BRANDING
DON ’ T KNOW WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS THINK ? ASK THEM !
Most companies don ’ t have a six-figure budget for market research . So how do you learn about your customers ?
Lo and behold , you learn who your customers are by actually finding and having a conversation with them . There are many different ways to talk to your customers . Conversations can take place through informal market research , or through formal research methods . Each approach offers a number of opportunities to dive into your customers ’ inner lives .
The different methods available for informal market research prove that budget is not a barrier . On the superlow-budget end of the spectrum , you can just hang around in a Starbucks and ask people to try your product or service - then solicit their opinions . Be sure to ask open-ended questions , such as “ What do you like about this brand ?” -or- “ How do you see this fitting into your life ?” -or- “ What would you change about this ?” Actually talking to customers face-to-face is one of the most valuable things you can do to understand your brand .
One easy way for marketing managers and executives to interact with customers is by fielding customer service calls or inbound sales calls . Even at the CEO level , if you take customer service calls for a few hours every month , it might just be the most valuable time you ever spend . The callers won ’ t have any idea you ’ re the CEO , so they won ’ t sugarcoat how they feel about your brand . And you can ask them almost anything you want , and they ’ ll answer honestly .
Another inexpensive method is hosting a pizza and beer party ( or flatbread and wine party , depending upon your target demographic ). Invite friends and friends of friends to visit your office or your home and try your product . Tell them you ’ ll provide take-out food and beverages in exchange for their time .
The key here is to make sure you ’ re getting honest feedback . Friends and family will usually try to tell you they love it , even if they don ’ t . So offer them the booze in exchange for brutal , unvarnished honesty .
The above ideas are free or extremely inexpensive . Entrepreneurs in early stage start-ups , and companies without market research budgets , should take full advantage of all of these ideas and devise other methods that put them front and center with customers .
On the opposite end of the cost spectrum is formal market research . This could include everything from focus groups , to quantitative studies , in-depth interviews , surveys , or even observing your customers “ in the wild ” through ethnography . Professional focus groups can yield a tremendous amount of data , but they ’ re costly .
Regardless of how much you spend , companies of all sizes should be asking their customers about their needs . Oh , and here ’ s a pro tip : smart companies don ’ t just ask this of their own customers ; they ask their competitors ’ customers too . Customers must always be a central part of the equation when you ’ re doing brand strategy .
Unfortunately , there are many marketing agencies out there that believe in the myth of the marketing executive in a closed-off and customerfree boardroom . To do branding in a vacuum without putting the customers ’ point of view front and center is a massive mistake . In building a strong brand that connects deeply with customers , you must conduct discovery so you can gain an understanding of customers ’ needs as well as the trends , forces , and brands that compete for their attention .
The goal is to do more than safeguard against what other brands are doing . You need to gain insight into your company ’ s unique role in the marketplace , and your unique relevance to your Ideal Customer .
Deb Gabor is the founder of Sol Marketing , a consultancy that has led successful strategy engagements since 2003 for global brands like Dell , Microsoft , and NBCUniversal , and for numerous digital brands , including Allrecipes , Cheezburger , HomeAway , and many more .
A leading expert on brand disasters , she is the author of Branding Is Sex : Get Your Customers Laid and Sell the Hell out of Anything , and Irrational Loyalty : Building A Brand That Thrives In Turbulent Times . Deb has been featured in USA Today and other major publications . A displaced Midwesterner , Deb currently lives in Austin , Texas , but travels frequently to help her clients build bulletproof brands .
DebGabor . com
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