Market Research Valentine
Posted by Jeffrey Henning on Sun, Feb 14, 2010
Did you get the candy that Market Research sent you for Valentine's Day?
No? Oh, well, Market Research is a shy guy. You may not have noticed, but he has been pining for you for a while now. He can imagine so many things that you can do together, the great times you can have, the amazing shared experiences that await you. You two would be a great match, but - if your business is like most - this is unrequited love.
Since Market Research was too shy to do so, let me spell it out for you using candy hearts. Here's what the two of you could do together.
 | Your customers are talking about you on Facebook, Twitter and on blogs, forums and communities around the Internet. Are you reading and learning from them? |
 | An MROC (Market Research Online Community) will transform you and your customers into a dream team. You will love being able to turn to them whenever you have questions that need immediate answers. |
 | NECCO added the “TWEET ME” saying to Sweetheart candies this year (seriously), but more interesting was how they decided to do it. NECCO asked consumers for new messages and received over 10,000 suggestions (#1 was “TWEET ME” and #2 was “TEXT ME”). Add crowdsourcing to your MR techniques! |
 | Follow your consumers home to do ethnographic research, studying how they actually use your products and services in real life. You will be surprised by all the insights this gives you. |
 | Be smarter about how you do surveys. Surveys are a tried and true method of learning from your customers, but you have to act on the feedback and share it widely. Put your customers into a panel, and they will make you wiser throughout the year. |
 | Isn’t this the year you made Market Research your constant companion? |
Want to help Market Research woo business? Chime in with your own candy hearts in the comments. [Classic messages, 1998-2000 Sweetheart messages, 2001-2004 Sweetheart messages, 2005-2008 Sweetheart messages, 2009 Sweetheart messages.]