Benefits of Survey Research for Marketing

Marketing Survey Research

Survey Research is a commonly used methodology in Marketing. In its most simple explanation, Marketers use Survey Research to know their customers better and improve their product or service. While that explanation is easy to understand, it doesn’t tell you specifically how surveys can improve your Marketing. Let’s dive a little deeper into some of the specific benefits of Survey Research for Marketing.

Increased Data Collection Accuracy

The anonymity of surveys allows people to feel more candid with their responses. To get accurate data, you need your participants to be as honest as possible with their answers. Surveys provide more honest responses than other types of research methods due to confidentiality. Online surveys also increase the quality of responses because respondents can take the survey on their time and schedule. This flexibility allows the respondent to not feel as rushed and give a more accurate answer.

Turns Qual into Quant

Marketers are always looking for more information on consumers. However, some traditional research methods make it difficult to analyze information in large quantities. Surveys allow you to collect qualitative information and turn it into quantitative information. The ability to analyze themes becomes a much easier process when utilizing surveys. Manually analyzing survey responses can be an exhaustive process and can potentially be inaccurate due to personal biases.

Segmentation

What specific quality drives a consumer motivation or response? By analyzing the survey responses, you can identify trends in your data that point to consumer motivation. For example, if respondents who have children, who are boys, and significantly purchase Nerf guns vs. respondents who have children, who are girls, and rarely purchase Nerf guns; you could make the correlation that Nerf guns sales is effected by the gender of children. Through segmentation you can begin to know your customers on a deeper level.

Efficiency

Compared to other qualitative research techniques, surveys can stretch your research budget further. Along with the cost benefit, surveys are more flexible than other research techniques, such as focus groups. Surveys can be done online, which greatly opens up the potential group of participants.