Interviews: One-on-one dialogues with key figures offer strategic perspective — both inside and outside your organization.
• Community Forums: Public meetings foster dialogue, gather feedback and encourage community engagement.

Need broad-based feedback from regular people? We conduct a community research service for which we send out a short survey and gather contact information from people who opt-in to participate in future research. Utilizing this broad swath of research participants can provide new perspective by people who may or may not be aware of your organization.

Secondary Research

We also leverage publicly available data and research from external organizations to add context and depth to our findings.

Using a balanced combination of methods allows us to deliver well-rounded, actionable insights tailored to your goals.

Analyzing and Acting on Insights

Once the research is complete, we dive into the data, identifying both opportunities and potential challenges. From there, we craft clear, practical strategies and provide recommendations tailored to your goals.

We present our findings in an easy-to-understand report or presentation, and we work directly with your team and stakeholders to chart the best path forward.

When it aligns with your goals, we can also help share results publicly to build community trust and demonstrate your commitment to meaningful engagement.

As an example, we conducted surveys for the Eugene Public Library as they were developing a strategic plan for the future of the library system. Participants identified features and services they’d like to see and helped library leaders set priorities. Check out this case study, which goes into more detail about our work with the library.

Ready to Learn More About Your Audience?

Whether you’re considering rebranding your organization, testing a new concept, or simply wanting to understand your market better, we’re here to help. Is there a challenge you’re facing or an idea you’re considering? Contact us!

Check out our research services and reach out today. Let’s start building a strategy grounded in real insights.