Research matters - How brand, market, and customer insights can help

Sandra Idjoski, Gordana Lasković

Apr 11, 2023 • 6 min read

No matter if you're just starting out or have years of experience, one thing is certain:

To make good decisions, you need good insights.

Research is a powerful tool that helps you there; It can boost your website traffic, build your brand's credibility, and even help you enter new markets.

Sounds like a lot of work? Don't worry.

In this article, we’ll cover three types of research to guide you based on your goals:

1. Brand research

2. Market research

3. Customer Research

Let's dive in and make your research efforts simple and successful!

1) Brand research

It's important to conduct ongoing research about your brand to ensure you're fully meeting the needs of your target audience and users, while also staying ahead of your competition.

Here are some situations where it's especially important as well as questions to consider:

1) When developing a new product or service

It’s crucial to ensure that any new offerings align with your brand identity. Think about how your current users might perceive these changes.

Does it align with your brand?
Will it disappoint or negatively impact how your current users see you?

2) When experiencing a decline in sales or customer satisfaction

A drop in sales can be a sign that something isn't right. Take the time to investigate any changes in your reputation or customer preferences.

Has your reputation taken a hit?
Have you overlooked any key trends in the market?

3) When entering a new market or expanding into a new region

Every market is different, so it's important to understand local preferences and communication styles. This knowledge can help you connect better with new audiences.

Are there any differences in communication styles you should be aware of?
Are there any new communication channels to consider?

4) When you are rebranding or redesigning your website or marketing materials

A rebranding is a big step, and it’s important to know if you’re improving your existing message or completely changing it. Consider how this will affect your audience.

Are you improving the message you've been sending, or are you changing it completely?

Interviews and focus groups

Nobody understands a brand better than the people who work for it - your employees!

So, why not take the time to chat with them? You can do it one-on-one, or even better, gather them for a fun and interactive discussion or workshop.

The goal is to discover what makes your brand unique and how it delivers on its promises. This insight will help set you apart from the competition.

With this valuable knowledge, you can create great content and tell engaging stories. Plus, you can use it to develop innovative experiences and solutions that tap into your talented team's expertise and technology.

A listening tool can provide more genuine insights into how people perceive your brand than traditional brand tracking studies.

By identifying relevant mentions, you can gain valuable feedback on any barriers or issues you may face. Product review sites can also be useful for this. Just keep in mind that social media can sometimes highlight extreme opinions.

By using these tools effectively, you can gain a deeper understanding of your brand and enhance your content marketing strategy.

2) Market research

There are many times in a company’s life cycle when understanding the market is crucial.

Some of these situations happen every day, while others are tied to specific phases of development:

Launching a new product or service - Who are the key players in the market for you? What makes you unique compared to them?
Developing a marketing strategy - What communication channels are most popular in your industry? Are there any underserved channels you could use for growth?
Evaluating your competition - What are your strengths? Where can you improve?
Considering a new business venture - Are there risks to your core products when launching something new? How big is the market you’re looking to tap into?

In general, market research is essential whenever you need to make informed decisions about your business strategy, product development, marketing, or expansion. It helps you understand your customers, competitors, and market trends, providing valuable insights that can guide your business decisions.

Desktop research

To conduct market and category research, you can use various resources, including case studies, industry reports, articles, and expert opinions.

These materials can be found in industry databases, leading consultancies, and category authorities. It’s also beneficial to engage with professional groups and membership organizations to network and gain insights from others.

By taking this multi-faceted approach, you can gather diverse perspectives and stay updated on the latest trends and developments in your field.

Common places where you can find interesting and verified insights include:

3) Customer research

Customer research is conducted to gain a deeper understanding of your customers' needs, preferences, and behaviors.

Here are several ways it can help you get closer to your goals:

Improving customer satisfaction - What do your customers want and need? What key objectives do they want to achieve?
Developing customer personas - What are the demographics, psychographics, behaviors, and needs of your target audience?
Identifying areas for improvement - Where are you coming up short in the eyes of your clients and users? What can you do to change that?
Staying ahead of the competition - Are there changing needs among your users? What technological advances could influence your product or service, and are you at the forefront?

Online surveys/questionnaires

Online surveys offer the perfect opportunity to ask your audience what they really think about your product or service, as well as the challenges they’re currently facing. Their anonymity and ease of access make it simple for people to share their honest opinions.

An online survey can reveal your customers' true opinions and allow them to share their ideas in a safe environment. The best part is that this type of research usually comes with low costs and can often be easily quantified.

On the flip side, online surveys can sometimes limit participants and lead them toward specific answers. You can avoid this by carefully preparing your questionnaire and testing it on a small sample before sharing it with a larger audience.

Keyword and topic research

Keyword and topic research is both an art and a science. It's not only essential for content creation and marketing, but it also helps you spot emerging trends in your niche.

There are some awesome tools out there – like SEMrush and Buzzsumo – that can help you uncover what people are searching for and engaging with. By integrating these tools with Google Analytics and Search Console, you'll get a 360-degree view of what's peeking people's interest.

As a content marketer, you can also use Google Trends to gain insight into the search volume and trends of specific keywords, allowing you to perform comparative keyword research and identify related topics and demographics.

Collabwriting - Shareable Notes on Web Pages and PDFs

Collabwriting allows you to gather all your online sources in one place. Just highlight, save, and collaborate with anyone on any content you find online.

Start now - Always free

Final thoughts

Good research is key to your success, whether you're just starting or looking to grow your business. By focusing on brand, market, and customer research, you can gain valuable insights that help you connect with your audience.

Don’t worry - research doesn’t have to be overwhelming! Use tools like online surveys and keyword research to gather honest feedback and stay updated on trends. Engaging with your team and customers can also lead to great ideas.

So, dive in, stay curious, and let your research guide you to new heights!