February 15-18, 2009 Washington State Convention Center Seattle ...

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ONLINE SURVEY TOOLS – NEW OPTIONS FOR MARKETING AND PLANNING
David Cline
203 Swingle Hall
Auburn University, AL 36849 USA
clindj@auburn.edu
Surveying was once a complex and expensive proposition for researchers. While it still takes significant skill and knowledge
to design a non-biased and easy to analyze survey the distribution and response collection process has improved a great deal.
It is now possible to create, distribute and analyze small or large surveys efficiently and inexpensively with a variety of on-line
tools and services. There are a number of entities providing these services including Survey Monkey and Zoomerang. We will
briefly examine some of these tools, how they work and how to get started.
DEVELOPING A NICHE MARKETING PLAN: THE 5 P’S
David Cline
203 Swingle Hall
Auburn University, AL 36849 USA
clinedj@auburn.edu
Innovative approaches to marketing are usually the key to financial success or failure of small-scale aquaculture producers.
Regardless of the size or type of venture, marketing is an essential component and requires a plan. Most producers would like
to sell to one or two high-volume buyers such as a processing plant or distributor. This is a good marketing strategy if you are
producing large quantities of fish. However, small-scale producers cannot take advantage of the economies of scale of larger
producers and must therefore sell for a higher price to remain profitable. Their best option is to establish niche markets for
their products. Considerable time is required to analyze and develop niche markets and a number of critical issues should be
examined before marketing begins. These issues include marketing’s 5 P’s of Product, Price, Promotion, Place and Planning.