2010 Official Customer Survey

Issue Issue: As a company, we do not know enough about our customers. This causes problems for our analysts, writers, IT group and marketers in terms of prioritization and daily process. Solution: Released a fairly comprehensive survey to a representative sample of the Freelist and the Paidlist. The survey consisted of 12 comprehensive questions covering topics such as age, interest and usage.

Survey Details Survey invite sent on Wednesday, July 6, Released to half of the Paidlist (9,566 recipients) and half of the Freelist (136,385 recipients) older than 6 weeks old. 6,145 users responded to the survey, 5,854 user completed the survey (95%). – 4,137 non-paid users responded – 1,957 paid users responded Question topics ranged from demographics, to media sources and other marketing topics. Results can be used to fuel future direct marketing intiatives. – Out of the 6,145 respondent’s addresses, 5,845 addresses match our database (95%).

The Results

What type of STRATFOR user are you?

What is your age? Paid UsersNon-Paid Users

How would you describe your line of work? Paid UsersNon-Paid Users

Which of these publications do you read? Paid UsersNon-Paid Users

Why do you read STRATFOR? Paid UsersNon-Paid Users

How do you use STRATFOR’s Content? Paid UsersNon-Paid Users

In which format do you prefer to read STRATFOR? Paid UsersNon-Paid Users

How much content do you feel STRATFOR produces? Paid UsersNon-Paid Users

Please rate the performance of the STRATFOR website? Paid UsersNon-Paid Users

Paid Users: How likely is it that you will renew your STRATFOR membership?

Unhappy Paid Users: The Responses. Complaints dealing with the archive barrier were by far the most common. – This complaint was also paired with threats to non-renew. 18 of unhappy paid users complained regarding video content. Responses range from users having problems with video functionality (onsite or mobile), to users asking for transcripts, to users flat out wanting videos removed and having resources reprioritized. (18% of responses). Requests were made for versions for Ipad (8 responses), Android (7 responses) and Blackberry (7 responses). While paid members were not likely to complain about the amount of content STRATFOR produces, they were likely to complain about the amount s they receive. – Many users requested s based on country/topic/AOR. Further education and design is needed as this feature is available now.

Non-Paid Users: How likely is it that you will purchase a STRATFOR membership?

Unlikely Non-Paid Users: Which factor would you consider to be the biggest deterrent to making a membership purchase?

Unlikely Non-Paid Users: The Responses. To my surprise, price was the main deterrent cited by Non-Paid Users. – This was also reiterated in numerous written responses. – Many users admitted that they are retired and living on a fixed income. Many users mentioned that our free content was sufficient for their needs. Lack of time was another deterrent cited by many users. – Some users feel that they will be inundated with information if they purchase a membership. – This might be a good angle to use for future marketing efforts.