Make Your Business Stronger By Removing Assumptions With Research

 
 

What Type Of Market Research Do You Need?

 

 

You need information that will either support that there is a need for your offering, that people are willing to pay for your offering, and that enough people are willing to pay for it to make a profit.

 

Market Size Research

This is information about the monetary size of the existing industry or the amount of money that your customer base is spending on offerings within your industry. 
 
Market Size Resources

 

Toronto Reference Library

https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/

789 Yonge Street (North on Yonge at Bloor)
Go to the 3rd floor and speak to the librarians about what you are looking for.

 

Canada-Ontario Business Service Centre

https://www.canadabusiness.ca/

 

Industry Research

This is information about what the competition is doing and significant changes that are impacting the industry.  Typically an assessement should be done on the political, economic, social, competitive, consumer and technology landscapes.
 
Industry Resources

 
Small Business Centre Blog

https://smallbusinesssolver.blogspot.com/

Our very own blog for small businesses.

 
Home Business Opportunity

https://www.homeinternet-business.com/

Homeinternet-business.com is the right place to get business ideas and opportunities. It provides the latest news, expert’s opinion which helps you to be updated over the times.

 

 

Focus groups / Interviews

This is information to understand the general feelings of a specific audience (channel partner or customer).  By asking indepth, open-ended questions you are able to understand the customer mindset and the variables that come into play when making a purchasing decision.  It is this information that helps you create a meaningful survey/questionnaire.
 
Interview Resources

 
Interview Questions
https://canadabusiness.ca/eng/page/2685

This is an overview of the types of questions that you could ask your participants.

 

Surveys / Questionnaires

This is information that is gathered from a large group of individuals (over 50). Often the questions are closed ended, meaning that a single word answer is required such as ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.  Having closed ended questions when surveying many people allows for an easier analysis of the answers.  That is why interviews and focus groups come first, to make sure that the survey has the right questions to be asking.
 
Survey Resources

 
Survey Monkey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/

This is a free survey tool that allows for 30 days of storage and 100 participants to respond to your survey.  It is easy to set up and send to respondents via email.

 

LinkedIn Answers & Polls
https://www.linkedin.com

If you have a LinkedIn account, it is possible to send questions and polls to your contacts.  It is also possible to post questions for the wider audience to respond to.  Either will allow you to get some feedback.
 

Demonstrations / Samples / Test Markets

This is to further understand consumer mindset and begins the process of developing new customers. 
  
Demonstration Resources
 

If you have an online program, there are a few good ways to demonstrate your offering;

 

Camtasia: A way to video tape your screen and edit the video with captions and effects.

Meeting Burner: A way to broadcast and tape your screen in webinars.

 

Test Market Resources
 
To find out if customers will buy your offering, one great way to test it is through online portals. Options include:
 
EBay: https://www.ebay.com/
Craig’s List: https://www.craigslist.org/about/sites/
Kijiji: https://toronto.kijiji.ca