Market research has evolved, offering brands unprecedented amounts of data – from in-depth consumer interviews to real-time analytics dashboards. But with more insights comes a greater risk: the story becomes harder to find. Many organizations invest heavily in consumer research only to find themselves stuck at the crucial turning point – how to make it matter strategically.

This disconnect between insight and strategy is more common than many expect. And it almost always stems from gaps in expertise, process, or communication. Here are a few common reasons businesses struggle to turn research into action:

1. Data Complexity Overload

Most research projects today combine multiple methodologies, from qualitative focus groups to quantitative surveys. While this “qual and quant analysis” approach is powerful, it can also complicate the synthesis process. Without clear interpretation, stakeholders see two separate stories – or worse, no story at all.

2. Too Much Focus on Delivery, Not Decisions

Many research outputs prioritize presentation polish (charts, decks, dashboards) over strategic clarity. Teams often walk away understanding what the data says but not what it means. Without a clear path from findings to recommendations, the research rarely drives action.

3. Misalignment Across Teams

Different departments interpret insights differently, which can lead to confusion or competing narratives. Sales, marketing, product, and leadership may all walk away with different takeaways from the same study, especially when research language isn’t tailored to their roles.

4. Lack of Dedicated Translators

Many organizations lack internal professionals who specialize in turning research into strategy. This often leaves research teams over-extended and reliant on analysts or marketers who may not have training in storytelling or actionable synthesis.

Without the right market research storyteller or strategic narrative creator, companies miss the chance to influence business decisions with evidence-backed ideas. That’s why more teams today are looking for experienced professionals – like SIVO’s On Demand Talent – who are uniquely equipped to bridge the gap between insight and action.

Pre-planning season is a critical moment for this work. It’s when organizations should be gathering and aligning insights before heading into Q4 planning. Having someone who can turn research into clear, credible guidance during this window is key to long-term business impact.

Transforming research into usable strategy requires more than just reading a report or assembling slides. It involves interpretation, synthesis, and storytelling – carefully weaving together information in a way that resonates with business goals and executive audiences. Not everyone can do this well. So, what should you look for when you’re hiring someone to help tell your insights story?

A true data storytelling expert – especially one who serves as a market research translator – combines analytical rigor with creative, strategic thinking. Here are the core skills that matter most:

1. Qualitative and Quantitative Fluency

The best professionals for research storytelling don’t just understand one type of data – they excel at bridging qualitative insights and quantitative results. For example, they can take scores from a customer satisfaction survey and pair them with verbatim quotes from user interviews to create a compelling narrative arc. This ability to move easily between “the numbers” and “the humans” sets them apart.

2. Strategic Framing

Turning data into business strategy isn’t about just finding interesting tidbits – it’s about connecting findings to key decisions. Research translators must frame their narratives around business priorities, such as competitive positioning, consumer behavior shifts, or product innovation. They spot implications others might miss and guide teams toward confident actions.

3. Clear, Audience-Centered Communication

Even the best narrative falls flat if the delivery isn’t tailored. An effective strategic narrative creator knows how to communicate market research findings in ways that resonate with different stakeholders – from marketers to product leads to executive teams. They translate abstract data into language that inspires buy-in and drives alignment.

4. Visual and Verbal Storytelling

Data is much easier to digest when paired with thoughtful visuals and structured storytelling. Strong candidates for this role can create not just clean PowerPoint slides, but guided stories: clear headlines, supporting evidence, and logical flow. They know how to guide an audience through insights with purpose, not just presentation polish.

5. Experience Under Pressure

Planning season, product launches, and strategic pivots often come with tight timelines and high stakes. The ability to jump in quickly, assess context, and synthesize findings fast is what distinguishes seasoned consumer insights experts from generalist freelancers who may need more time and training.

One of the benefits of working with On Demand Talent from SIVO is that you get immediate access to professionals who bring these exact skills – with the experience to hit the ground running. Unlike freelance marketplace hires or junior analysts, On Demand Talent are senior-level experts who know how to make market research actionable at the moments it matters most.

Whether you’re sprinting toward a planning deadline or just want to get more from your insights investment, hiring the right talent can ensure your research becomes a roadmap – not a missed opportunity.

When it comes time to translate complex market research into a clear, actionable strategy, many business leaders find themselves asking: Should we bring in a freelancer, hire a consultant, work with an agency, or find an insights professional? Each of these paths offers benefits—but they also come with trade-offs that can impact the quality, speed, and clarity of your strategic direction.

Freelancers: Flexible but Often Limited

Freelancers can be a quick, low-cost option when you’re on a tight budget or timeline. However, many freelance market researchers or storytellers tend to specialize in a single piece of the puzzle—such as copywriting, analysis, or design—without always possessing the strategic, cross-functional experience needed to tie everything together.

