Do-It-Yourself Marketing

You shouldn't leave all your marketing research to theprofessionals. But neither should you try to do it all yourself.Trouble surfaces when the balance between professional know-how andpersonal common sense is lost. Instead, look for areas where thepros can truly be of help to you. This might come in the form ofdoing some survey work that requires formal design and follow-up.You simply may not have the time or personnel to do a thorough jobof surveying your customer base. Instead, you might be more suitedto conducting informal focus groups or customer roundtables,especially if you know your customers personally. It's likelythey would appreciate being able to tell you something face toface. Only you know exactly what you want your research to tellyou, so you definitely need to be involved.

Excerpted from 303 Marketing Tips: Guaranteed To Boost YourBusiness