The audience research methods every small business should use

Want to determine who will become your best and most profitable customers?

Course you do!

The good news?

There are lots of ways to do market and audience research and you can do most of them yourself.

The bad news? Overwhelm…..

Some methods are more useful than others.

The trick is to work out the right tactic for your brand and reveal what matters deeply to your potential customers and buyers.

Sound familiar?

How many times have you wondered why people say they will purchase something and then they never buy it?!

That’s because the context in which the question is asked is different to that which they would be in if they were at the point of purchase.

It’s difficult to predict emotional, social and behavioural factors at the exact moment of purchase due to the nature of the human brain!

You are asking someone to decide if they will purchase in the future.

At a moment where the context might be irrelevant to that future purchase decision.

Therefore there is no predictability in the answer they provide.

Maybe on the day that they see a video or an ad for a product they *said* they would buy they are having a stressful day.

They’re rushing to do kids pick-up and anyway, the solution doesn’t sound as good anymore…

Behavioural science tells us that we use shortcuts and cognitive biases to make most of our decisions.

Our unconscious brain is in charge! *

The way we think we’re going to act is different to how we act at the moment of decision.

No wonder so many survey results tell us so little about how consumers will behave!

So how does a startup or small business go from guessing what customers might want, to knowing how decisions are made and drive sales?

Get as close as possible to the moment of decision or purchase.

Let me explain!

Choosing research methods

When you first start working on your new brand or launch, you figure that you’ll do all the market research yourself—I mean, how hard can it be, right?

Or you’ll scrape together the cash to get the pros to do it for you.

After all, big brands have been doing this for years, and it works for them.

The thing is this isn’t quite true.  

Even product launches backed by endless hours of market research at eye-watering cost can fail, and all because the customer said they would do something…..and didn’t!  

So how then, if those considered the best in the business with endless budgets get it wrong, can you get it right?

Use methods that bring to light the emotional reasons why people buy and highlight the factors at play at the point of purchase.

And no, you don’t have to guess and you don’t need to hire a behavioural scientist to get the answers you’re looking for.

You just need to make sure to incorporate the two easiest ways to get deep insight and reasons into why people buy ….

Review Mining (aka online creeping!)

and 1-2-1 Interviews

Review Mining is where you gather and process online reviews and comments from real customers to reveal insights, intentions and behaviours of your potential customers.

1-2-1 interviews are exactly that - getting personal and having a conversation 1-2-1 with a current or potential customer.

These two combined have created extraordinary growth for businesses.  

Knowing your audience increases sales, and increases engagement.  

It brings total clarity.

When you get deep into what potential customers are saying or experiencing with other solutions you unearth insights and reasons why customers seek out products and services like yours.

And it really doesn’t cost you anything except your time and a small incentive (£10 Amazon voucher for example) for those who agree to an interview.

Let’s look at each one to uncover why I think you can’t launch without doing either.

And why they are the unspoken secret to your future success.

Unearthing what people are already saying about your competitor's products is gold

Review Mining helps you to skip the guesswork.

You find out exactly what people are saying about their experiences.

It’s like having insider info, hacking the customer's brain!

When you start reading reviews and comments left by real customers you quickly see what’s working but also what’s not working.

(and possible opportunities for you)

In general, I find that people love a good moan when something has not lived up to their expectations!

When you find comments from unhappy customers you discover the pain points, selfish desires, and goals of those customers.

They clarify why someone would seek out a solution like yours.

Reviews can also reveal who you might want to focus on as a customer, but who you might also want to ignore.

It’s as important to know who not to focus on so you get crystal clear on who you want to spend your time talking to.

As you document what you find, you will notice themes and patterns.

Pay close attention to what is repeatedly coming up, and where you notice similar comments, insights and feedback.

Digging even deeper, if you look through online forums you will find even more in-depth conversations and sub-conversations which can highlight opportunities and where your competitors are failing.  

