Using market research & voice of customer to your advantage
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Using market research & voice of customer to your advantage
AKA: HOW TO USE JEDI MIND TRICKS (ETHICALLY) TO SELL MORE PRODUCTS
This is the process I go through every time I write copy for my clients. It allows me to understand their customers on a level that reaches their core motivations and emotional triggers to write copy that speaks to their soul. It’s a process compiled from a variety of sources over the years, that takes the guesswork out of writing copy that connects. If you want the questions I ask in my research process, click here to get the free download.
What is this thing called market research?
If you’ve been in the online space for any amount of time you will hear time and time again that you need to research your target market to 1) create the right products and offerings and 2) speak to that target market in a way that gets them on board with your product or offering AND buy.
For this post I’m focusing on the second point which is what copywriting is all about.
So, why do you need to do research at all if you know you’ve got a great product?
Can’t you just say how great your thing is and hope it sells?
You probably can if you’re a well established brand like Apple and people will pretty much buy anything you make... but for most of us, we need to be able to persuade an audience that your thing is the solution to their problems or gets them results they desire.
And persuasion is not about slimy sales tactics used to manipulate, it’s merely showing your people the benefits of your product in a way that speaks to their core desires and motivations.
It’s like using the “force”. Used in a good way it positions your product perfectly, used in a bad way you set yourself up for customer disappointment. So don’t be a Sith, be a Jedi—use it for good so that you can stay in alignment with your company values and ethics.
How to do market research properly (and speak Jedi to your customers!)
You’ve got to get curious if you want to understand your ideal customer and by that I mean going down some rabbit holes to find out what they’re really thinking. You may ask “how do I do that” … I’ll get to that in a minute, but first you have to know what you’re trying to find out.
Here are some questions to consider when going about your research…
What are their desires/ what do they really want?
Most people have a core desire behind any decisions they make. It doesn’t have to be profound or life changing but you really need to consider why they might need your product. For example if they’re looking for a new deodorant that fits with their natural lifestyle choices they’re looking for something that stops the sweat but that something needs to have ethical and natural ingredients.
Yet if we go deeper on this, their desire might be to show up to work without the embarrassing armpit rings or to go on a hot date and feel cool as a cucumber (because we all know nerves make those pits go into overdrive). Think about what the end goal or ultimate desire is when it comes to using a product like yours.
Who are these people? And what is going on in their daily lives?
It’s good to get a picture of what a day-in-the life looks like for your customer so you can speak to their pain points using details and minutiae. This allows them to see themselves in the story and picture themselves triumphant with your product solving their problem or need.
With our deodorant example (let’s call the product No-Sweat-Ness) They just can’t stop sweating. They have to change their shirt 3 times a day to stop the smell and embarrassing wet patches, which means they’re having to do a ton of laundry.
Also, sometimes there’s never an ideal location for them to get changed so they fumble with scooting down in their car seat in between their car journey’s to try to wrestle their top off while trying to not let any bare skin be on show to passers-by.
Now you’re getting a picture of what their daily struggles are like beyond just the regular “pain-points” of the problem.
How aware are they of their problem or need (and how aware are they of a/ your solution)?
When writing copy that is targeted at a specific audience or market, one of the factors you have to consider is at what stage of awareness they are in. This is a marketing principle first introduced by the late and great Eugene Schwarz. He basically states there are five levels of awareness.
Problem unaware—people don’t realise they have a problem so will not be searching for a solution. You can target these people if you know how to highlight symptoms, through the correct channels (eg. social media, print magazines, direct door drops), that they might be suffering. And when I say symptoms, it could be certain issues that are coming up for them that they need some help understanding that this is actually a problem, and better yet that there is a solution.
Problem aware—those who know they have a problem and are actively seeking a solution. Understanding the methods they use to find a solution is a key component to reaching these people.
Solution aware—through advertising or research these people are aware there is a solution to the problems they are facing and so for them, it’s a matter of finding the right product or brand that they trust. This is where you have the opportunity to showcase how your product is different from others.
Brand aware—by some luck, miracle or clever strategy, these people are aware that you have the ideal solution for their problem and are almost ready to buy. They just need assurances that they can trust your brand and that it will work...unlike possible past attempts—which is where you need to be strategic in understanding their beliefs around the solution they know is available. More on that in a moment.
