The primary job of marketing managers is the design and execution of marketing programme. Before programmes can be designed, the market situation must be understood. In order to understand the market, the manager must have information. Before the marketing manager can have information, there must be data.
Marketing Research is the systematic design, collect, analysis and reporting of data and findings relevant to a specific marketing situation facing the company.

The whole marketing research can be done by:

• Engaging students or professors to design and carry out projects
• Using the Internet
• Checking out rivals
• Syndicated-service research firms
• Custom marketing research firms
• Specialty-line marketing research firms

If you are willing to do the marketing research by yourself, you can check out the basic process of marketing research with this link.

How to Gathering Information and Measuring Market Demand