•  

  

  The Best Bang for Your Buck 

  Market Research

  "According to the 2009 Spencer Stuart survey of more than 300 senior-level marketers," write Kevin Clancy and Peter Krieg in a Pro article at MarketingProfs, "55% said emphasis on a short-term response to the economic downturn has led them to neglect long-term strategy." As the economy begins to stabilize and ... more
•  

  

  We Want More of That Pie! 

  Market Research

  When a salesperson talks budgets with a CEO, the chief's eyes may either light up or send sparks, depending on the news conveyed. But when a search marketer brings up budgets, the CEO may just get that deer-in-the-headlights look. That's because "few marketers explain how search can affect the goals ... more
•  

  

  Getting to Know You, You, You, You 

  Market Research

  A recent Nielsen study found that global consumption of social media increased 82 percent from Dec. 2008 to Dec. 2009 in the 10 countries surveyed, with users spending an average of 5.5 hours on their sites of choice per month! US and Australian addicts are among the heaviest users of all, spending 6 ... more
•  

  

  Experts: Internet Will Enhance Our Intelligence 

  Market Research

  A decade from now, the Internet will have redefined the way we read, write, and gather knowledge to skills largely built around gadgetry and applications, according to a new study from Pew Internet. more
•  

  

  When Pizza Turns a New Leaf 

  Market Research

  It'd be an understatement to say 2009 was a tough year for Domino's Pizza, what with the awkward employees-abusing-food scandal. A quick recap: two bored employees recorded themselves doing unpleasant things with food, and the video wound up on YouTube. Domino's responded swiftly enough, both terminating the employees and releasing an apologetic YouTube video ... more
•  

  

  Most Hispanics to Participate in Census 

  Market Research

  With 2010 Census questionnaires set to arrive in mailboxes across the country by mid-March, 84% of Hispanics intend to be counted this year and are confident that personal information collected won't be shared with other government organizations, according to a survey from Telemundo and Ipsos Public Affairs. more
•  

  

  Tapping the Potential of Online Demos 

  Market Research

  An online demo is a powerful tool that can connect your prospects with your software in minutes, showcasing a full array of features and helping you drive home the value of your solution. But it can do much more than that, writes Jayson Gehri in a MarketingProfs article titled "The ... more
•  

  

  B2B Goes 007 

  Market Research

  "While most people think of social media as a non-business arena, many savvy marketers are ... leveraging [it] to gather intelligence about prospects," says Dan McDade in a recent post at the DemandGen Report blog. In short: B2B marketers are turning into virtual 007s—in a good way. "Social media can provide ... more
•  

  

  Electronics Sales to Edge up in 2010 

  Market Research

  The consumer electronics industry is forecast to reach nearly $166 billion in US shipment revenues this year, with the wireless handset category as the primary revenue driver, according to the semi-annual industry forecast by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). more
•  

  

  Dial M for Mobile Search 

  Market Research

  According to research from SEMPO, more than 64 million US wireless subscribers surfed the mobile Internet in May 2009—almost twice as many as in the previous year. That accounts for more than 20% of the total US population, 28% of US wireless subscribers, and more than 40% of desktop Internet ... more
•  

  

  Business Leaders Value Sales, Marketing Data Most 

  Market Research

  Accurate and timely decision-making is a key component of creating competitive advantage, yet only 3% of business leaders describe their companies as "experts" in using business data to drive better decisions, and only 27% agree that their company makes better, faster decisions than their main competitors, according to a survey ... more
•  

  

  The Word on the (Virtual) Street 

  Market Research

  In a recent post at the Retail Email blog, Chad White highlights a host of interesting takeaways from this month's Winter Email Insider Summit. Among them are some hot email marketing tactics you may want to consider implementing, such as these: Give email credit where credit is due. "By withholding emails and monitoring sales," ... more
•  

  

  Let's Go Steady  

  Market Research

  "The problem with market research is that, while it can generate some pretty actionable insights, it's expensive," says Josh Bernoff at the Groundswell blog. "If you do surveys, it's always a struggle to get enough people to generate a large enough sample without breaking the bank—and when the survey's done, ... more
•  

  

  Will This Be on the Test? 

