Bulletin Vol. 3 No. 1 February 2004

B U L L E T I N

Tools and Resources for Data-Driven Market Research

Vol. 3 No. 1 February 2004


	IN THIS ISSUE: Editor Responds to a Reader’s Request Quiz Results Direct Mail: Postcards + Targeted Lists = Low Cost, High Return Promotions	Bulletin Archive

FROM THE EDITOR

Responding to a Riyadh Reader’s Request
A visitor to our bCentral demographics area recently sent me this request: "How can I develop a survey to find out how my customer business and end consumer perceive my brand? What kind of questions should I ask in the survey?"

Here’s my reply:

"Branding exists in the hearts of individuals more than in their minds. That being the case, qualitative research is better than quantitative research for finding out how your customers feel about your brand. A focus group would be a good technique for you to try, to research brand awareness and perceptions.

"Focus groups have their own inherent difficulties, such as dominant personalities who influence the group. It takes an experienced facilitator to produce usable focus group results. Check carefully into professional moderators, focus group facilities, etc. before you undertake this on your own."

I also sent my Riyadh reader links to the following bCentral Demographics articles. If you haven’t read these, perhaps they’d interest you as well.

Resources
On Branding...
  "Branding: a key strategy in the age of product parity"
  "Your unique selling proposition: use it or lose it"

On customer research...
  "There's gold in that customer information"
  "Do some customer research — or you'll never know"
  "Use friends and relatives to expand your sales reach"

QUIZ RESULTS

Thank you, everyone who took our quiz last month, "Entrepreneur and Manager — Do you have the right stuff?" Here are the results:

33% chose mostly As: "You’ve got the right stuff to start a business...and be the manager of your business when it grows."
23% chose mostly Bs: "You’re an entrepreneur all right...and will probably go on to start more businesses."
12% weighed in with an equal number of As and Bs.
None of you chose mostly Cs (and I’m glad): "You fit the profile of a soloist more than an orchestra leader. You have what it takes to start a business, but you may not want to grow it to a large-scale enterprise."
2% chose mostly Ds: "You’re a good manager, but may not be made of entrepreneurial material. If you are starting a business, aim for rapid growth, so that you soon reach the level that lets your natural talent for management shine."
The other 31% of you chose a little of each, displaying a broad array of talents and aptitudes.

How do these results compare to when we first offered this survey in October 2002? The "mostly As" category slipped about 10 points, but the "mostly Bs" gained about the same. The Cs and Ds together dropped 13 points. The "mixed responses" picked up 15 points. I’d say this reflects some out-migration to traditional employment during the last year by individuals who were not well-suited to the uncertainties of entrepreneurship, and some in-migration by "downsized" self-starters. To our respondents, kudos and here’s to a prosperous new year!

Did you miss the quiz last month? Click here to see it.

TOOL BITS

Direct Mail: Postcards + Targeted Lists = Low Cost, High Return Promotions

I’m bullish on the benefits of postcards for direct mail—have been ever since my early days designing marketing materials for rock-n-roll bands. If those boys could afford postcard promotions, just about anybody can! Online providers take the guesswork out of buying postcard printing: just download their template, design your piece and upload it, then place your order, pay your deposit, and in days your postcard campaign is in the mail. Or let them design your piece—the fees are reasonable compared to what you’d pay a graphic design firm. Modern Postcard is one such vendor I used back in my rock-n-roll days and still use today.

Postcards can work to encourage inquiries, or to keep in touch with your customer base between your other communications. Postcards must be no larger than 4.25" x 6" to mail at the postcard rate, but many people pay the premium postage and use larger postcards. Check your mailbox—I’ll bet you’ll find some postcards there right now.

No matter what size you choose, postcards deliver big impact because nothing gets in the way. No envelope to open, not even a cover page to turn. Most people throw away the "junk mail" they receive in letter form, but few can resist glancing at a postcard.

Increases in paper, printing and postage costs have contributed to the rising popularity of postcard promotions. Postcards are the least expensive mail piece you can create, with lower production costs than any other form of direct mail.

Click here to see a postcard mailed to past customers at the start of the new year by Earth Tours, an adventure tour operator in Utah.

But before you rush to the post office with your next postcard promotion, let me share another thought. The low-cost high-impact mail piece may be important, but the list you mail to is even more crucial. You need a highly targeted mailing list that meets high standards for data coverage, recency, and deliverability. For that, we recommend our latest tool: the Residential List Broker.

With this tool, you can build a targeted list using data elements like Age or Income, or choose MicroVision lifestyle segments or groups.

Using the Residential List Broker, you can build your customized mailing list in real time. Choose immediate purchase and download to your desktop, or simply use the tool to plan your mailing by preparing your list criteria. You can find out the count and cost, then save the criteria and purchase the list later.

Why wait when you could be reaping the benefits of this low-cost, high-return promotional technique? Check it out!

Resources
  "Survey: Consumers Still Prefer Communication by Mail"
  Modern Postcard
  Good article on postcard marketing (not by me)
  Residential List Broker
  Earth Tours website

Tell a Friend

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I look forward to your feedback. Click here to write to me and I will try to respond promptly.

Best regards,
Sarah White, Editor, the Bulletin
Third Wave Research

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The BULLETIN is published occasionally by Madison, Wisconsin-based Third Wave Research. Editor Sarah White and other associates of Third Wave Research write articles that appear in bCentral's "Demographics" and "Market Research" topic areas. For information about Third Wave Research's services, click here.

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