Most aware—these shoppers are ready and willing to give you their money but may need an extra incentive to get off the fence. Scarcity (eg. limited stock) can play a big role in moving them from a reader or follower to a customer.
What does it look like before and after they’ve used your product?
You know your product well enough to be able to highlight the benefits of what it does for your customer. Sometimes testimonials or reviews are enough to show the before and after effect, but you can take what you know about their current day to day life and position the “after” scenario to allow your customer to imagine themselves in this future reality.
Truly understanding their desires will allow you to bridge the gap between the before and after with your product. Get clear on what that transformation will look like for your customer.
What do they believe about either themselves or other products and solutions that may stop them saying yes to buying from you?
Now this is a tricky one because it can be difficult to get a candid answer from a customer — mainly because most of the time they don’t really know themselves why they choose one product over another. Yes, they can spout logical reasoning to you, but ultimately purchases are usually emotional decisions back up by logic (mainly to justify to themselves or others why they purchased something).
To get deep into this you need to read between the lines to find out what they’re not saying by asking the right questions. Oy you can take the curiosity route and follow the white rabbit down holes that may not seem an obvious place to find voice of customer data. It means taking a sideways approach to research that means not looking for the obvious but looking at related topics where people happily share why they did or didn’t buy something, or what stops them from taking action on a problem.
How do you find out what your customer is REALLY thinking?
Research your competitors
Figure out your direct competitors and go take a look at the copy they have on their website, social posts and emails (yes sign up for their emails). Put your ear to the ground to find out how they’re talking to their customers.
Also do this for other products or brands who might not be your competitor but serve the same audience so you can see what’s being said and what seems to be working. You'll obviously have to take a guess whether their copy is really speaking to their audience but if you know your market well enough you should be able to make a good guess at how this lands with their audience.
Stalk your customers in discussion forums, facebook groups, and (*gasp*) in real life meet-up groups
It’s not as weird as it sounds. Find out where your customers hang out. Maybe it’s on instagram commenting on similar brands posts, or in discussion forums asking questions. Think deep about the rabbit holes that your customers may go down as they search for a solution to their problem or look to fill their needs.
See what they’re saying in terms of products but also their daily lives. For example you may find Trixie our No-Sweat-Ness ideal customer commenting on Hot-Star Workout’s Facebook Page about her battle with her pits when it comes to choosing work out gear.
Take these “sound bites” and store them in a digital file (eg. Google Docs or Evernote) so you can come back to this for using voice of customer data.
Seek out amazon reviews for similar products or books on the subject
Look for their opinions and viewpoints on topics that relate to your product by trawling through Amazon reviews. This can be on products or even books on your subject matter. You’ll be amazed at what people say about your competitors products that will you great voice of customer data or insights into their struggles or desires.
Look at comments on yours (and competitors) social posts, blog posts
Again, take the time to identify your direct competitors or other brands who have a similar audience but solve a different problem and take a look at their social platforms. People love to share their opinion and have a quick comment on the posts and this is the perfect way to get more detail on the life and times of your target market.
Look at support query tickets raised in customer service
If your company is already well established and has a customer service team, then you’ll have a gold mine of query tickets at your disposal for mining for more information. This is not always about people having complaints, but there are many customers that send love notes about your products or suggestions and ideas on ways to improve. These are perfect opportunities to not only find new ways to leverage your business in terms of product development, but using customers actual words and feedback in your copy will allow it to connect on a real level with your customers.
Talk to your customers
This method can be a little bit tricky in terms of pinning your customers down to spend a few minutes to chat. If you have your ear to the ground you most likely will be able to identify a few true fans and cheerleaders of your brand. This means they will most likely be happy to spend time talking to you or your team so you can capture details about any of the above “Jedi mind trick” topics.
Talk to people who might be your ideal customer
You can “accost” friends, family or even strangers who look approachable to ask them a few direct questions about their buying decisions around similar products. This works especially well if you’re brave enough to chat to people in a store who are eyeing up products like yours in the aisles.
Take your research and regurgitate the voice of your customer from the data you’ve collected.
Now it’s your turn. You take everything you’ve found in your research and implement it into your copy. I don’t know who first said this but if you ever worry about how to get started with writing any copy, and you keep coming up against the blank screen of doom then remember…
“Copy is not written. It is assembled”
Take your research and your voice of customer data and go write some copy that speaks to their core motivations to get them saying “oh my god, you read my mind”. When you get messages like that, you know you’re on the right track!