To provide direction and guidance for market research initiatives for the coming year, Unity Marketing recently conducted a year-end user needs survey across its client base. With over 100 respondents, primarily C-suite and marketing executives, as well as entrepreneurs, the survey included a number of questions that weren’t specific to Unity Marketing. Rather, the results reveal the most pressing concerns for businesses of all types, especially those aiming at the affluent consumer segment — the top 20 percent based upon income. Here is what we discovered.

If marketers take a close look at their company website data, they will gain valuable insights to make those websites generate more sales leads and e-commerce revenue. In addition, the same data can improve lead and revenue production beyond the website — provided the data is shared throughout the organization, rather than confined to the website development team and Internet marketing analysts, as it often is. In this article, we’ll look at:

• Important data to review
• Important data gaps that must be filled
• How to use the data to improve lead and revenue production

The Holy Grail of customer experience is one that has been purposefully built by a company and creates energized advocates. Customer experience leaders consider what the customer experience should be, and then consciously create a complete experience to fulfill that expectation.

Promoting your business to anyone and everyone is not an effective marketing strategy. To efficiently drive sales and increase brand awareness, you must focus on your target audience. But who is your target audience, exactly? How do you know if your marketing will appeal to them?

Consumer research is a vital step that can help you find the answers you need. Below, three experts share questions you can ask to help identify your target audience, assess buyer behavior, and optimize your marketing strategy. Their suggestions go beyond the basics — and some of their ideas may surprise you. Read on to find out more.

I started my career as a management consultant at Bain & Company, followed by almost a decade in private equity. In both of those roles, acquiring the right market research was key to the due diligence process for developing any strategy or making any investment. I'm currently the Founder & President of Excelerate Global and the Chief Operating Officer of a high-growth business analytics software as a service (Saas) company, The Kini Group, which leverages market research in the start-up space to help prioritize growth paths, determine investment priorities, segment target markets, and develop business plans. Below, I share a checklist of best and worst practices to keep in mind when buying market research reports.

Every day on Profound.com, we add thousands of new reports, chapters, sections, and tables to keep the collection of industry analysis up to date. While this is a constant feed of valuable information, it is important to note that the power of Profound isn't just in its content collection. Profound is also powered by unique features that allow you to search for reports, view the table of contents, and look for keywords within the reports. These features make Profound the one-of-a-kind product that it is. Today, we have an exciting improvement to our search capability that we believe will make Profound the best business intelligence platform in the industry.

Market and competitive pricing in the B2B sector is often a challenging area for many market researchers to tackle. Actual pricing information is difficult, if not impossible, to discuss using traditional interview techniques, as this information is considered highly proprietary. Often, pricing is not a straightforward matter as it may incorporate early payment discounts, freight, volume discounts, change orders, interest, or other finance charges and many other variants.

Whether you are writing a business plan, making a pitch to investors, or launching a new product, market research is an essential first step. For small businesses, in particular, keeping costs down is an ongoing priority. Fortunately, there are a variety of creative ways small businesses can access the information they need without paying too much. Take a look at the following five strategies for some ideas.

Market research can help you reduce risks, stay ahead of the competition, and accurately gauge the pulse of the market. With the right business intelligence, you can win buy-in from executives to launch new, exciting concepts and develop products that customers love. 

Market research is undoubtedly a powerful business tool, but the way you conduct market research matters, too. It’s important to have a strategic approach to achieve the results you want. For some practical market research tips, check out the do’s and don’ts below.

Fear can have a powerful chilling effect on business. “A lot of good ideas don’t get turned into companies because the potential founders are too fearful,” Dr. Philipp K. Berger recently told the Wall Street Journal.

A management consultant turned researcher, Dr. Berger surveyed nearly 600 entrepreneurs to better understand the role of fear within start-ups. According to his findings, entrepreneurs are particularly prone to anxiety and decision overload. However, breaking down large decisions into smaller steps can help entrepreneurs cope and keep moving forward.