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

MarketingProfs blogger Lauren Fernandez shares thoughts regarding success from the MarketingProfs B2B Forum. more

At one of our favorite sites—Which Test Won?—Anne Holland presents results from actual A/B tests. And a recent post profiles a test run by Campaign Monitor in which the company asked its active customers to participate in a survey. "This was a clean test—both versions were sent at the same ... more

In today's consumer-goods industry, manufacturers and retailers alike are recognizing the value of developing an integrated understanding of the consumer and the shopper. Combining the voice of the shopper into brand and category plans is rapidly becoming a cost of entry for successful trading relationships. more

MarketingProfs blogger Elaine Fogel discusses how Arizona businesses have been affected by the state's new anti-immigration law. How can marketers, business owners and managers plan for such a thing as a political boycott? more

The next time you dine out, take a close look at the menu—even if you already know what you want to order. The reason? Restaurants have learned a thing or two about convincing their customers to spend more money on certain dishes. "The use of menu engineers and consultants is exploding in ... more

In 2010, there is no excuse for keeping your marketing insight languishing in a silo, away from your core business processes. Thanks to today's Web-based technologies, you have an unprecedented number of opportunities to generate real business value from such insight. more

At a lot of marketing conferences, over-excited pitch people talk a lot about The New Thing that will Change Every Paradigm Forever. So much over-enthusiasm can jade just about anyone, so it was a relief to attend the Advertising Research Federation's (ARF) re:Think 2010 conference taking place in New York ... more

"Especially in a down economy," writes Barbara Bix in a Pro article at MarketingProfs, "it's important to understand where the opportunities are—and how to capitalize on them." To learn how one company has approached the challenge, she spoke with the head of marketing intelligence for a midsize provider of B2B ... more

"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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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