  Market Research

  "[T]here is altogether too much guessing and not enough proving in email marketing," says Stephanie Miller in a post at the MarketingProfs Daily Fox blog. "With inboxes overflowing, subscriber fatigue growing and competition from social networks increasing, it's no longer enough to broadcast out your best guess as to what ... more
•  

  

  Bring the Mayor to Your Doorstep 

  Market Research

  Few things are as irresistible as a mobile game that lets players rack points up during waiting-room or bus-ride lulls. But if you're a brick-and-mortar shop, or a restaurant, there isn't much incentive for throwing another branded version of Tetris out into the ether. What to do, what to do? Solution: Hook up ... more
•  

  

  Holiday Shoppers to Spend Less This Year 

  Market Research

  This holiday season, almost half of holiday shoppers (46%) plan to spend less on holiday gifts compared with last year, according to a recent Harris poll. Young consumers are an exception: Just 37% of Echo Boomers (age 18-32) plan to spend less. more
•  

  

  Consumer Confidence Edges Up in Nov. 

  Market Research

  The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined in October, increased slightly in November and now stands at 49.5 (1985=100), up from 48.7 in October, according to the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Survey. more
•  

  

  Do You Love Us? 

  Market Research

  "Our experience suggests that most companies use a crude approach to gathering vital customer data," says David Jackson in an article at MarketingProfs. "Periodic, often annual, surveys that are disconnected in time from the events they are purporting to measure are the norm." Jackson dismisses such efforts as vain "Do You ... more
•  

  

  Shake It Up, Baby 

  Market Research

  Based on the premise that data's no fun (and no use!) without insight, BrandZ has launched BrandZ 100, an iPhone app that takes its annual Top 100 Brands Report and actually makes it fun to read. Developed by IconMobile, the app—decked out in crisp black, white and red—takes you straight to ... more
•  

  

  Glamp It Up 

  Market Research

  Warren Katz uses a post at the Elephant Bites blog to discuss the recession-driven microtrend of "glamping"—a freshly coined portmanteau for glamorous camping. In essence, its proponents want the low-budget benefit of a holiday in the great outdoors, but don't care to leave all the luxuries of home behind. "So, who ... more
•  

  

  Who Invited You? 

  Market Research

  Last summer, Morgan Stewart of ExactTarget quizzed 2,400 people on their attitudes toward marketing and made an interesting discovery. "70% of consumers who visit Facebook at least once a month and are a 'fan' of at least one company or brand, don't believe they have given those companies permission to ... more
•  

  

  Mind the Big Three Be's 

  Market Research

  Fun fact: Only 13% of the mobile market has an iPhone. That sounds like plenty when you consider how long the phone's been available, but it merits remembering that the vast majority of users—and possibly many in your demo—still don't have one. So how to wiggle into the pockets of non-iPhoners ... more
•  

  

  Digital Marketing Factbook: A Glimpse Inside 

  Market Research

  This article presents a small sampling of the vital research data about today's email, search, and social media marketing that's contained in the MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Factbook, designed to be a comprehensive resource for every online marketer. more
•  

  

  Low Prices Will Rule 2009 Holiday Season 

  Market Research

  US consumers plan to spend an average of $682.74 during the upcoming holiday season, a 3.2% drop from last year. More than half say sales and low prices will determine where they shop, although convenience will draw many of them online. more
•  

  

  Gays Prefer Working in States with Marriage Equality 

  Market Research

  Other factors being equal, 71% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adults would prefer a job with an employer based in a state that recognizes marriage equality over an employer based in a state that doesn't. more

Market Research: See all 75 items

Market Research articles by the best and brightest in the field

• Branding in the Age of Social: Gaining Insight Through Research  by Eric Norman
  Do you have a clear picture of your organization's strengths and weaknesses, and of the opportunities and threats in the marketplace? Is your position vis-à-vis your competitors clear and compelling? Does anyone else in this vast universe know or care? What brand signals echo back from the noise in the ... more
• The Secret to Success in a Down Economy: Market Intelligence by Barbara Bix
  Especially in a down economy, it's important to understand where the opportunities are—and how to capitalize on them. Luckily, today's companies have many avenues for gathering such information. more
• Plan B: Seven Back-to-Basics Questions to Ask About Your Buyers to Drive Growth by Kevin Clancy, Peter Krieg
  Plan A, which calls for pouring dollars into advertising, rarely increases profitability. Sometimes it doesn't even boost sales, and it certainly doesn't guarantee improvements in marketing effectiveness or ROI. Enter Plan B: taking a closer look at the basic marketing strategy fundamentals that drive tactical decisions. more
• Defining Market Opportunity—You Be the Judge by Kevin Horne
  At its core, market opportunity is your sizing forecast for a specific product or service, now and over the next several years. At a minimum, you should know that information in terms of sales dollars. A solid understanding of opportunity will guide you to the best markets and warn you ... more
• Planning an Online B2B Community by Nancy Strauss
  B2B communities are often aimed at highly specialized populations and may even be closed to outsiders. However, a growing number of enterprises regard their B2B communities as a secret weapon that gives them a powerful competitive advantage. more
• What Every CMO Should Know About Music by Ruth Simmons
  Sir John Hegarty, the man behind the Levi's jeans and Lynx deodorant ads, once claimed, "Music is 50% of an ad's success." Yet even today very few metrics are regularly applied within the planning and creative processes to measure the value of music and sound to a brand's marketing. more
• The State of Social Media Marketing, by the Numbers: A Sneak Peek by Tim McAtee
  Before writing The State of Social Media Marketing—an in-depth, thorough study of social media use among marketers—we looked around at the existing research to see what other organizations were asking in their surveys. Much of it seemed interesting, but lacking in nuance. Here are a few rich examples of the ... more
• Neuromarketing Is the Future, But... by Samuel D. Bradley, PhD
  Increasingly, marketers are turning toward brain-imaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in the quest for the Holy Grail "buy button." We call it neuromarketing. The brain, however, is reluctant to reveal its code. more
• Recruiting Executives and Industry Experts for Qualitative Research by Scott Swigart, Sean Campbell
  Your studies are not appropriate for participants found on purchased lists, and the participants will take part in a series of in-depth interviews. So how do you find your interviewees? more
• Do Your Customer Surveys Measure Up?  by David Jackson
  Most companies use a crude approach to gathering vital customer data: Periodic, often annual, surveys that are disconnected in time from the events they are purporting to measure are the norm. We call them the Annual ''Do You Love Us?'' Survey, and it has many pitfalls. One of the biggest mistakes is ... more
• Marketing to Youth: No Longer a Dark Art by Paul Metz
  It takes a lot more than Harry Potter's brand of wizardry for marketers to understand the spending habits of what is commonly referred to as the youth market—those between age 6 to 18. In fact, it requires a flexible understanding of the subcategories within this vast network of youth. And success ... more
• Use Surveys to Get Close to Your Customers by John Wechsler
  We all know that it costs less to keep a current customer than it does to acquire a new one. As budgets continue to be pinched and resources diminish, businesses would do well to stop looking at past and future customers, and focus some love and attention on the customers ... more
• Rethinking the Focus Group by Gavin Johnston
  The focus group has lost favor in recent years as marketers seek a more experiential process for gathering customer insights. Although it has lost some luster, the focus group still holds the potential for providing powerful, usable insights. The trick to moving it from something parodied on sitcoms to a credible ... more
• How to Address Marketing ROI and Measurement Pressures in a Tight Economy by Jim Lenskold
  With marketing teams being challenged to deliver results despite tighter budgets and smaller staffs, how is it possible to improve measurements and ROI analysis now, when they did not get addressed in prior years, when more resources were available? more
• Three Essential Market-Research Methods in an Online Community by John Kembel
  How much do you know about your customers right now, at this moment? A lot of companies can show you composite profiles that describe their target customers, including job titles, needs, obligations, and goals. No doubt about it: It's important to know those things. But relying solely on such information to ... more
• Marketing in a Recession: What Do the Studies Really Tell Us? by Christian Shea
  Have you heard this one? "All the research shows that companies that spend on marketing during a recession come out ahead of the competition as the economy rebounds." It's a catchy buzz phrase—and if people believe it, even better. But here's the thing: What research, exactly? more
• How to Become 'Their Brand': Engaging Today's Fickle Customers by Manila Austin
  Marketers today understand that consumers think, feel, and react in ways different from June Cleaver some 50 years ago. We use descriptors like fickle, indecisive, and disloyal to describe the modern consumer. Just what do these terms mean? Mainly, they mean that consumers have too many choices—multiple brands, brand extensions, and ... more
• Should You Launch a Brand Community? by Nancy Strauss
  On company Web sites everywhere, community sections are popping up—both a cause and an effect of a climate in which more and more marketing directors and brand managers are being asked by their companies, "Why don't we do something 2.0?" Although an online community can bring innumerable benefits to a brand, ... more
• How Hyundai Uses Behavioral Segmentation to Take the Bull by the Horns and Send the Bear Packing by Michael Barr
  Hyundai took the bull by the horns in this bear market and scored big. It used behavioral segmentation to identify what was keeping prospects from buying and then developed a strategy that made it easier for customers to part with their hard-earned dollars. What can you learn from its example? In ... more
• Your Marketing Stimulus Package: Invest Now in Building Brand by Kevin Randall
  Every day we are bombarded with bad news about the economy: dismal corporate earnings, budget cuts, advertising gone dark, clients and agencies and people coming and going, and a sense of turbulence, malaise, and timidity. What can marketing do? Today's brand leaders should follow these 7 Ps of branding as ... more
• The Top 4 Ways Smart Marketers Use Digital Branding Applications to Operate More Efficiently by Allen Adamson
  As part of the research I did in preparation for my recent book, BrandDigital, I interviewed some of the best and brightest people in the fields of marketing and digital technology, and they provided incredible insight on how digital tools and tactics can be used to not simply increase operating ... more
• Benchmarking: A Best-Practice for Improving Marketing Performance (Part 1) by Laura Patterson
  CEOs and CMOs are interested in seeing marketing organizations improve their performance in two key areas: effectiveness (the ability to produce the desired result) and efficiency (reducing waste). The economic environment makes these efforts even more top-of-mind. Often the question that remains is how much do we need to improve? Benchmarking ... more
• Three Reasons Why Print Collateral Remains Relevant by Elaine Fogel
  Digital marketing is hot. And a recent MarketingProfs survey showed that the first items that marketers faced with reduced budgets would cut were print advertising and tradeshows. So, why focus on print collateral at all? Here's a close look at three reasons why print collateral may still be viable and ... more
• Six Irrational Leaps to Avoid in Marketing by Steve Cuno
  Why do people believe things irrationally, in the face of zero evidence? You already know the answer: People who really, really want to believe, will believe... regardless of where the evidence points. Are you managing your marketing program this way? more
• How Packaging Your Offering Enhances Your Brand by Anthony Cirillo
  Is your company packaging experiences? Are they sought—or are they sold? And, drilling the concept down one more level: have you ever looked at yourself and considered the package that you offer and the experience you provide? In the current downturn, where layoffs loom large, those with the better shot at ... more

