Market research quickstart guide: Using SurveyMonkey for brand and market insights
What you’ll get from this guide
Explore market research with SurveyMonkey using powerful solutions to drive business growth. In this guide, you'll learn market research best practices for refining your project goals, leveraging advanced tools like AI-powered analysis and real-time dashboards, and effectively communicating your findings—regardless of your experience level.
CHAPTER 1
Market research best practices
Everything you need to know to launch strong DIY market research projects.
CHAPTER 2
The Do’s and Don’ts of market research
The most common mistakes and workarounds for gathering feedback that inspires action.
CHAPTER 3
The best market research tools for actionable data
Expert-built market research solutions for the most common study types.
CHAPTER 1
Market research best practices
Before you start gathering feedback, see our recommendations for getting the most value out of SurveyMonkey’s market research solutions throughout the insights-gathering process.
Set yourself up for success
• Define your target audience. Determine the number of responses needed for statistically significant results using our sample size calculator. Our global panel matches your survey to your target audience from over 175M people across 130+ countries.
• Customize your survey to your objectives. Our surveys are optimized with best practices to improve the respondent experience, keep the length concise, and avoid errors like survey bias. However, you’ll still want to customize questions to align with research goals for easier filtering and segmentation during analysis.
• Plan your analysis and reporting strategy upfront. Determine your key metrics and the comparisons you want to make prior to launch. By planning your analysis approach in advance, you’ll be well-prepared to interpret the data and extract meaningful insights.
Get the best out of your audience
• Time survey launches right. The ideal time to launch a project really depends on your goals. More responses occur during the day and on weekdays. On weekdays, desktop/laptop responses are higher during the day, while mobile responses are higher at night.
• Monitor key metrics as responses come in. Keep an eye on the response rate in real time, setting up parameters to check that your criteria is met. Our rigorously maintained global panel ensures data quality with advanced fraud detection and auto-replenishing for poor responses.
• Use SurveyMonkey's AI-driven survey guidance. SurveyMonkey Genius scans your survey results for issues like speeding, straightlining, profanity, or gibberish. This AI-powered automation filters out responses that don't meet quality standards, ensuring clean and reliable data analysis.
Accelerate insights for agile decision-making
• Use AI to surface insights quickly. SurveyMonkey Genius uses machine learning to identify statistically significant trends in your data you may have missed, such as which segments are driving key metrics or prefer a specific ad or product concept.
• Use real-time, dynamic dashboards. Highlight your findings with auto-updated, interactive survey dashboards. Customize dashboards to emphasize key insights for different audiences, such as executives or clients to enable quick, data-driven decisions.
• Streamline data exporting, sharing, and collaboration. Export data in PDF, PPT, XLS, or CSV format to rapidly generate a summary report. Share the results with your team or clients, allowing multiple users to access, analyze, and discuss the data and take meaningful action.
CHAPTER 2
The do’s and don’ts of market research
If you’re a little new to gathering feedback, you may experience some hiccups–but don’t worry, these mistakes are common. Follow our market research best practices for tapping into and using the voice of your audience:
Clearly define goals and target audience
Balance your target criteria with a sufficient sample size that fits your budget and timeline—overly specific targeting for niche audiences may lead to longer survey completion rates and increased costs.
Customize expert-built solutions
Tailor your expert-built surveys to align with your unique research objectives and target audience. This ensures survey result accuracy and leads to more impactful findings.
Use AI to surface insights faster
Use SurveyMonkey Genius and machine learning to quickly identify statistically significant data trends, determining which segment may be driving certain results.
Set vague goals or oversample
Avoid launching surveys without clear objectives, as this can lead to irrelevant or insufficient data. Only collect the responses that you need to meet your goals.
Overlook key attributes
Don’t forget to include key attributes specific to your needs, such as behavioral or psychographic characteristics, in addition to demographic questions.
Don’t compromise on data quality
Ensure high-quality data through platforms that automate panel maintenance and fraud detection, ensuring data accuracy and compliance.
CHAPTER 3
The best market research tools for actionable data
From uncovering new market opportunities to pressure testing ideas and building go-to-market confidence, market research solutions from SurveyMonkey empower organizations to make data-driven decisions for a range of uses. From target audience research, product development, to brand building, we’ve got you covered.
Get a market pulse
Market research challenges
Hit your moving targets. Uncover new business opportunities and stay competitive in an ever-shifting market. Gaining real-time insights into consumer or user needs, preferences, and pain points is critical in identifying untapped market segments and developing targeted offerings.
SurveyMonkey solutions
• MaxDiff Analysis: Make better decisions on products and marketing messages.
• Price Optimization (Van Westendorp): Find the optimal price point and range for your product or service.
• Usage & Attitudes: Build product and marketing strategies informed by purchase behavior and drivers.
Pressure test ideas
Market research challenges
Every decision matters, especially when resources are limited. Gathering insights early is crucial to refine ideas, mitigate risks, and gain stakeholder buy-in faster. Quickly validate ideas and make data-driven decisions by combining advanced tools, reliable data sources, and efficient processes.
SurveyMonkey solutions
• Concept Testing: Test product ideas and compare against industry benchmarks.
• Idea Screening: Quickly test and prioritize early-stage product or creative ideas with your target audience.
• Package Testing: Get shopper feedback on packaging designs to maximize appeal and persuasiveness.
Go to market with confidence
Market research challenges
Know what resonates with your audience. Inform winning marketing campaigns that help teams go to market with confidence by testing and optimizing advertising creative, messaging, and targeting to ensure maximum impact and ROI for sales and marketing teams.
SurveyMonkey solutions
• Ad Testing: Test marketing and advertising campaigns ahead of launches.
• Message & Claims Testing: Get feedback on messages, taglines, product copy, and more.
• Video Testing: Find out how videos resonate with your target audience.
Conclusion
As industries and markets continue to change, market research plays a vital role in helping businesses remain competitive and adapt to new challenges and opportunities.
Successful market research requires a combination of strategic planning, effective execution, and continuous learning. With the right tools and mindset, you can uncover valuable insights that shape the future of your organization and the markets you serve.
Expert-built market research solutions by SurveyMonkey, combined with a commitment to best practices and continuous improvement, can empower you to gain valuable insights and drive meaningful results for your organization.