Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Growth

The best market research tools under $25

Will Blesch
By

If you want to save money and find the best market research tools for your small business, this article is for you. We will be discussing five affordable or free resources that can help any business in their marketing efforts and make informed decisions about their products.

The first tool we will talk about is Google Trends, which allows users to search keywords on a graph over time. This saves time and provides an easy way to analyze trends in the sales volume of various products or services over a period of years.

Recommended Videos

But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. The truth is that whether you’re interested in launching a new product or service, releasing an upgrade to an existing product, or opening up a new store, you’re in for a rough ride if you don’t do proper market research in advance.

Related

To stay ahead of your competition, you will need to do your research and see what’s trending in the market. The sooner you know about a new product, service, or trend before it hits mainstream media, the better chance of success with your idea.

Now, let’s get to the meat of the subject and talk about the best market research tools that you can use for under $25.

Market research focus group
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Google Trends

As promised, we’ll highlight Google Trends first. This is a free tool that helps you measure online interest in your products, services, and topics. The service provides information about regions of the world, demographics, top queries, and more to help you gain an understanding of what people are looking for on Google.

It’s also fantastic when it comes to market research. For example, you can use it to find popular topics in your niche, determine seasonal patterns in customer behavior, and identify consumer demand.

Plus, Google Trends lets you compare data from a variety of sources to get the complete picture. You can employ this tool to discover what consumers in certain regions are talking about, which topics they’re interested in, then tailor your marketing and social media strategies accordingly.

Pew Research Center

The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, independent fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world.

You can use their website, which is super easy to navigate, to discover the organization’s wealth of information through public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis, and other data-driven social science research.

The Pew Research Center is an excellent market research tool, which you can take advantage of entirely for free. You’ll find that the information presented is nonpartisan, supports sound decision-making, and can inform business decisions you need to make.

The Pew Research Center is an option you should explore when it comes to affordable market research tools.

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is the #1 free SEO tool. Initially founded as a keyword scraper that scraped Google Suggest terms, it has since been acquired by entrepreneur Neil Patel and expanded significantly.

The tool shows you how to beat the game of SEO by providing insight into what strategies are working for your competitors in your market so you can adopt them, improve them, and gain an edge over your competition.

Additionally, Ubersuggest can help you expand your business to new markets by giving you the opportunity to view what keywords are being used by others. This kind of information could be invaluable when it comes time for an expansion or change in the types of products offered by your company.

You can get a business account with Ubersuggest for as little as $20 per month.

Data.Census.Gov

United States Census Bureau is the best resource for user-friendly data on local and national populations. You can use the Bureau’s website for market research entirely for free. In fact, data users who come to the site can use the single search bar to get primary data, as it is much quicker than searching through tables for a variety of high-level estimates.

Moreover, the Bureau can provide a number of data products to suit different needs. All are designed to be used by people without an extensive background in statistics or math, so if you don’t have time for advanced training, these products will still work well for your small business’ market research purposes.

Quora

Quora is an entirely free market research tool. Businesses can use Quora for market research by asking questions. The company’s platform is an excellent source for market research because its users are experts in their fields, making finding the information you need easier.

Quora can also be used as a tool to help educate yourself about your business targets and competitors before approaching them with proposals or products. You can ask these people what they think of your product idea, get advice on how best to reach them through social media platforms, and more.

Colorful market research graphs
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Wrapping up

Conducting proper market research is never easy. Even when the tools you’re using provide all the information you could ever want and at an affordable price, there are still challenges you must overcome.

With that said, business owners would have killed to have the kind of research tools available to them twenty years ago, which you have available to you today. Therefore, we hope you find the list of market research tools listed above helpful in your research endeavors — and if not, no worries: there are others!

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Will Blesch
Will Blesch
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Blesch is a copywriter, content writer, and someone passionate about anything that lets him discover more about this…
Spend your work dollars wisely with dreamy comforters under $50
wake up feeling great for work

Good sleep may be a luxury, but whoever said a restful night's sleep has to cost the earth? As little as $50 can transform sleep from fitful to dreamy—yielding, among other things, a more alert and inspired day at the office. Maintaining optimal body temperature is key to sleeping soundly, and that makes sourcing the right comforter imperative.

The 5 cozy comforters listed below range from Twin to King-sized, extra light to extra warm, but have one crucial thing in common: they're priced so accessibly that most anyone can benefit from their luxurious effects.

Read more
5 self-care tools to bring on your next business trip
A close up of a woman's feet as she takes off her high heels

Just because you’re going on a business trip doesn’t mean it has to be all business. Rest, relaxation, and self-care are essential to your well-being both inside and out of work, so don’t forget to bring along a few special toiletries and beauty tools next time you’re out of town for work. Even if you’re leaving in a couple of days, Amazon has tons of helpful accessories that you can have delivered nearly anywhere.
From oral health and skincare to pure relaxation, these five items will help you put your best foot forward no matter where you are. And when you’re feeling pampered and rejuvenated from your at-home spa experience, you’ll be ready to hustle on your business trip.

When you’re taking care of yourself, you can better take care of your work, too. This is just one reason why it’s so important to make time to relax and recharge, especially after a long day of travel or business. Self-care can have social aftereffects, too, so these products may be just what you need if you’re feeling nervous about a meeting or conference. Plus, you deserve it!
Whichever part of your body needs some extra TLC, now is the time to indulge. Don’t stop yourself from investing in yourself with some self-care, even if you need to make a purchase. Amazon has a wide selection of items at great prices—just like these—and they’ll be at your door before you know it. Could it get any better?

Read more
6 marketing lessons you can learn from Tesla and use today
Tesla EVs

A lot of consumers are loyal to the brands they trust the most, ultimately driving their purchasing habits. Often, many view the relationship between companies and their consumers as solely transactional. This sentiment is also true for the automotive sector; given the car buying experience is often merely transactional. Yet, it's one industry with immense consumer brand loyalty to date, even with countless options available on the market.

With the rise of the EV evolution over the last decade, one of the largest and most notable manufacturers to date has been Tesla. Since established in 2003, Tesla has become a household name for its innovative all-electric cars. Tesla has also gathered attention due to its unique marketing practices focused on $0 marketing initiatives for its brand. These strategies make many ponder what the secret to Tesla's marketing strategy is with no budget. Let's explore the marketing lessons you can learn from Tesla and use today.

Read more