Versta Research is a marketing research and public opinion polling firm that helps you answer critical questions with customized research and analytical expertise.
Explore industry trends, research methods, and tips for your own research projects in the Versta Research Blog. All opinions are our own, and some may change over time.
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An article in the most recent issue of the Harvard Business Review (“Rethinking Marketing”) argues that marketing is shifting from being product-centric to being customer-centric. The old method was to develop a portfolio of products, build a team around each product, find the customers who need that product and market it to them. The emerging…
A research article the Winter 2009 issue of Public Opinion Quarterly provided some useful comparisons of data quality between phone surveys and various types of online surveys. The findings are based on an experiment that fielded identical questionnaires via three survey modes, and, not surprisingly, there are strengths and weaknesses to each type of survey.…
It hurts, but when your customers hate you, you should be listening all the more carefully: You need to find out the who, what, where, when, and why they hate you. Probe deeply with focus groups, in-depth interviews, social media monitoring, and survey research. Rigorous research done right (our specialty) will give you valuable insight. …
An omnibus survey is a shared-cost survey that can be a good way for you to save money on surveys. It works by combining survey questions from multiple clients and then collecting responses to all questions from the same group of respondents. After that, each client is given the data (the survey responses) to their…
In the previous post we noted that our industry is driven by data and information, which meant huge changes in the nature of our work over the last ten years. Looking ahead, here are what we predict will be the five biggest trends that will shape market research challenges in the decade to come:
As an industry driven by data and information, market research and public opinion polling has seen dramatic changes in the last ten years and will no doubt change quickly and in big ways during the next ten. Looking back, here are what we consider to be the five biggest changes that shaped current challenges faced…
Five of Chicago’s PR leaders gathered at a PRSA forum this week to discuss current trends and the future of public relations. The discussion was striking in how fully it echoed the trends and challenges facing the polling and research industry, and what we need to do to keep our eye on the ball. Here…
Versta Research uses Survey Monkey for its own Versta client satisfaction work. At the end of an engagement we send clients a link and ask them for an evaluation of our work. Why would a market research firm use such a primitive tool for its own feedback? Are we like the cobbler who can’t afford…
This article has been updated. Please see 4 Things to Ponder Before Choosing an Omnibus Survey.
This article has been updated. Please see A Better Way to Get Census Data.