Market research

SUMMARY: Webcasts are no longer the thrilling novelty they used to be. Your content has to be awfully fascinating to keep attendees glued to their screens for your entire presentation. So, what do high-level business execs want to hear about? Themselves of course (just like everyone else).
Discover how a technology company marketing to CFOs used its own product development research activities to create a webinar that tough-to-please prospects loved. read the complete case study

SUMMARY: Too many marketers don’t pay enough attention to their competitors’ marketing messages and end up with a position that isn't unique for their brand. That's marketing dollars down the drain.

We interviewed an expert for tips on how to isolate and gather the necessary data on your competition so you can target your audience better. Includes a six-step process to create your own competitive map and mistakes to avoid. read the complete article

SUMMARY: "Over half of teens are cellular subscribers by age 13." "On average, girls mature cellularly early than boys. Even at the higher age groups, teen female subscribers outnumber male subscribers." "The Hispanic teen market has become significant, projected to approach 3 million subscribers by 2012." view the complete research record

SUMMARY: Like so much of marketing, laws governing survey research are in a constant state of flux. And with privacy concerns increasing, consumers have their share of uneasiness about taking a survey.

If you conduct surveys online or by phone, you need to stay on top of state, federal and international regulations. We talked to experts on what best practices to follow. Includes six key challenges, common mistakes and tips to avoid them. read the complete interview

SUMMARY: Focusing on clicks and conversions can obscure the real indicators of a campaign’s success. For a more complete picture, try these neglected metrics.

We pulled together a Top-5 list from MarketingSherpa’s Search Marketing Benchmark Guide and experienced marketers who volunteered their favorites and tips on implementing them. Two major themes emerged: analyzing visitor behavior before and after a click; putting conversions into context to determine ROI. read the complete article

By Anne Holland, President

20 years ago, I put together my very first direct marketing campaign. The tiny publishing company I had just joined was in a cash crunch. This campaign *had* to work so we could meet payroll.

It was quick and simple. I wrote the copy and had the Kinkos around the corner print the fliers. Then, I personalized each one with sticky labels that I had printed on my little inkjet printer with our... read the complete blog post