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

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

"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

"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

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

In a Pro article at MarketingProfs, Laura Patterson says you shouldn't think of win/loss analysis as a customer-satisfaction survey. Rather, she explains, it's "a process for differentiating why one sales effort wins and others fall short of the mark, and the intent of the analysis is to adjust go-to-market strategies ... more

Countless reports have connected brand loyalty with status-seeking (think luxury cars), but a new study says some consumers' connections to brands stem from a far deeper source: their own insecurities. In the study, researchers asked a group of MP3 owners a few very serious questions and requests, such as: Please ... more

"Predictive analysis has a long and profitable history with direct mail," says Arthur Middleton Hughes in a Pro article at MarketingProfs. "Millions of dollars have been saved by focusing on those customers most likely to buy—and not mailing to those who are unlikely to be interested." Only recently, though, have ... more

As summer approaches, and your subscribers begin to go on holidays, you might wonder whether you should scale back your email campaigns. But in a post at the Email Experience Council blog, Ryan Allis says, "Not only should you feel comfortable sending out your messages over the summer, it's also ... more

When hunkering down to face a challenging economic climate, you might become so focused on survival that you don't notice when the storm begins to weaken. In an article at BusinessWeek, Gene Marks explains how to spot true signs of a recovery: Pay attention to the Consumer Confidence Measure, released by ... more

When you receive an invitation to take a survey, are you more likely to click on a link labeled Take a brief survey, or one that says Take a 5-minute survey? Suzanne Norman suspected it was the latter, and decided the hypothesis called for a test. "[A]fter all," she says ... more

While most retailers have experienced various degrees of tumult during this recession, the picture isn't entirely gloomy. A recent survey by Internet Retailer, for instance, shows many online-only businesses have maintained—or are improving—their email marketing conversion rates. Of the 275 retailers surveyed: 56.4 percent report their ... more

We may be in a recession, but that isn't stopping marketers from spending on search. According to the new 2008 annual survey and forecast from the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization (SEMPO), spending on search engine marketing in North America is expected to hit $26 billion by 2013, up from $13.5 ... more

A new whitepaper from ExactTarget—cheekily titled No Executive Left Behind—argues in its subtitle that there are 10 things your C-Suite must know about email. "You cannot assume that your C-Suite understands the critical role played by email in facilitating sales and maintaining strong customer relationships," ExactTarget's Jeffrey Rohrs says. "You ... more

Before any talk of bailouts, Chrysler called on 15 Web sites to help improve consumers' perception of the Dodge brand and launch its first crossover vehicle, the Journey. NHL.com cut through the clutter and delivered the brand message. Here's how. more

Companies have been scrambling to figure out how to leverage Web. 2.0 applications, but are they doing so for all the wrong reasons? With all the buzz about blogs, wikis, widgets, and other forms of user-driven Web interactions, the question your business needs to answer is, "Is this what our ... more

Marketers responsible for lead generation are all too familiar with some common challenges—getting closed-loop feedback from the sales organization, measuring marketing effectiveness beyond just lead quantity and cost per lead, and building strong alignment with the sales organization. As presented in the MarketingProfs' research report, "B-to-B Lead Generation: Marketing ROI and ... more

In a post at the Email Insider blog, Jordan Ayan writes that he inevitably receives a basic query when he speaks at conferences: "What is the average [fill in the blank]?" The usual concerns relate to click rates, open rates and delivery, but Ayan claims to be more interested in ... more

It's hard to believe how different it was, just a mere fifteen years ago, to conduct secondary market research. There was no Internet, no Yahoo!, no Google search, no Web-accessible databases to tap. How times have changed. But, not always for the better. more

Many brands and companies today are constantly reinvigorating their businesses and positioning them for growth. There is a constant need to innovate, reinvigorate, update, recalibrate, or just simply fend off the competition in an effort to better explain "why buy me." To move forward, companies and brands need to first take ... more

Nonprofits are confronted with many of the questions that any other enterprise often ponders: How do I connect with my customers? Which communication vehicle will provide my organization with the highest return on investment? How can I determine what my target market wants? While many of our corporate friends have turned ... more

Today's technology offers ample opportunities to start conversations with and among customers, fans, foes, competitors, and the press—any person or group who cares to listen and, perhaps, act on the messages received. By some estimates, 85% of the information companies collect is not in a form that they can access or ... more

General search engines like Google and Yahoo aren't designed for B2B companies, which is why so many experience disappointing results. Recent developments with smaller Vertical Search Engines (or VSEs) are providing a strong alternative. But, as with any growing industry, it's important to research and understand these alternatives before making ... more

There is an entire industry devoted to helping companies determine customer satisfaction levels through surveys and analysis. But how much real value does knowledge of "satisfaction" contribute to helping you keep profitable customers? The answer, unfortunately, is "not much." Though surveys do serve a purpose (primarily showing trending: "Are we doing ... more

Online surveys are an increasingly common way to solicit feedback, but response rates are often quite low due to poor survey design, lengthy surveys, requests for personal information, or a lack of incentives for survey completion. So how do you ensure that people respond to your survey? Follow these seven simple ... more