** Primary Qualitative Market Research **

Qualitative research is conducted with a somewhat flexible format so participants can give their opinions and feedback. Inexpensive ways to conduct your own qualitative research via Internet are through do-it-yourself online focus groups and via feedback forms.

* Online Focus Groups

Offline, a set of focus groups could cost about $10,000 and up. Online focus group services are a little more economical by can still be pricey for a small-budget business. An online focus group is essentially a formal chat session. A trained moderator leads a group of participants through a pre-determined discussion over Internet. Participants are often recruited through a research firm’s own panel and are paid a fee for participating.

If your budget cannot handle a professional service, you can conduct a focus group yourself by setting up a chat room and recruiting your own participants. Be sure to test chat room service first, paying attention to perceived professionalism and any glitches your participants may encounter. Also, for best results, you should consider hiring a trained moderator to conduct online focus groups.

* Feedback Forms

A simple way to conduct ongoing qualitative research is through a feedback form. You can gain valuable insight by asking your visitors how you are doing, asking them for suggestions, and/or asking them their opinions. You can do this through a form directly on your site and/or via email to those on your opt-in list.

** Primary Quantitative Market Research **

Quantitative research is used when you are looking for hard numbers and precision. To produce a top-quality primary quantitative research study you must generally work through a research agency. For a small-budget business, this type of research is expensive. The Internet has made more inexpensive means of data collection and analysis possible. With help of software or Web-based tools you can perform research through customer surveys and collect visitor use patterns through Web logs.

* Customer Surveys

The Internet has made conducting surveys quicker and less expensive. Options range from do-it-yourself programs to research services with screened panels. You can use surveys in a variety of ways - segmenting your customers, improving/developing your product or site, and gauging brand awareness, for example.

* Use Patterns

Another approach to quantitative research on Web is to look for visitor use patterns such as, routes taken through your site, pages viewed, or ordering behavior. By studying Web logs you can know which pages are most popular, how visitors navigate through your site, common entry pages, and where visitors often leave site. You can also determine number of different visitors to your site as well as percent of visitors converted to customers. By using a traffic analysis service or software (often available through your hosting service), you can streamline process.

** Market Research Resources **

Links to and summaries of research sites of all kinds mentioned can be found on Web Site Marketing Plan's Research and Data Analysis Resources page: http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/SR12.htm

Bobette Kyle is author of "How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Web Site Marketing." She used techniques detailed in the book to bring her own site, WebSiteMarketingPlan.com, from a ranking of 17 million to 59 thousand+ in less than four months. http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com/sr.htm

This is one place many throw all reason out window. They try to sell every product that comes along.

To make matters even worse, they spend too much money on unproven ads. Don't just start throwing money away. Test your ads before spending a lot of money on any ad campaign.

Find a good solid product that you can see a great demand for. Write some ads, test them and when you find a couple that are getting good responses, then start spending a little more on ads that have proven they work.

This is a great way to start making a little money while you build your list.

As you become successful with one product, you can add others to your arsenal as well. Just don't jump into too many at once and by all means do so without putting yourself at great financial risk.

This is not to say, don't spend money advertising. To be successful, you are going to have to allot yourself an advertising budget. Just use it responsibly.

Selling products or services can be great for bringing in some income but goal that most of us are looking for is to build a residual income.

The income that continues month after month without having to sell another ebook or piece of software.

This should be another part of your marketing plan. Find a good program that you have confidence in. Find one where you have an upline that is there to offer assistance.

This does not mean an upline that builds your income. If you are not willing to work, you are not going to succeed. Just find people who are trying to build an income for their future just like you.

Start spending some time and some of your advertising budget each month and start building that residual income. It won't happen overnight, so start now.

Start building a list, find some products or services that you have confidence in and start selling them to build a little income for present. Then find a program that can help you start building a residual income for your future.

These steps will not make you rich overnight but with some time, effort and a little money for some education and a reasonable advertisement budget, you can start building a successful business on line.

Raymond Johnston Jr is the publisher of Money For Hire Ezine. Find the latest marketing trends, newest traffic programs and free marketing courses. Subscribe by sending an email to mailto:moneyforhire@rapidreply.net