Market research
Market & Policy Research
As providers of Full Cycle Marketing™, Academica Group incorporates market intelligence as the foundation of everything we do. Quantitative and qualitative research ensures that marketing strategies, policy research and web-based solutions are focused, effective and therefore the most cost-effective.
Academica Group is a Gold Seal certified member of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association. Membership is only granted to research organisations that undergo a biennial, independent audit of research processes, controls and reporting. Clients can be assured that Academica Group always complies with the latest, world-class research standards.
Market Research
As noted above, we provide market research and intelligence for the higher education (HE) communities. Within this we have a number of areas of expertise and 'tried and true' methodologies developed for our HE clients. One of the most in-demand is a suite of tools to provide Admission Analytics.
Admission Analytics™
With respect to Admission Analytics, our value proposition is real simple. We can provide you with consumer (prospective students) intelligence that will both save you money and help you improve recruitment effectiveness. You will get objective and reliable intelligence on perceived institutional brand, awareness levels, marketing/communication channel effectiveness, website use and design, and even on social media marketing. Finally, you will get all of the above not only for your institution but also for your choice of competitive institutions.
Web-Related Research
Strong websites are based on forethought and organization. We recommend a battery of time given to a detailed web strategy, as well as including users early in the game. Information Architecture and User Interface Validation is a critical pre-build check point that puts your site in front of potential users to test language, navigation, usability and aesthetic. Usability testing is your pre-launch checkpoint with users. Our web offerings include both offline and virtual testing methods that expose your site to your entire target demographic, regardless of location.
Best Practices
Unlike most, our best practice reports are written specifically with your institution in mind. Together a table of contents and set of competitors and "best in class" leaders is established and then taken away for secondary research and writing by a senior consultant. We offer:
- Web Best Practice reports – an important pre-build step to guide your redesign;
- Social Media Best Practice reports – inevitably your best weapon in your daily work with ever changing technologies;
- Staffing Best Practice studies that review your current department structure and resources against those of your competitors and comparators.
Custom Research
With years of expreience utilizing many qualitative and quantitative methodologies and utilizizing our in-house resources (call centre, focus group facility, and online survey software), we can develop the most appropriate research strategy to answer (just about) any information need you may have. By way of example, we have completed customized projects across the full spectrum of Student Services, and specialized areas including: program feasibility, labor market studies, executive/stakeholder studies, tuition and scholarship, and alumni affinity studies.
Research Panel
Academica Group regularly runs market research and user focus groups, surveys and interviews. Join our growing panel to add your voice.
Policy Research
At Academica Group we focus exclusively on understanding the experiences, motivations and perspectives of prospective students as they make choices concerning education and careers. As a result of our expertise in this niche, we have coordinated numerous policy focused studies that have been commissioned by governments and various national non-government organizations. We're proud of this work and it continues to be an important part of our corporate identity. Examples of areas where we have expertise include: