You may still be a bit worn out from a crazed holiday season, and you might not want to think about in-depth analysis and reporting. But, as Kelly Lorenz of Bronto says, this is "the perfect opportunity … to improve [your tactics] for future years' holiday seasons." Although Lorenz acknowledges that ... more

Though B2B marketers report most of their new sales coming from current customers, only one-half (55.4%) say their companies have departments that focus primarily on customer retention, according to a survey by Loyalty 360 and SAS. Among those with formal loyalty programs, most are using traditional channels such as surveys ... more

In an Internet business environment that expects immediate results, online marketers have overlooked the power of SEO, or organic search, as a top revenue-generating channel. It can also teach you how to run your business in a smarter way. more

Most organizations try to predict retention rates based on customer-satisfaction scores. The reality is that in B2B, user satisfaction does not equal customer retention. Remember, most customers who leave a company leave satisfied. Here's why... and what you can do about it. more

If you want solid information, you should take great care when writing survey questions. "Leading and misleading questions always yield questionable data, based on which you are highly likely to report findings that can misguide stakeholders," writes Carrey V. Azzara at MarketingProfs. "Moreover, decisions they make based on such data ... more

Many people are bullish about growth prospects now that the Great Financial Crisis seems largely behind us. But a lack of planning and preparedness will sink many of ambitions to start a business. These four questions can help structure your thinking before you make some important decisions. more

MarketingProfs blogger Helena Bouchez shares the highlights and lessons from Ad:Tech NY 2010. more

The value of strong questionnaire design is all too often not fully appreciated in the market research community. But the fact is, you can never fully recover from a poorly written and designed questionnaire—no matter how great you are at data analysis, manipulation, interpretation, and presentation. more

When you write survey questions, it's important to ensure the information it elicits will produce meaningful analysis. "Data from mixed-mode questions are hard, if not impossible, to interpret accurately," explains Carey V. Azzara at MarketingProfs. To make his point, he uses this sample survey question: Please rate the effectiveness in achieving ... more

There's more to Twitter than amassing followers and broadcasting your latest news. Properly engaging in the right discussions can earn customer goodwill and brand awareness. The real-time conversations that fill the Twitterverse offer an abundance of market insight. more

Leading and misleading questions always yield questionable data, based on which you are highly likely to report findings that can misguide stakeholders. Moreover, decisions they make based on such data could cause an organization's failure rather than lead to its success. Here's how to diagnose and repair those faulty questions. more

It's a given that market research will come in all shapes and sizes. "We see custom research that reaches into the six figures in cost," writes Mike Sweeney at the Marketing Trenches blog. "We see simple user research that can be executed for as little a few hundred dollars. We ... more

"If yours is like a lot of sales organizations," write Ed Tittel and Carl Eidson in a PRO article at MarketingProfs, "it may have intensified prospecting efforts lately as old customers downsized, cut spending, and, in some cases, went out of business." And if you follow traditional prospecting advice, your team ... more

Debra Ellis recently received an unusual question during a visit to her doctor: "Has capturing information replaced service?" he asked. The doctor had recently taken a vacation with his family, and had endured an excruciatingly complex check-in process at the campground; when his family added another day to their stay, ... more

Data from mixed-mode questions are hard, if not impossible, to interpret accurately. But such flawed survey questions abound, perhaps because at first blush they seem entirely workable. Here's why they're not—and how to avoid them in your survey instruments. more

Lead nurturing has high potential value when your acquisition programs have generated responses from interested prospects, but those prospects are not yet ready to buy. The 2010 Lead Generation Marketing ROI Study found that six in 10 lead generation marketers (58%) agree that nurturing stalled leads is under-funded relative to ... more

MarketingProfs blogger Elaine Fogel discusses her thoughts about where journalism is going. more

It's easy to get lost in the Facebook hype. Everybody's on it—but is "everybody" relevant to you? Here's a quick way to find out. Check out Research Spotlight: Facebook, a new report from MarketingProfs that offers a cheat sheet on the social site, breaking down vital user data for marketers. ... more

Poorly designed questions and scaling problems can derail your research efforts faster than you can say "the cat in the hat"! To help you avoid a few of the more common and onerous problems, this article explores two separate but related questionnaire-design issues: matrix questions and unbalanced scales. more

If you're like most people, you live in a world where blame often happens in a systematic and predictable way. People simply have a tendency to believe the fault lies with someone else—and that someone else can be you. Of course, the process can work in the opposite direction, too... ... more

When used systematically, market research is an ongoing two-way communication between your business and its target audience. Treated as such, market research becomes a constant source of information about opportunities for improvement and innovation. And via the Web, you now have a direct round-the-clock link to every potential customer. more

Your B2C business might ignore anyone who doesn't fit the profile of your usual customer. Why, for instance, would you target recent graduates when you normally sell your product or service to affluent senior citizens? In certain circumstances, though, it makes sense to look at the bigger picture. Consider the case ... more

Is it your job to listen to and analyze social-media messages and direct customer feedback about your product, brand, or service? Effective listening and insights analysis allow you to track not just the volume but also the meaning of online conversations across a complex web of consumer-interaction channels. more

Unless you ask, you'll never know what a customer really thinks about your product or service. "By embracing a customer-feedback program," writes Carolyn Hall at MarketingProfs, "you can gain insight into customer attitudes and learn important truths about buying behavior as well as the evolving attitudes that will determine future ... more

At Kadient—a company that now delivers interactive Sales Playbooks—customer satisfaction is more important than ever. As the company began development of a SaaS product for a new market, here's how the management team readied a formal process for gathering customer feedback. more