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What is a marketing research analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Linda Goulet,
Dr. Anne Paulet Ph.D.
introduction image

Any company offering goods and services would like to have an employee with the gift of clairvoyance or a mind reader. With them, companies would be able to know what the customer thinks and wants. Unfortunately, this position does not exist - due to lack of candidates - but there are Marketing Research Analysts who try to fulfill the task of studying the market and the wishes of potential clients.

Marketing Research Analysts are responsible for evaluating customer preferences to help the advertising and sales department develop sensible and successful marketing strategies. In order to do this, the marketing research analyst must keep up with industry trends, whether through personal interviews, surveys, or social media monitoring. They can also use more modern tools, such as algorithms and statistical software, to keep up with people's likings and needs.

Most of those who apply for these positions have a bachelor's degree in market research or a related field such as business administration, social science, or communications. In addition, companies give more opportunities to those with academic backgrounds in mathematics, statistics, computer science, economics, and even sociology and mass psychology.

The average annual income for a market research analyst is $63,000 per year, which can be more or less depending on the company you work for and assigned responsibilities.

What general advice would you give to a marketing research analyst?

Linda GouletLinda Goulet LinkedIn profile

Interim Associate Dean/Department Chair, Marketing, Davenport University

Stay as updated as you can. If you are looking for a job, join your local AMA chapter to network. Find a mentor who works in marketing and meet regularly (virtual now). There are also dozens of free certifications out there that you may take to hone your skills or create awareness around the content you don't have a lot of knowledge about (Hub Spot and Google both offer many free certification opportunities).
ScoreMarketing Research AnalystUS Average
Salary
4.3

Avg. Salary $54,431

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
4.9

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.13%

Asian 14.53%

Black or African American 4.80%

Hispanic or Latino 11.42%

Unknown 4.90%

White 64.22%

Gender

female 54.91%

male 45.09%

Age - 34
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34
Stress level
4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Marketing research analyst career paths

Key steps to become a marketing research analyst

  1. Explore marketing research analyst education requirements

    Most common marketing research analyst degrees

    Bachelor's

    72.4 %

    Master's

    14.9 %

    Associate

    6.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific marketing research analyst skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Data Analysis7.00%
    Research Projects4.85%
    SPSS4.83%
    PowerPoint4.55%
    Data Entry4.44%
  3. Complete relevant marketing research analyst training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New marketing research analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a marketing research analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real marketing research analyst resumes.
  4. Research marketing research analyst duties and responsibilities

    • Maintain and manage the client-oriented database on administration side through SQL database.
    • Manage positioning research, analyze potential markets for expansion of product franchise, and publish monthly analysis of product performance.
    • Edit and maintain SQL queries used to create campaign extracts, and portfolio analysis.
    • Used SAS and UCINET to analyze a marketing data set of website interaction by product mentions.
  5. Prepare your marketing research analyst resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your marketing research analyst resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a marketing research analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable marketing research analyst resume templates

    Build a professional marketing research analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your marketing research analyst resume.
    Marketing Research Analyst Resume
    Marketing Research Analyst Resume
    Marketing Research Analyst Resume
    Marketing Research Analyst Resume
    Marketing Research Analyst Resume
    Marketing Research Analyst Resume
    Marketing Research Analyst Resume
    Marketing Research Analyst Resume
    Marketing Research Analyst Resume
  6. Apply for marketing research analyst jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a marketing research analyst job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first marketing research analyst job

Aris Rios

Marketing Research Analyst

Career Journey of How I Became a Marketing Research Analyst
My career in market research and advertising has been a journey of continuous learning and growth. I began my professional journey as an advertiser for a couple of local companies in my city. This initial experience provided me with a solid foundation in the world of marketing and advertising, allowing me to understand the needs and desires of consumers on a local level.

Later, I had the opportunity to work as the head of communications for an internet services company. In this role, I discovered my passion for market analysis and economic and sociodemographic data. My main responsibility was to analyze the market to help the company make strategic decisions based on concrete data. My love for numbers and my inclination towards order helped me excel in this role. In fact, one of my bosses used to say that I was made with Python due to my organization and precision in my work.

Since I was young, I have always loved video games, and through them, I learned English, which opened doors for me to work remotely with international companies. This skill was crucial when I joined a market research consulting company, where I had the opportunity to travel multiple times to research the Mexican market. This was one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional career, as I not only learned a lot about the behavior of the soft drink markets but also discovered many new and fascinating places.

Eventually, my career led me to a logistics company, where the amount of data produced is monumental. Here, I have learned to deeply appreciate the logistics that allow food and other goods to reach our tables. This experience has been transformative, enabling me to apply my data analysis skills in a completely new context and understand the critical importance of logistics in our daily lives.

In summary, my career as a Marketing Research Analyst has been an exciting journey that has allowed me to combine my passion for data and analysis with my desire to understand and predict consumer behavior, all while adapting and growing in different industries and roles.

Average marketing research analyst salary

The average marketing research analyst salary in the United States is $54,431 per year or $26 per hour. Marketing research analyst salaries range between $36,000 and $81,000 per year.

Average marketing research analyst salary
$54,431 Yearly
$26.17 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do marketing research analysts rate their job?

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Marketing research analyst reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023
Pros

If you have a computer and internet access, you have the equipment necessary to start an internet research business. There are no time constraints since the internet is always available. If you have a background in a research-based field such as journalism or library science, you will more easily be able to market your value to potential clients. Your business can be home-based or mobile. If working from home, you also should be able to deduct expenses for your home office when filing your taxes. You can expand your knowledge as you work. You can target broadly or specialize in specific areas such as market research, genealogy research, statistical research, etc. Your researching speed will increase as you become more familiar with online search tools and resources.

Cons

You may find it difficult to sell the value of your services to clients if you are unable to convince them that your background and experience have provided you with skills that go beyond run-of-the-mill internet searches. Establishing the business likely will require extensive networking, marketing, and self-promotion to build a client base. You have to be able to objectively evaluate information since not all information found on the internet is accurate. You need to have the skills and knowledge to go beyond basic Google or Bing searches. There are billions of pages of data that popular search engines don't reach, and you need to know how to find that data to be valuable to your clients. You have to be especially careful to avoid plagiarism and know how to cite your sources when gathering information online. You need to understand the different search operators and how to use them to find what you're looking for. You need to know what questions to ask your clients to get a clear understanding of what information they need.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2021
Pros

I juss have a passion to work as a market researcher I also did marketing


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Compiling data of organization and implementing strategies to measure growth in business

Cons

Fundamental Economics


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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