The latest survey predictions on ad spending aren’t good news–unless you’re in online marketing. For us, the picture is increasingly rosy.

Some of the heaviest hitters in the advertising world are predicting surprisingly large, and larger-than-expected, declines in ad spending. GroupM predicted a 4.4% decline, worldwide, in 2009; Carat Insight forecasts a 5.8% drop, and Zenith Optimedia revised its previous prediction of a .2% in ad spending to forecast that ad spending will plummet by 7%. These predictions represent declines in spending on ads for print media, TV, and radio ads.

The bright spot? Spending on Internet ads is projected to rise by 8.6% this year. If that estimate proves accurate, then Internet advertising will make up more than 12% of global ad spending.

This means that it’s more important than ever to understand your market. Because, while these numbers mean that the market for Internet products will likely remain strong, the competition to get your message heard and to convert prospects will be increasingly fierce.

Your most potent weapon in that competition is information. Now more than ever, knowing how to do a good market research questionnaire, customer satisfaction questionnaire, and how to go about interpreting survey data are absolutely critical.