Wise Man marketing
by Martin Day
Published on this site: August 16th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
It's a sunny morning and you're sitting in your office. With
a cup of hot coffee by your side and memories of your last
holiday still fresh in your mind, even if you say so yourself,
today at least, life is sweet.
You take a sip of new blend coffee and then feel a rush of
cool air and a movement catches the corner of your eye. As
if from nowhere there is now an impeccably dressed stranger
sitting in the chair opposite. Sure you're surprised; you
didn't hear anyone knock and just as you are about to say
something he begins in a calm and measured voice.
'Here's the deal'
'I am going to advertise your product on a billboard at the
busiest junctions in every city of the world.'
'I will tell you how many people see this advertisement and
I will tell you their age, nationality and gender.'
'I will tell you what they think of your product and in many
cases I will give you their contact details. While they are
reading the billboard I will make it possible for them to
view your website and, if they feel the urge, make a purchase.'
'I will have all this ready in two days and it will cost
you less than a small advertisement in your typical trade
journal.'
He pauses. 'Interested?'
Now you might think that such an offer was too good to be
true, you might think that you are going to wake up soon or
maybe that it really is time to get a lock on that office
door.
But let's just take a minute. If you are still reading this
I am that man who has come from nowhere and offered you a
deal.
The advertising site is on the Internet and the billboard
I'm offering is the humble online survey.
Stop for one moment and start to associate an online survey
not with 'market research' but with 'marketing'. Not any type
of marketing but 'Marketing' with a capital 'M' and in flashing
neon lights. Marketing that is quick, direct, effective and
low cost.
Publish an online survey and advertise it on a website, or
via email, and like a billboard by the side of a major road
junction, your message will appear in front of people. But
unlike a billboard where the number of people that see an
advert has to be estimated (based on an arbitrary percentage
of total volume of traffic), the online survey records the
number of times a survey is started.
Surveys can ask demographic questions such as gender, age
and nationality and in doing so you are obtaining metrics
about the effectiveness of your promotion and are interacting
with the respondent on a one-on-one level.
Unlike billboards where the message is often subliminal,
or maybe just trying to achieve brand awareness, with online
surveys you have the opportunity to connect with the public
to find out what they really think about your product, how
it relates to them, how it is perceived.
Using a website like http://www.surveygalaxy.com
it takes only minutes and hours to create a survey and using
the power of the Internet an online survey can reach hundreds
of thousands of people on a daily basis.
Throw in a prize as an incentive for people to complete the
survey, maybe some Pay Per Click advertising to capture an
even wider, or more focused audience and you are still talking
low cost effective marketing.
'So tell me. Do we have a deal?'
Martin Day is a Director of Survey Galaxy Ltd a web
site that allows anyone to create, design and publish online
surveys. For more information please visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com
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