In these lessons, we'll cover the basics of creating content, sourcing options you can explore, and media partners that can assist in the process. To begin, your organization needs to know and understand its target audiences wants and needs, and the fundamental difference between the two. You may want expensive cars, trips around the world, and designer fashions. But you need water, food, clothing, and shelter. We require certain basic things to survive while other items can make our lives more fun or fulfilling. Other aspirations like careers, academic achievement, and spiritual enlightenment give us direction and motivation. Knowing how your audience prioritizes needs and wants is essential to developing your marketing platform. Market research is the main resource you need to evaluate the wants and needs of your customers. In a survey setting, you can ask respondents what they want and need most. You can also conduct research through industry journals and magazines, both online and in the library. A couple of things to keep in mind regarding surveys. Don't overload your survey with too many questions. People value their time, which can make it difficult to find participants. A good framework is no more than 50 questions. You should be able to get a clear picture of your target market's wants and needs in 50 questions or less. If you need more, than you can always create another survey. Offering an incentive like the chance to win a trip can help drive participation and survey completion. You can also vary the types of questions and formats to keep participants engaged. These can include multiple choice, matching, rating, open-ended questions, and yes-or-no questions. Your surveys should also gather demographic information from respondents, which provides more data to categorize and target your customers. Demographics include general information regarding gender, age, income, location, home ownership, and racial background.