See all Marketing Articles

Market Research case studies, deconstructing real life examples and illustrating lessons learned.

• How a Small Internet Publisher Doubled Its Email Database & Reduced Marketing Spend With Cost-per-LeadTripmela, Inc.
  CASE STUDY: Earlier this year, when online travel publisher Tripmela was in startup mode, CEO Jared Blank determined that he needed to achieve a $1.50 cost per acquisition if he was going to lead this fledgling to profitability. Here's how he did it. more
• How One Whitepaper Generated 500 Leads and Significant PR for a B2B ManufacturerJER Envirotech
  JER Envirotech, a manufacturer of environmentally friendly thermoplastic biocomposite materials, needed to stand out in the green manufacturing industry. Its solution: create a white paper to both explain and build credibility for its offerings. Here's how that led to 500 new leads over 60 days. more
• How a Consumer Electronics Company Leveraged the Power of Community to Uncover Market Preferences and Build Excitement for a New Product LineEastman Kodak Company
  When it chose to enter the saturated inkjet market 20 years late, Eastman Kodak had a few surprises up its sleeve. Still, the company found it also needed a little marketing ingenuity if it was to gain market share. more
• How a University Embraced Social Media and Scored Millions in YouTube ViewsCarnegie Mellon University
  How does a university up its visibility with an increasingly wired target market of both students of alumni? By orchestrating a Web 2.0-focused Web site redesign that set the foundation for an ongoing social media campaign. more
• How a Web-based Company Increased Leads 90%—and Sales 23%—via PPC-Visitor Profiling, Landing Page PersonalizationCompany: Continental Warranty
  Continental Warranty used pay-per-click ads to generate leads by providing free quotes for extended-warranty coverage. But lead volume had plateaued. So it began to profile its web visitors, then direct them to microsites matching their profiles—and nearly doubled leads. more
• How MyFax Upped Customer Engagement, Achieved a 79% NetPromoter ScoreMyFax
  Internt fax service provider MyFax wanted to tap into the power of word-of-mouth referrals by improving the customer experience and maintaining highly personalized customer interactions. But as an online company, it faced the issue of how to individually engage customers to ensure long-term relationships. Here's what it did. more
• How a Small-Business Consultant Leveraged a High-Profile TV Commercial to Generate New Traffic and Win New BusinessLocalZing
  As a tiny Florida player in the field of advertising for small businesses, Karl Long knew he should consider unconventional ways to promote his company. Taking a cue from a competitor, Long launched a campaign that upped traffic to his blog 500%, raised his Google profile, and led to new business. more
• How an Online Software Biz Doubled Its Sales Leads, Increased Site Traffic 75%Makana Solutions
  Makana Solutions needed an inexpensive way to reach the elusive small business market. Rather than chase small businesses, it hired an online "inbound marketing system" to help small businesses find Makana. The results: Web site traffic climbed 75%, and sales leads have doubled. more
• How an Online Business Increased Conversions (Sales) on Landing Pages by Up to 12%AutoAnything.com
  AutoAnything.com, which sells custom-made automotive accessories and performance parts, designed its homepage almost a decade ago. But as e-commerce has become more competitive, the site needed a strategy. After testing different versions of landing pages, AutoAnything.com increased landing-page conversions by up to 12%. more
• How a Marketing Consultant Significantly Increased His Client Base via Social MediaL&G Business Solutions
  Marketing executive and consultant Lewis Green wanted to re-establish his company in January 2004 after moving across the country. With no professional network in place, he figured the best way to promote his business would be a blog. His first attempt failed. But not his second. more
• How a Technology Firm Upped Webinar Attendance, Improved Lead NurturingObjectivity, Inc.
  By hiring an outside expert in lead optimization and leveraging its full range of data, San Francisco-based Objectivity increased turnout for its webinars an average of 10%. The quality of the leads is high as well: More than 30% of the leads typically score high enough to be handed off to sales. more
• How a Viral Campaign Gave OfficeMax Brand Recognition, Drove ShoppersOfficeMax, Inc.
  Office supply chain OfficeMax also sells digital cameras and other products popular as holiday gifts—but its customers didn't think of it as a holiday-shopping destination. What's more, it was often confused with its chief rival. A wildly popularly web-based viral marketing campaign helped OfficeMax distinguish itself and encourage shoppers. more
• How Major League Baseball Doubled Fan Research Without Increasing CostsMajor League Baseball
  Each year, when MLB's postseason culminates with the World Series, all eyes are on baseball—or are they? With most teams out of the running, do those fans continue to watch? Are the resources invested in marketing worthwhile, or in tune with fans' true passions? more
• How a B2C Web Site's Landing-Page Tests Resulted in a 67% Jump in ConversionsBabyCenter
  The landing page for a top Web site's most popular search term converted about 30 percent less frequently than the company's general landing page. By simultaneously testing four new versions of the landing page, the site was able to ensure relevance, increasing conversions 67%—and decreasing abandonment rates. more
• How the Kimpton Hotel Group's Affinity-Based Email Program Boosted Bookings Revenue FivefoldKimpton Hotels
  Kimpton Hotels had successfully created a loyalty program, but its email program was lagging. By implementing an email strategy that focused on segmentation and targeting individual preferences, and by adding a corporate branding strategy, the company increased email bookings fivefold. more
• How a Web-based B2B Niche Service Increased Revenue per Sales Rep by 9.3%ShareBuilder401k
  Online service ShareBuilder 401(k) provides retirement plans exclusively for small businesses. But retirement plans are usually sold in person, not virtually. Here's how ShareBuilder discovered a way to market to this niche that upped its number of sales made via the Internet. more
• How a Niche Web Site's 'Telechats' Increased Credibility, Visibility and Google PageRankTheSpiritedWoman.com
  Here's how a relatively new women's Web site gained attention—and more regular readers—at a low cost. Plus, its "telechats" with authors has helped distinguish it from other sites focused on empowering women. more
• How an Office Furniture Company Tripled Its Sales by Optimizing for SearchPanel Systems Unlimited
  Office furniture dealer Panel Systems Unlimited found its sales lagging during an economic recession, and knew that it had to act quickly to position itself for the inevitable recovery. Partnering with Medium Blue Search Engine Marketing, it focused on upping its search engine exposure. The result: sales tripled. more
• How Garden Fresh Realized a Huge Gain in Web Traffic and Longer-Term Loyalty via EmailGarden Fresh Restaurant Corp.
  Garden Fresh Restaurants sought to increase customer engagement with its "Club Veg" loyalty club, totaling more than half a million opt-in members. Its two interactive email campaigns worked like a charm -- leading to huge increases in site traffic and boosting customer loyalty. more
• How a State Agency's Anti-Smoking Campaign Effectively Reached Teens via the Web, TV and Live EventsColorado State Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership (STEPP), a division of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
  One of the more successful tobacco control programs is the "Own Your C" campaign commissioned by the state of Colorado, which has effectively found ways to resonate with this hard-to-reach demographic. more

