Throughout February 2015 Raphael Design conducted a marketing survey in order to ascertain:
- The marketing tools companies are using to promote their business.
- The factors that influence buying behaviour
- How our clients rate the services of Raphael Design
In total, we had 98 respondents and we would like to again thank everyone who took the time to take part in the survey.
So here are some of the scores on the doors!
MARKETING TOOLS COMPANIES ARE CURRENTLY USING
It is perhaps not too surprising to see that most companies regard their website as a key marketing tool with 90% of our respondents recognizing it as being vital to their marketing activity. With 61% also engaging in social media and 49% using email marketing, the impact of an ever-growing digital age can be seen.
Indeed, over the past few months the team at Raphael Design has been working hard on its own social media presence. We regularly publish blogs including top marketing and design tips and our in-house Twitter Queen, Katerina, has been aiming to keep our followers entertained with a wide range of tweets. In addition, we are currently working on a new app and also looking at our website offering, so watch this space as we will have some exciting news to announce very soon.
The results of our survey also confirm that many companies are using a mix of media to promote their goods and services. As one of the leaders of graphic design and print in Lichfield, Raphael Design is delighted to announce that PRINT IS NOT DEAD!
In fact with 63% of companies using leaflets, 47% using brochures and catalogues and 69% still finding a need for corporate stationery, we are confident that printed marketing collateral will be alive and kicking for many years to come. Indeed, many of our clients have been successfully using leaflets as a tool to drive potential clients to their website. In addition, many companies who produce a catalogue find it to be a useful tool to increase online sales.
The results also indicate that companies are once again starting to use exhibitions to raise their profile, with 37% using it as a marketing tool. The promotional gifts market, which like the exhibition sector saw a serious downturn in the recession, is once again on the up with 41% of our surveyed companies using giveaways within its marketing mix. With research* indicating that 52% individuals who had branded promotional item on their desk made a purchase from the business whose company details was on that product, the team at Raphael Design is sure that gifts are a worthy inclusion in a company’s marketing strategy.
* Research conducted by the British Promotional Merchandise Association
WHAT INFLUENCES BUYING BEHAVIOUR?
We asked individuals to rate what is important to them when choosing a provider of marketing services. Three key factors featured predominantly in the results. Helpful and professional advice was rated by 90% of respondents as important, 92% rated affordable prices and 90% rated quality of products.
It would appear that location is not a key issue when selected a provider with only 19% thinking it is important. Speed of turnaround was rated as important by just over half of those who completed the survey. We would suggest that turnaround is a vital factor where a deadline has to be met but otherwise has less significance.
Table Showing What Factors are Important When Selecting the Provider of Marketing Requirements
WHAT DO OUR CLIENTS THINK ABOUT RAPHAEL DESIGN?
Of the 98 companies who completed the survey 60 of them were clients of Raphael Design.
Table Showing our Existing Clients Rate the Performance of Raphael Design
We are delighted to hear that many of our clients believe they are receiving a high level of customer service from the team at Raphael Design with 74% rating our services as excellent and another 22% rating it as very good.Regarding our product range 55% rated the selection as being excellent with a further 35% seeing it as very good. On the subject of value for money, we received an overall of 80% rating of very good (42%) to excellent (38%). However we feel we can improve in this area, in particular trying to understand what clients see as value for money.
Our aim is to continue monitoring our service levels and are currently working on a customer feedback form that when launched will be sent out to clients once we have completed a project for them.
FORTHCOMING LOYALTY PROGRAMME
In the next couple months the Raphael Team will be looking at ideas for a client loyalty scheme as 57% of those who completed the survey indicated they would be interested in such a scheme.
GOING FORWARD
This is the first time Raphael Design has commissioned a marketing survey and we feel confident that its findings will enable us to offer on-going excellent service combined with a product offering that is relevant to our customers’ marketing requirements.
Should you have any forthcoming marketing projects you would like to discuss with the team at Raphael Design please call us on 01543 261220 or send us an email.
Should you wish to receive other useful tips about marketing, graphic design and print follow us or like our page.
