Take the Guesswork out of Marketing with Market Research Surveys

Market research surveys and marketing surveys have ensured that your marketing efforts are not based on guesswork. In fact informed use of both can help create a scientific base for your marketing decisions. From identifying a customer need to creating detailed customer profiles to gathering post-purchase customer feedback, marketing surveys can gather the kind of data which gives you a cutting edge advantage on various aspects of marketing. Whether your pricing decisions are being resented or appreciated would be thrown up by market research surveys.

Sometimes even excellent products can be sunk by poor packaging and substandard after sales service and/or incorrect positioning. A marketing survey prior to the launch of a product would help focus on grey areas to enable you to take corrective measures. Services like infotainment TV channels or press houses often depend on the results thrown up by market research surveys to position programs and convince advertisers.

When you hire a company to conduct your marketing surveys, check out their credentials. What kind of market research survey is being designed in terms of methodology used? What is the size of the universe and how representative is the sample that is being chosen? How is the data to be compiled – via face-to-face interviews or through questionnaires published online or mailed to respondents? Remember the quality and dependability of the data mined through the marketing surveys will depend on the quality of the research design and superior execution of the survey. The response rate of any given survey will determine the reliability of the data mined.

Consumer tastes, preferences and dislikes dictate the success or otherwise of products and services. Marketing surveys are a powerful tool for pinpointing these. Timing of launches, withdrawal of products, decisions on promotional offers, even promotional schedules can be decided on the basis of the findings of market research surveys. Just ensure that you have offered an attractive incentive to respondents to participate in the survey and the results will justify the outlay.