We frequently recommend running a survey to our small business clients—there’s always a surprise and information gems. We think the main reason they work is the way a client feels valuable when they are given a venue for expression.

Here’s some of the info from our recent marketing survey of members of the Los Altos and Campbell Chambers of Commerce.

(Are you a small business owner? We’d love your input—here’s the survey.) 

The struggle is real! The most difficult marketing challenges are search engine optimization (SEO), paid online advertising (Google, Meta, etc.), email marketing, and general branding and graphic design.

Frustration with marketing companies stems mostly from poor communication and slow response times.

Improvement is needed with creating better visual content and getting quality leads. Small business owners also hope to work with someone local.

The most important info when choosing a service provider is proven results.

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Marketing benefits of surveys:

• Identify what clients value and where improvements are needed.

• Uncover unmet needs, missing offerings, or friction points in the customer experience.

• Learn which channels, messages, or promotions resonate most.

• Show customers their opinions matter, strengthening loyalty and trust.

• Collect positive feedback that can be repurposed for marketing, such as testimonials

• Gauge perceived value and price sensitivity.

• Validate demand before investing time and resources.

• Track changes in satisfaction and brand perception.

• Create a two-way dialogue instead of one-way marketing.

• Identify why customers choose you over alternatives.

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We wanted to try Constant Contact’s survey. Overall, it was not great. The cost is low with a Constant Contact subscription and is a possible option for small businesses. While Constant Contact is convenient for basic surveys, it would be limiting for small businesses that need deeper insights or advanced customization. Survey design options are relatively basic, with no logic branching and advanced analytics features compared to dedicated survey platforms. Reporting is only rudimental, which can make segmentation and data analysis very time-consuming. Branding flexibility is also severely constrained, and integrations with CRMs or automation tools would require custom application programming. For these reasons we do not recommend it.

In the past, we’ve used Survey Monkey, but boy is it expensive. For example, having a submitted survey lead to a branded landing page with offer instead of a Survey Monkey marketing page requires a steep price upgrade. So while SurveyMonkey is widely used and easy to deploy, it can present drawbacks for small businesses. Costs escalate quickly once you need advanced features such as custom branding, logic branching, exports, or higher response limits. The platform’s branding on lower-tier plans can dilute a carefully built brand experience, which is especially important for boutique or design-driven businesses.

Want to chat? Schedule a call with John.