The best way to connect with your audience is to use the same language as them. Use terminology that potential customers use in everyday life. Infuse it right into your content. Talk to your target audience like they would talk to each other. This goes beyond explaining things so a fifth grader can understand them. Or leaving out jargon. It’s more about getting inside their minds. And to do that, you’ll need these customer research methods.

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This is actually researching your target audience’s pain points, and providing very specific solutions when they need it most. And through your free, ungated content. No hoops to jump through. no subscriptions or paid newsletters. Quality, helpful content that moves the needle for them. 

Customer Research Methods: 4 ways to Understand Your Audience Better

1. Interest-based Social Group Customer Research Method

I first start searching for my core topic, Content Marketing. Then I start with some variations to see if my audience refers to content marketing in another way. For example, many times it’s referred to as Content Creation.

I like to search specifically for pain words or phrases. These include “hate, frustrated, or can’t stand.” I look for these to go along with my keyword. Once I find some I like, I copy and paste what I need into my Google doc with all of my content topic ideas. This way, I always have a list of topic ideas. I can refer to this list when I’m struggling to find something to create content around. 

You can also use your own Facebook Group to survey your audience. Anytime someone requests to join your group, simply ask two questions. 1. What is your business? 2. What is your biggest struggle with your business right now? 

Copy and paste their answers into a Google sheet.

Get more market research help inside my Market Research Guide & Workbook. Learn phrase profiling for your ideal buyers, get better keywords for SEO, and more. It’s all inside one guide and fillable workbook.

Related Article: Master Pillar Content: How to Pick Your Pillars with Examples

2. Customer Research Review Questions

Check out reviews of your digital products or competitor products and see what’s being mentioned the most. Both good and bad.

Reviews are a great way to learn the absolute best parts of a client’s journey or experience with products. And the most frustrating. Reviews tend to detail one extreme to the other. The wording is either very appreciative and lends a hand to better help for their life. It’s the best thing they’ve ever tried or experienced. Or it’s the worst thing they’ve ever come across in their life. And they want to make sure no one else wastes their money. 

According to Online Reputation Management, Customers who’ve had a bad experience are 2 – 3 times more likely to write a review than happy customers.

The wording of reviews alone can give you great insight into what’s truly important to consumers about the product or service itself, but also throughout the buying process. You can see where there are gaps in the market. Gaps where products seemingly fail to fix the root of the problem or pain point. 

For example, I was looking at a diaper cream on Amazon the other day. I know, glamorous. But when you need diaper cream, you need something that works. And you won’t accept anything less when it comes to your baby.

Here’s a review for a cream that I hadn’t tried before. It was cheaper than what we usually use, so I wanted to check it out. But this was the review I came across. 

“I was really bummed this ointment didn’t workout for us – my friend swears by it and it is all natural and smells amazing!

However after the diaper rash had cleared up on my newborn we attempted to switch from [brand name] to this and the rash came back, and my newborn would cry and scream when I applied it like it was burning her (which was NEVER her reaction with the other ointment).

I’m only writing this review to share that it’s possible to cause some discomfort to your infant (although I assumed it wouldn’t hurt because of the natural ingredients).”

Then I read this review soon after.

“We are used to getting the tub. I’m so upset because our baby does very well with the original product. The description states it’s the same product but new look, when in fact it’s not. THE INGREDIENTS ARE NOT THE SAME. The original package had organic products while the tube does not. Also calendula is one ingredient in the jar that is no longer in the formula in the tube. Very disappointing. I won’t be purchasing this again and the description is misleading.” 

Both of these reviews do two things. One, they let the manufacturer know they need to go back to the original product ASAP. But two, they also give competitors an edge in knowing all natural products are important to this particular audience. They also know that calendula specifically is an ingredient that has been found helpful. If my product has calendula, I would be sure to talk about it in my content marketing efforts, as well as a product description page (or sales page). 

This story can easily be translated to digital products or online course sales. I know that most digital product or online course sales only show the good reviews. However, you’ll know what purchasers absolutely love. Do they love the bonuses with the course? Do they rave about swipe files. Maybe they love the workflow that makes the whole process faster and less time-consuming.

Reviews are where it’s at when it comes to researching content topics. Do some research with reviews, and I promise you’ll find some content ideas just waiting for you. 

Get survey questions and forms ready-to-use inside SurveySolutions.

3. Customer Experience Research: Use FAQs from Your Competitors

Providing a solution to any question that’s asked repeatedly is just smart. Make sure your content and your offers already answer those frequently asked questions. If you need an FAQ for it, it’s probably best to add it to your sales page, but it doesn’t hurt to also use it as a content topic. Turn it into a blog post, podcast episode, YouTube video, TikTok, whatever social platform you’re on. Because if it’s listed in an FAQ, chances are this is an important facet, and it’ll most likely be searched thoroughly. 

If you see an FAQ about refunds or a money back guaranteed, and it isn’t what you want to hear do you just take it at face value? Or do you do some research to see if someone else has a product that does offer a refund? And the same is true for many other FAQ’s. If I see that there isn’t a coaching aspect along with a self-study course, I might do some Googling to see if anyone offers a similar course with a 1:1 coaching option or a group coaching option.

Related Article: The Buyers Journey: How to Create Content That Guides Your Audience to Purchase

4. Search Engine Customer Research

Try using not only Google, but YouTube or Pinterest. Both are great options to get content topic ideas. The people searching each of these search engines will have varying viewpoints, so it’ll give your content creation a broader range of topic ideas to cover. Maybe you’ve heard the phrase “Learn how to say the same thing 1,000 different ways.” 

It’s somewhat true when it comes to Content Marketing Strategy. You want to make sure you’re answering all of your ideal client’s questions, frustrations, or problems. But it’s also important not to confuse them by talking about 1,000 different things at once. That’s why you’re talking about one thing, but you’re presenting it 1,000 different ways.

Sometimes it takes a few touch-points before it clicks. Sometimes your client just isn’t at a point where hearing the message will resonate or even help. And other times, it takes different types of content to reach your audience. 

Related Article: Short Form Vs Long Form Content: Which is right for you?

Importance of Customer Research Methods

Because your audience will feel like you heard them. You understand them. You’re there for them. That’s all anybody really wants. So give them that and get more sales. It really isn’t a hard process, and it doesn’t even take as much time as you think.

Do your research. Keep a backlog of ideas ready to go when you need them. And just keep creating content that solves specific problems.

And if you need a little more guidance, check out my Market Research Guide & Workbook. It’ll walk you through the whole process and help you document the most important aspects of customer research.

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