Online Market Research & Strategy

The Internet has revolutionized market research.

The Internet is a boon to researchers who once needed weeks or months to gather relevant information. Now it’s easy to find information on your competitors, your industry, and your consumers in a matter of hours rather than days or weeks. But you still need to know where to look, what to look for – and what to make of it once you find it. That’s where we come in.

How well do you know yourself?

It might seem easy, but businesses both large and small have trouble articulating their difference – or their raison-d’etre. When we ask, we often get a litany of services or a vague mission statement. One way we help our clients is by getting to know their strengths so we can articulate just how great they are. We start by asking the right questions: What are your core benefits? How are you different? Why should customers believe in you? Through a thoughtful (yet fairly quick and painless) discovery process, meetings and conference calls, everyone emerges with a fresh and united understanding of the company.

How well do you know your customers?

The online market is often significantly different from a traditional consumer market. It isn’t enough to define your market simply by age and occupation. We research your market in detail to create a deep understanding of your customers and their needs. We create a profile that includes their specific online habits, their mindset at the point of contact, and even their subconscious wants and needs. Online, perception is very much reality and understanding your customers perception is paramount before any marketing decisions are made.

Do you know what’s possible?

A website is capable of being and doing so much more than a brochure, but so many companies still treat them the same. We help our clients first understand the available opportunities in branding, marketing, business and sales through their website. Then we help them choose which goals are most worthwhile so that we can direct our design and development efforts to meet those ends.

Do you know what should come first?

We start every client presentation with a paraphrase of a Stephen Covey quote, “The main thing is to make the main thing the main thing.” Though it is easy to load every piece of corporate information onto your website, this doesn’t make it right. Like any good piece of advertising, focus is important to good websites. Setting priorities is an often overlooked, but crucial step to creating a website that is effective and that gets designed and developed in a timely manner.

My Most Important Role as a Business Owner is as Receptionist

I have only recently recognized an intriguing pattern to my incoming calls. “Hello, Mainline Media, Mike speaking,” I say. “Oh…yes…hello…I am wondering who I should speak to about a new website?” they say. ” That would be me, Mike Robinson,” I say. “Oh…ah…great…ok, then…” It finally occurred to me that this awkward little exchange that…
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Top 5 Website Fixes for Small Business

The majority of websites designed for small business clients tend to stay pretty much the same for far too long. I always design websites that have the flexibility and scalability to grow with relative ease, but it is understandable that small business, and even some larger ones, have limited time and budget to revisit their…
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