Surveys and Experiments: Knowing Which Marketing Tool to Use and When

Marketing is mainly about one thing: understanding people. What they want, what they need, and what makes them take action. That’s easier said than done though, and we can’t always rely on gut feelings or guesses. That’s where tools like surveys and experiments come in. 

Now, these two methods are often thrown around in business conversations, sometimes even used interchangeably. But they’re not the same thing, they’re not even close. Each serves a different purpose, and knowing when to use one or the other can help you avoid wasting time and effort. 

Surveys 

A survey is exactly what it sounds like, asking people questions. You might ask them how they feel about your brand, whether they’d buy a specific product, or what kind of features they care about most. These answers can give you a clearer idea of your audience’s thoughts and preferences. 

But we often forget that surveys rely on what people say they think or do not always what they actually do. People don’t necessarily lie on purpose, but our answers are often influenced by what we think we believe, or what we assume the "right" answer is. That’s not the survey’s fault, it’s just part of human nature. 

Surveys are still incredibly useful, especially when you’re: 

• Exploring a new market or idea 

• Trying to understand what matters most to your customers 

• Looking for feedback after a product launch, event, or new design 

• Seeing how well people know your business or brand and what they think of it 

Experiments 

Experiments take things a step further. Instead of asking, you’re testing. You change one thing, see what happens, and compare the results. It’s not about opinions, it’s about behavior. 

For example, let’s say you’re running an email campaign and want to see if more people will click through if the subject line is funny instead of formal. In an experiment, you send one version to half your list, the other version to the rest, and see which one performs better.  

What makes experiments so valuable is they show you what works. Not what sounds good or what people say they want, but what actually gets results. 

Experiments come in handy when you’re: 

• Deciding between two elements (ad designs or product names) 

• Trying to improve a website or landing page 

• Optimizing an email or social media campaign 

• Testing pricing, features, and/or promotions 

Here’s the simple way to decide which method to use: 

• To understand your audience better, go with a survey. 

• To see what gets a better result, run an experiment. 

They’re both powerful, but each in their own way. Think of surveys as listening to your clients, and experiments as watching how they behave. The best marketing strategies often start with a survey and then follow up with experiments to test what was learned. 

Surveys and experiments are two of the most reliable ways to do gather feedback and general information. If you can learn how to use both wisely, you’ll be able to get valuable information that can help your business.