Knowing When to Ask vs. When to Test in Marketing Research: Which One Works Best?

For small business owners and entrepreneurs, understanding your customers can be the difference between growth and guesswork. The key lies in choosing whether to ask what they think or test how they respond.

A marketing survey helps uncover customer perceptions, preferences, and pain points. For example, a wellness brand could survey clients about which facial treatments they find most valuable or how often they would book a self-care service. Surveys are best for gathering feedback that guides messaging or product development before investing in big decisions.

A marketing experiment, by contrast, reveals how real customers behave. Instead of asking which offer they prefer, a spa could test two versions of an Instagram ad, one promoting “glow-enhancing facials,” another offering a “bundle discount.” The ad with higher engagement or booking conversions reveals what truly motivates action.

So, which one works best? It depends on your goal. Use surveys when you want to explore motivations or opinions, and experiments when you need to validate what drives results. When combined, they give small business owners the complete picture, what people say and what they do.

Read my previous post to learn more about the importance of a good survey:

https://www.alexandrarojasbblogs.org/post/why-a-good-survey-is-worth-the-effort