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Eric Brandenburg

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UK Manager, Marketest Startup Research

70 points

Marketest is a leading online market research company for business start-ups. We primarily work for start-up entrepreneurs and companies launching a new product or service.
We provide local, national and international market research using a group of more than 900 ...

Marketest is a leading online market research company for business start-ups. We primarily work for start-up entrepreneurs and companies launching a new product or service.
We provide local, national and international market research using a group of more than 900,000 targeted panellists.
Our cost-effective and rapid services (2 weeks after questionnaire validation) are ideal for new business start-ups and can play a vital role in obtaining financial support for your company.

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WEB: Research Fieldwork

May 9, 2012

Eric Brandenburg recommends this answer by John Walden

What are the best ways to advertise a new small website-based business with little to no cost?

Good evening, Elizabeth:
The good news is that there are dozens of good ways to promote your new website for little-to-no expense.
In this answer, I'm going to focus on what you can do with your website itself to get higher rankings, been seen in ... more

Advertising & Marketing

Cheap Advertising

Cheap Marketing

Oct. 31, 2011

Eric Brandenburg and 17 other people answered this question

How do I compete with businesses that can offer similar products/services at a lower cost?

I agree with the point above you have to fully understand the full advantages your product can offer and what your unique selling point (USP) is. You can then use marketing strategies based around this to increase your sales. It may not be a bad ... more

Oct. 31, 2011

Eric Brandenburg and 4 other people answered this question

When developing a new product/ service, when is the right time to survey the target market?

The best time to carry out primary research is at the start-up stage as this is when it is still cheap and easy to implement change, whether it is to the product, business plan, marketing or target market. It is vital at the pre-startup stages ... more

Market Research

Product Testing

Oct. 28, 2011

Eric Brandenburg and 4 other people answered this question

Do research firms have an ethical obligation to notify respondents they intend to sell the research?

I think the answer is fairly logical, respondents who fill in the surveys must already have an idea that the information they provide will be used in the intend to sell to clients. As outlined above the respondents are often rewarded for their time and ... more

Business Ethics

Business Research

Oct. 28, 2011

Eric Brandenburg and 1 other person answered this question

What problems do most startup companies encounter & how do they resolve it?

1) Not doing enough research – So many people leave their current jobs to start their own business and soon end up having their dreams dashed because they haven’t properly planned and researched their idea or target market. Pre-startups and startups should research the market ... more

Information Technology

Oct. 28, 2011

Eric Brandenburg and 3 other people answered this question

To Start-Ups: what are the main challenges you faced with when planning and starting your business?

Currently during this economic climate gaining good finance deals can be extremely difficult for startup businesses. It is vital new enterprises carry out an adequate amount of market research and have realistic financial projections before trying to gain any investment. A strong business plan should ... more

General Management

Oct. 28, 2011

Eric Brandenburg commented on a brief

Why You Need a Good Business Plan

The dominant reason for writing a business plan is for the owner of the business. It is a great way to help you achieve your set goals and will keep you focused on the steps you have to take.
Often if you are seeking investment ... more

Small Business Success Rates

Oct. 28, 2011

Eric Brandenburg answered this question

Market research to support business plan - what should it include and what are the best resources?

Hi Jake
The typical market research you should include when producing a business plan consists of the following:
Competitors - it is important to find out as much information as you can on the competition your business will be up against! You should research their product ... more

Oct. 28, 2011

Eric Brandenburg and 7 other people answered this question

How can you write a good business plan?

I believe to write a successful business plan requires you to follow a good set format, below i have included the layout I would follow when writing a business plan
1) Contents page
2) Executive summary
3) General company description
4) Products and services
5) Marketing plan
6) Operational plan
7) Management ... more

Oct. 28, 2011

Eric Brandenburg and 2 other people answered this question

Market Researchers: what are your favorite Market Research blogs?

There are so many different blogs out there it is hard to establish which ones are good and which ones aren't so useful. I have found that myalltop is a great facility to find latest and relevant articles and blogs. Its hard to identify any ... more

Market Research

Oct. 28, 2011

Eric Brandenburg and 1 other person answered this question

How common is it for market research firms to purchase research from other firms?

I think this question will depend on the rivalry between the different research companies, obviously the greater the rivalry the less chance of sharing information. In general I believe most market research firms would be happy to offer their services to other research organisations but ... more

Business Research

Competitive Intelligence

Market Research

Oct. 11, 2011

Eric Brandenburg and 1 other person answered this question

Is a custom business plan better than a template based business plan?

Hello Johnny
Most business plans tend to follow a similar layout to the one below:
Table of contents
Executive summary
General company description
Product/service description
Marketing Plan
Operational Plan
Management and organisation
Personal financial statement
Startup expenses
Financial Plan
Appendices
I believe it is important to follow a set layout to avoid talking about areas ... more

Aug. 31, 2011

Eric Brandenburg and 1 other person answered this question

Market Researchers: How do you differentiate between sample/ panel providers?

ah ah, good question here.
Like you said, mainly budget, availability, timeframe and the quality of the panellists. It is easy to mesure the respondent quality so you come back to the panel/sample suppliers that have provided you good quality respondents in the past.
Then, you ... more

Business Research

Market Research

Primary Research

Jan. 19, 2011

Eric Brandenburg is now following Matt Heinz and 3 other people

Jan. 18, 2011

Eric Brandenburg and 5 other people answered this question

Is it wise to invest in market research on my target audience/market before starting my business?

It is definitely important even for pre-startups business to invest in this kind of research to be sure that their business idea(s) will meet a demand.
So many entrepreneurs only survey their friend and family circle for their primary research.
They then don't get a relevant ... more

Market Analysis

Market Research

Jan. 18, 2011

Eric Brandenburg answered this question

What's the most sensible way for a (really) small business to conduct market research?

If it is a customer service research it can be done in house via tools free or almost free tools like you mentionned.
Otherwise it is more relevant to not only survey you existing clients but to survey non-existing contacts from your target market. It will ... more

Market Research

Jan. 18, 2011

Eric Brandenburg is now following

Jan. 18, 2011

Eric Brandenburg is now following

Following 9 Topics

Entrepeneurship

Market Research

Quantitative Research

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Followed by 3 People

Knowledgeable in 8 Topics

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