“Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals”
But doing market research sucks,
So here's 5 tricks you can use to make it suck WAY less
(Bookmark this thread):
#1 Talk to them in person
Most people don't do this.
They think it's best to assume what they want...
But "assuming" never won anything in business.
When you talk to customers?
You get an idea of who they are and you can write to them much more easily.
#2 Go Unsexy
When you're starting, look for the 'unsexy' business.
Don't be a new "marketing agency for tech startups"...
Become a "marketing agency for dentists".
Start in a boring industry because there's less competition there.
If you're getting started in an industry, go and talk to experts.
For example:
With the dentist, go to your local dentist and ask them:
>how do they get customers?
>do they need more customers?
You can run a trial -> get a testimonial -> contact more dentists -> repeat.
Also:
If you're starting,
First develop a skillset.
Once you've mastered it, then you can deliver customers.
It's about picking and niching down:
Pick one industry that seems boring and deliver a great product or service to them.
What all this boils down to:
Market research becomes easy if all your clients are in the same market.
Specialize,
And don't be afraid of the 'unsexy' industries.
#3 Pose as a student
Pose as a student "doing research on the profession because that's your homework".
For example,
You could pose as a student + ask doctors questions about their business model - they'll give it away for free.
Not the most ethical, but effective.
#4 Look at review sites
This is super easy:
You can see what people are saying about certain products.
You can get a lot of info from your competitors + market research that way.
Subreddits, forums, youtube comments, amazon book reviews, Facebook groups.
GO DEEP.
#5 Hire a freelancer to study the competition
We hired a freelancer from Upwork and told him:
"Go and register accounts with all the competitors in this space. Here's 30 competitors - go to every single one, sign up with them, request a demo."
We wanted to answer thee Q's:
>what's their response time?
>once you sign up, what's their flow?
>is it an email or do they call you?
>what do their emails look like?
>how often do they send emails?
>are you signing up and not getting a welcome email?
>are you signing and getting a phone within 10 seconds?
You'll end up with a big competitor map giving you a real idea of what's going on in the industry.
You can understand the psychology of your competitors + see how they operate...
This gives you a lot of value.
(it costs $$ but can give you a big idea on the market)
These market research tactics will make marketing a lot easier...