Creating Success | Questionnaire Design

Designing an Effective Marshall Survey

When considering a Marshall Survey, remember that crafting an effective and successful questionnaire is not a one-week task; it requires ongoing effort throughout the year. By sharing your clients’ inquiries, observing market changes, and identifying opportunities, you enable us to gain a deeper understanding of your market. This collaboration helps us create a survey tailored to your specific needs while developing a reliable resource for your clients.

You also benefit from two significant advantages with Marshall: Customization and Market Exclusivity. The customization of your survey lays the groundwork for the success you can achieve through our research. This process begins with choosing the categories you’d like to include and, with input from local clients,
determining the questions to ask. With market exclusivity, you can provide local businesses with insights and sales strategies that are unavailable to your competitors!

To simplify the questionnaire design process, consider the following points for your upcoming survey:

Questions & Categories:

Reflecting on your last study:

• Which business categories yielded the most success, such as your top revenue generators? Remember, we can track many categories year-over-year. These trends can help you identify which clients are experiencing growth or decline in awareness and consideration within your market.
• Which clients have increased or decreased their spending? Are their awareness and consideration trends rising or falling? Are you receiving requests from clients for more information in their business category? Do we need to expand on that category?

For example, in health care, instead of merely asking, “Which hospital would you choose?” , we can delve deeper into specific health services or specialties gaining popularity in your market that deserve measurement: Cancer, Heart Care, Maternity, etc. The health care category is just one example; we can broaden any category that serves your needs!

Ideas to Explore:

• Market Changes: What shifts are happening in your market? Have any new businesses or industries moved in or out of your area? Are there questions we can pose to help navigate these changes and identify potential opportunities?
• Underutilized Categories: Were there any categories from the previous survey that didn’t receive full attention or didn’t generate revenue? If so, let’s consider either reducing those questions or replacing them with inquiries about other promising business categories!
• Alignment with Corporate Promotions: Are your questions aligned with what your corporate team is currently promoting?
• Future Purchases and Plans: Which upcoming purchases or plans would be advantageous to explore? Consider local travel destinations, events, fairs, or sports teams that could create revenue streams for your station.

Media Considerations:

• Streaming Questions: Are you including questions about Streaming Television (CTV), local D2 channels, or Streaming News?
• Local News Comparison: How does your local news stack up against competitors?
  Think about metrics like “Watched Most Often”, “First Choice for Severe Weather”, or “Favorite Local News Personalities”.

Remember, our aim is to equip you with valuable data that remains relevant throughout the year, not just for a few weeks after you receive your database! We are here year-round to discuss challenges and strategies that support your success and that of your clients.