Some common pitfalls of hiring a freelancer alone include:

• Lack of strategic context or business acumen
• Not equipped to manage complex qual and quant datasets
• No long-term accountability or brand alignment

Consultants: Strategic but Often Narrow or Expensive

Independent consultants bring strategy to the table, but tend to focus narrowly on their area of expertise. They might deliver high-level frameworks or slide decks, but may lack hands-on experience translating consumer insights into decision-ready actions that resonate across your organization.

Consultants often charge premium rates and may not offer the flexibility needed for ad hoc insight roles or fast-moving deadlines.

Agencies: End-to-End Support but Less Agility

Full-service insights or creative agencies (like those at SIVO Insights) can offer deep expertise in research methodologies, strategy creation, and insights storytelling. However, some agencies operate on longer timelines and with larger project scopes, which may not work for agile businesses needing short-term or fractional support.

Additionally, when projects require internal alignment, having a nimble insider who understands your brand voice and internal stakeholder needs is critical.

Insights Professionals: Strategic Translators of Research

Experienced insights professionals offer a unique combination of capabilities. They’re not just analyzing data—they’re trained to convert insights into digestible strategies that connect with cross-functional teams.

This is why hiring an On Demand Talent expert from SIVO can be an optimal choice. These seasoned professionals aren’t freelancers or external consultants—they’re hand-picked market research translators with both strategic business sense and storytelling expertise. They know how to bridge qualitative and quantitative insights while seamlessly integrating into your team.

One of the biggest challenges in market research today is effectively combining qualitative observations with quantitative data—and communicating those findings in a way that inspires action. This is where storytelling experts, or data storytelling experts, come in.

Quantitative data tells you what is happening across your business or consumers, while qualitative research dives into the why. Separately, they offer only partial insight. But when synthesized through the lens of a strategic narrative, these two approaches can deliver breakthrough clarity for decision-makers.

Why Storytelling Matters in Insights

Even the most robust research can fall flat if it’s presented in numbers alone. Data storytelling experts know how to shape insights into a coherent arc that resonates across diverse stakeholders—from marketing and sales to product and leadership teams.

For example, a fictional CPG brand may have learned through quant surveys that their shopper base is declining among younger consumers. When paired with qual insights from in-depth interviews, they uncover a perception problem: younger audiences see the brand as outdated. A skilled storyteller distills this combined finding into a strategic narrative that articulates the business risk and provides a clear point of action—revitalizing brand relevance.

What Makes a Great Strategic Narrative Creator?

Experts in insights storytelling can:

• Bridge qual and quant analysis with clarity
• Distill academic or statistical studies into real-world implications
• Use empathy, logic, and data to build persuasive narratives
• Align teams behind a shared, insight-driven vision

Effective communication in market research doesn't mean just pulling charts and statistics. It means understanding the audience, identifying what's meaningful, and crafting stories that motivate business action. The skill set required goes beyond analysis—it involves reframing, prioritization, and presentation tailored to various internal stakeholders.

With support from skilled storytellers, like those in SIVO’s On Demand Talent network, businesses avoid the breakdown that happens when reports are too long, too jargon-heavy, or too safe to spark real change. Instead, they gain clarity—and alignment.

Pre-planning season—often kicking off in Q3—is a critical window for laying the foundation for Q4 strategic planning and next-year business decisions. It’s the time when insight teams are gathering, refining, and packaging research into materials that shape future priorities.

This is also the time when bandwidth gets tight and clarity becomes essential. Support from SIVO’s On Demand Talent can make the difference between a rushed data dump and a resonant, insight-fueled story that drives strategic focus.

Why Pre-Planning Season Needs Extra Insight Support

During this season of activity, many organizations run into challenges such as:

• Too much data but not enough clarity
• Internal teams stretched too thin to translate research effectively
• Stakeholders unclear on what the research is actually saying
• Insights not aligned to key business priorities yet

Our On Demand Talent professionals step in to bridge insight and strategy precisely during these moments. Whether you need a short-term insights strategist, a market research translator, or a consumer insights expert to refine and frame findings, they’re ready to embed with your team and hit the ground running.

Strategic Advantages of Working with On Demand Talent

Unlike freelancers who need onboarding or consultants who work at arm’s length, On Demand Talent provides end-to-end insight support with:

Speed and Flexibility: Talent can be sourced and matched in a matter of days or weeks—not months.
Depth of Experience: All of our professionals have years of experience in qual and quant analysis, storytelling, and strategy development.
Cross-Industry Fit: Whether you're in health care, food and bev, tech, or CPG, our experts understand your consumers and category dynamics.
Planning-Ready Delivery: Final outputs are designed to directly support internal planning discussions, with clear ties to key objectives.

Whether your internal team is short-staffed or you're tackling complex insights planning, ODT gives you usable output fast—so stakeholder teams stay aligned and action-oriented as planning season ramps up.