6 Ways to Uncover What Your Target Market Thinks

What do you think? What does she think? What do they think?

When it comes to researching the market for your information products, it helps to get into the minds of your target consumers. The more you can know about their beliefs, opinions and attitudes, the more effectively you can communicate with them.

But where do you find out whether people believe in angels? How do you uncover attitudes on health care spending? The answer is opinion polls.

Here are 6 places you can find opinion poll results.

1. Pollingreport.com is an online resource that pulls together American poll results from sources such as the Washington Post, ABC News, the Wall Street Journal and many more. The information is free.
   
   
2. Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing is a monthly journal that summarizes recent Gallup polls. Gallup also collects their polls into annual volumes called, simply enough, Gallup Poll. Check your library for past issues, or visit the Gallup site at http://www.gallup.com. The web site features a daily poll, electronic archives and an array of resources. A yearly subscription of $95 is required to access most of the information online.
   
   
3. American Demographics used to be a stand-alone publication that tracked consumer trends and data. In 2004, it was acquired by Advertising Age and is now published as a monthly feature in Ad Age. Both Ad Age and American Demographics publish opinion poll results. Check your library for free copies, or pay for article access through the Ad Age web site (http://www.adage.com).
   
   
4. Public Opinion Quarterly is a scholarly publication that researches opinions in many different countries. You can search the archives online at http://intl-poq.oupjournals.org/ but you must be a paid member to view the full articles. As with the other publications, you can ask at your library for possible free access.
   
   
5. Polling the Nations is an international index containing more than half a million poll questions from more than 100 countries.
   
   
6. Polling companies usually release highlights of their research in press releases, so browse the media sections of major polling company web sites for free information. Below are a handful of companies to get you started. You can find others by doing a web search.
   
   Decima Research
   http://www.decima.com
   
   Harris Interactive
   http://www.harrisinteractive.com
   
   Ipsos Canada
   http://www.ipsos.ca
   
   Zogby
   http://www.zogby.com