Think Reddit and Quora.

Reviews can be a fantastic source of swipeable copy

Finding insights to craft your copy and messaging  -  even using the actual words spoken by your potential customers across your content  - will ensure what you’re saying will resonate with them and your wider audience. 

Remember, if you are not listening to or don’t know what people are saying you are missing an opportunity to incorporate available feedback into your message and content creation.

1-2-1 Interviews provide valuable insight into the buying triggers

and motivations to buy as well as pain points ( often known as struggling moments)

There is a slightly different goal for Interviews over review mining.

You want to figure out what triggers your current or potential customers to buy.

Interviews can reveal so much information about goals, desires, and the reasons behind why they searched for a product in the first place.

They also reveal what alternative might have been considered

People are usually happy to share their experiences, often with little to no incentive. 

Mostly conducted by phone, these interviews should take from 30 minutes to one hour.  

You don’t focus on the product or service you are about to launch, but on uncovering the small details and nuances in their decision-making and what led them to buy a competitor product or other solution.

For example, the real reason someone might have purchased a set of dog toys for their new puppy might be because they just had a new baby and needed to keep the puppy occupied when feeding the baby. 

If you were a dog toy company the language, phrases and pain points shared could inspire messaging and content around providing toys for puppies within new mum environments to keep that feeding time with babies as easy and stress-free as possible.

Puppies, like babies, require lots of attention and having this insight could help connect and resonate with new mums in this specific situation.

The most important thing to remember when conducting 1-2-1 interviews is that you are there to listen.

If you are speaking to existing customers, it’s a great way to build engagement, capture feedback and develop a deep understanding of what people like or dislike about your product or service.

When reaching out to new potential customers you will learn so much about competitor products and where the opportunities and gaps are for your product or service.

Ideally, a minimum of 5 interviews and up to 10 will reveal oodles of information and insight.

Get started and you can build up.

These methods alone serve as game-changing alternatives for small businesses to the more costly and traditional research approach

There is no need for in-depth research and agency fees, you can start digging and finding those buying triggers now.

Armed with the answers to your biggest and most burning questions, as well as clarity on who your best customers could be, you now have the fuel for your growth and can get started on building your strategy.

When you top them off with a clear view of who your competitive set is and product-market fit you will find the confidence and clarity you need to set out to launch to the right target audience.

You will also be set up to gain a massive competitive advantage.

Your customer's buying journey doesn’t begin with your product or service.

Before they consider or discover you, they will have used alternatives or solutions.

Uncovering what triggers them, and what pain point or frustrating moment they were experiencing at the time which led them to look for a solution, presents a huge opportunity to tailor your messaging and content to that moment and ensure they won’t ignore you.

Think about it this way….

Knowing what pains them allows you to craft a highly targeted message or create a video that speaks to that specific struggling moment you uncovered in your research so they recognise you *get* them and speak directly to them.

Over time you build trust and reputation as the brand they remember and when they’re ready to buy they choose you.

Remember the best messages are not hiding in your head, they are being written and spoken by your potential customers. 

And your best customers – are those whose triggers you know and the reasons behind why they buy.

*95% of our decisions are made using our unconscious brain.

We make approximately 35,000 decisions every day so much of what we do is habit.

Thanks for reading,

Claire.   

Are you a founder or small business owner curious about doing better marketing?

Here’s how I can help.

Hi! I’m Claire,

If you're a founder or business owner with big dreams of success and growth—and a big, scary to-do list standing in your way every time you sit down to *do* your marketing—nice to meet you, I'm your new solution.

I'll help you find your target audience, and your brand's voice, perfectly position you, and craft messaging for your content strategy that will resonate with your ideal audience.

And I'll do it all while keeping your goals to ensure that your brand aligns with what you want to achieve.

I’ve been in marketing for over 20 years and I’m busting through the bull**** and industry nonsense to give you straight-talking and proven strategic marketing that will grow your business.