Market Research: See all 42 case studies

Market Research online seminar broadcasts from the best minds in marketing

• Segmenting the Hispanic Market: What the Numbers Really MeanAttendee rating:  - Jul 12, 2007
• Small Business Series: Do-It-Yourself Market ResearchAttendee rating:  - Jun 22, 2007
• Demystifying Website Usability: Rapid Research for MarketersAttendee rating:  - Jul 25, 2006
• Conducting Online Research the Right WayAttendee rating:  - Jun 1, 2006
• Marketing Research the Guerrilla WayAttendee rating:  - May 11, 2006
• Make GOOGLE Your Most Powerful Market Research ToolAttendee rating:  - Sep 15, 2004

Market Research: See all 6 seminars

Market Research marketing downloads for the busy professional

• LinkedIn Success Stories
  LinkedIn is used by 55 million professionals as a place to network, trade advice, and demonstrate business expertise. See how 11 companies, including PR firms, advertising agencies, and software companies, are using LinkedIn to show expertise, generate leads, and conduct research.
• Customer-Centric Innovation: How Companies Engage Customers in Product Development and Radical Innovation
  Engaging your customers can help increase satisfaction, loyalty, and brand awareness. This research report will help you understand the role of customers in product development.
• B2B Marketing in 2009: Trends in Strategies and Spending
  Get the truth about B2B marketing in a tough economy from people who know the business best—B2B marketers themselves. Our special report, B2B Marketing in 2009, provides the most current research on trends in strategies and spending, and how they affect your business.
• Benchmark Research: Marketing in the Economic Crisis
  These economic times have everyone concerned and asking, "How does this effect marketing?". Well we surveyed our very own members to help give marketers a sense of how others are dealing and adapting to these tough times.
• Email Marketing Benchmark Report 2008
  This 150-page Email Benchmark Report 2008 was developed by surveying our very own MarketingProfs members. Find out what the competition is doing so your 2009 email marketing budget makes sense!
• B2B Sales Lead Generation: Integration of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 Media
  Research on how Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 can be used in effective Lead Generation campaigns
• Small Biz How-To Guide: Market Research
  Need to learn about your customers without the big price tag of market research firms? This guide on do-it-yourself market research will help you get the information you need to position your business without emptying the corporate coffers.
• Small Biz How-To Guide: Avoiding Key Pitfalls
  Let's face it, more small businesses fail than succeed. Make sure yours is one of the winners with this guide to getting your small business off the ground and solidly on the road to success.
• SWOT Analysis How-To Guide
  This comprehensive, step-by-step how-to guide will help you assess the position in the market of your product or firm, by identifying the product's Strengths and Weaknesses, by considering the potential Opportunities the product has in the marketingplace, and by assessing the potential Threats posed by either the competition or the marketplace.
• Online Research How-To Guide
  Set clear objectives and a realistic scope to online research projects. These are just two of the steps that this comprehensive, step-by-step planning guide will help you to accomplish to insure your online research results in the most relevant and useful information possible.
• Benchmark Survey: Voice of the Customer
  Link directly to the raw (aggregate) data in this 2006 survey of the ways companies are incorporating the voice of the customer into their marketing, their product development, and their management. With access to the raw data, you can view the results, and even filter them to see how a subset of companies in your country or industry answered. In this way, you can interpret the data in the most meaningful way for your business.
• Benchmark Survey: Marketing to Hispanics
  Link directly to the raw (aggregate) data in this 2006 survey of the ways companies are targeting their marketing efforts, and adjusting their business processes, for the lucrative Spanish-speaking segment. With access to the raw data, you can view the results, and even filter them to see how a subset of companies in your country or industry answered. In this way, you can interpret the data in the most meaningful way for your business.
• Competitive Analysis Template
  A thorough competitive analysis is a critical component of a solid marketing plan. It is an exercise that will provide you with valuable insights to guide the development of your business strategy. This 20-page template will make the project quick and easy, and you can end up with a leg up on your compeition.
• Using Google as a Research Tool
  This in-depth handbook will walk you through the ins and outs of using Google as a powerful resource for market research. In 27 easy-to-follow pages with a dozen screen shots, this PDF is a handy tool you will want to print and keep nearby as you learn to incorporate the new techniques into your search routines.

Market Research: See all 14 downloads