Welcome to the latest edition of our new weekly blog series, The Underrated Series. Each week, we will highlight an important, often underrated component of marketing success.

Last week’s underrated topic was social proof.

What are we underrating this week? Surveys.

In my experience, when it comes to surveys, some people in the business world love them, while others hate them. But the sad truth is, most marketing professionals don’t understand them. They don’t understand how to use surveys to help discover, plan, execute, choose, etc.

When used properly, surveys can be an incredibly useful marketing tool.

Why? Because surveys can tell you more about who your customers are and what they want. They can tell you what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. They can help you discover new product and service ideas for your business. They can help you improve your website and marketing materials.

And that’s just scratching the surface. In today’s world, conducting an effective survey is cheap and easy. You can do it online, via email, to your existing customer base at almost no cost.

The keys are in the questions and interpreting the results.

Do your homework (or hire someone with experience) and determine what you want to learn from the survey. They are always most powerful when they are focused. Then make sure to measure the results objectively, not simply trying to find the data that backs up your existing preferences or opinions.

Have something you think deserves more attention? Send us your suggestions for the Underrated Series using the comments below or submit them here.