Sharpening their axe!
Howdy there friend!
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the axe.”
– Abraham Lincoln
Likewise, If MARKETING is chopping a tree, CUSTOMER RESEARCH is sharpening your axe!
But you know, we often turn a blind eye to it. Or do not do it — the right way. Besides, it’s not something that’s readily available on the internet. Nor do marketing and growth gurus teach us much about it. But, that was until now. Following this step-by-step approach to customer research. Learning the secret tools known only to the top 1% growth marketers. I say for certain that the following steps will help you nail any marketing research. For any product/service.
Let’s get onto this:
Here we go:
- Start by knowing what exactly people are talking about your product/service online: Use AnswerthePublic, Quora, Reddit, and Google Advanced Search.
- Use Google Trends to see trends around your niche.
- Use Semrush, Ahrefs, Spyfu, KeywordsEverywhere, and CrawlIQ to see where the traffic is coming from, which keywords are ranking, competitor analysis, etc.
- Then use Buzzsumo to see popular content in your niche.
- Use SimilarWeb & a simple Google search to see your competitor’s digital footprints.
- Use Statista, Sparktoro, Audiense, and similar tools to see some of your competitor’s market sizes.
- Now coming to the most important part of competitive analysis: Understanding the Funnel — understand your competitor’s funnel by visiting their site, signing up for their list & see how they re-target you, what offers they send via mail, what lead magnets are on their website, what content they produce, what’s their upsell, their customer testimonials, check their ads in Facebook ads library, etc.
Also, check Youtube & podcasts for the particular keyword. - And lastly and most importantly, talk to your prospects and customers. Set up super-focused interviews & surveys with them. Uncover buyers’ journey, their purchase trigger, and why they have chosen a particular product/service over gazillion others.
Follow this and you can even cut the General Sherman tree.
Only….if it’s M-A-R-K-E-T-I-N-G!
