According to the marketing guru, Philip Kotler, “marketing research is systematic problem analysis, model-building and fact-finding for the purpose of improved decision-king and control in marketing of goods and services.” Marketing research is very important to a business as the research helps the business to understand the needs and wants of the targeted customers. Besides, a good marketing research helps business to make marketing decisions, survive competitions and increase sales.
A news from BBC which entitled “Restaurant chain’s recipe for social media success” gives us an insight on how a small business uses social media to do marketing research in order to increase reputations and sales.
Clover Food Lab is a trendy food truck and regional restaurant chain in Boston. The social media marketing culture of the business began when a chef used Twitter feed and blog to solicit opinions about the sandwich’s flavour. Surprisingly, the responses from customers help to improve Clover’s food and increase sales. Mr Muir, the founder of the Clover Food Lab started to realize the influence of social media. Hence, he started spending about an hour blogging and tweeting every day to collect customers’ response. After that, he also encourages his employees to participate in it.
Besides responding to customers’ complains and questions, the chain will use social media to alert customer to new products. Clover Food Lab is currently expanding Boston-area chain, including six food trucks and two restaurants. The strategic use of social media has not only helps Clover to improve its products and increase sales but also build customer’s loyalty.