Marketing Research: Know Your Customers
Some marketers are emerging into this new age, while many others remain stuck in the past when it comes to marketing research. One of the biggest misconceptions about paid surveys is that they represent a more effective way to market products and services than traditional marketing research – something that’s simply not true. The truth is, paid survey companies can be more expensive than traditional market researchers and they often lack the depth and breadth of data that skilled professionals are expected to provide today.
But what these firms do offer is convenience – you won’t have to pay for a compatible demographic list, or worry about having enough qualified respondents for your project; you also won’t have to wait days or weeks on end as with other methods. However, convenience does not equal effectiveness, and despite what you might have heard about paid surveys, they are no more effective at marketing than traditional research. In fact, in some ways they can be less effective than traditional marketing research as well.
Yes – paid survey companies utilize a wealth of data on consumer preferences that can be used to back up your message or to prove a point. But so do professional market researchers and their data is far more detailed and extensive; they also have access to much larger pools of respondents thanks to their membership networks. Total Surveys estimates the average age of its domestically recruited panel is over 50 years old with nearly 40% being female. In addition, the vast majority of the respondents are familiar with your products and services, often having purchased them themselves.
In addition to the age of respondents and familiarity, surveys conducted by outside firms are also more expensive. Traditionally a $500 non profit client would need approximately 1,500 responses at $10 each for a total of over $50,000 for just one project to support their efforts. Total Surveys estimates that it costs as little as $1,000 per project with 20 or more responses required for a traditional market research firm – so their rates are still cheaper than other research options when compared on an annual basis.
But most importantly, neither traditional market research or paid surveys offer the in-depth analysis that today’s clients are now expecting. Thanks to social media and the proliferation of technology, consumers now expect every company to be on their side, helping them achieve their goals as opposed to simply trying to sell them things. In order to keep up with this evolution in marketing research, marketers will now have to get even more creative in how they incorporate data from surveys into their product development and marketing efforts.
In fact – many marketers conceal the majority of survey results from consumers because they don’t want those respondents thinking that their input directly played a part in how a given product has been designed or marketed. This way some of the more embarrassing or simply negative results can be kept away from the public eye. This is not to say that consumers don’t appreciate getting involved in product development and marketing, but companies need to balance this with their need for secrecy.
For example, a consumer might not appreciate knowing just how many people didn’t like the product they thought was perfect, but they may also have an issue with you changing something because of what one person said – because most consumers don’t really understand markets. So if you’re going to use surveys as part of your marketing efforts, make sure that you are being strategic enough to know what kinds of questions and results will work best for your needs.
Many marketers want to share all the survey results, but they need to understand that consumers do not like surveys or feel pressured into responding – in fact, they will often feel insulted. So make sure that you are offering this information in a way that makes it seem like it is a compliment and not just a requirement. Only let respondents know that the information was requested and then only offer them with a simple thank you when they forward it on to someone else. That way you are still using surveys for marketing purposes without coming off as pushy or rude.
And lastly – even market research companies that provide surveys for free can be a challenge for marketers. For example – if you are asking respondents to answer a 100 questions, you’re going to get many with no credibility or experience in the area and will likely have to discount them from your results. So make sure that you are only offering this service to high quality respondents from credible sources.
Results from paid survey companies are valuable, but they should not be confused with the reliability of results provided by professional market researchers who understand the intricacies of product development and marketing. When it comes to market research, success depends upon understanding the intricacies of consumer behavior and using that information to your benefit.
To learn more about the many marketing research services provided by Total Surveys and how these can fit into your overall marketing plan, contact us today at 614-542-2422.
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When you purchase from an online retailer, you pay for your items and then wait for them to ship to your home. But what happens if the item doesn't show up? The loss is always greater than the purchase price of the item. The way shipping companies do business has a lot to do with how much you end up losing in the event that an item doesn't ship or arrives damaged. Shipping companies, like UPS and FedEx, strive to meet strict service standards, but the standards are actually more stringent than you might think. The two most important aspects of shipping are that the boxes will arrive in one piece (assuming reasonable handling) and the product will be undamaged. That means that if your item was mishandled by the shipping company or it arrives damaged, then you'll also be out of luck -- unless you can prove that they weren't at fault. Unfortunately for everyone involved (you included), a number of human mistakes can happen when sending packages from one place to another. What do you do if one of those mistakes happens to yours? Here's a list of common trouble spots. Your item is damaged in transit
Most of the time, damaged items are simply caught before they reach their destination. This can happen when the shipping company performs an inspection of the packages. Unfortunately, it's not always possible to tell if something is damaged until it's broken open. If your package arrives damaged, contact the shipper immediately and explain what happened.
Conclusion: If a package arrives damaged, you'll likely have to accept the situation and make sure that a claim is made with the shipping company. Verbal communication should be used in every case -- don't leave it up to the postal service.
Your item won't fit on your doorstep (or it was damaged in transit)
The UPS and FedEx folks pride themselves on careful handling of packages. The reality is that humans are involved in both parties of this process (the sender and the receiving party). The shipping companies use predictive models to figure out how long it will take for a package to arrive at its destination.