Why and how to do customer research for digital products |
The modern consumer demands brands that can connect with them in a person-to-person way. Here are the steps to making sure your business and its products meet that requirement.
Think about the last time you were in a relationship that ended really good.
It just felt like that person "got" your feelings, don't you think?
As if, before ever speaking, that person knew exactly what you thought and were also on the same wavelength as you, perfectly in sync with your wants and desires from the relationship.
Think about your last interaction with a company you love.
Perhaps it was the same experience. They seemed to anticipate your requirements and have solutions before you ever asked, providing an as smooth and seamless experience as feasible from the time they were found to the today.
Sure, competitors might occasionally arrive with lower deals, but if you're as seventy-three percent of consumers who are in the 73%, the price will not be enough to earn your favor and cause you to ditch your trusty name.
No, you, as happens in the majority of customers , are willing to be more than a company which has consistently delivered excellence throughout the course of time.
Are you wondering how to create that same sense of trust with your clients? Are you concerned that it could be a secret art known only to business professionals?
Take heart, for there's no need to worry.
All it boils down to knowing your customer better than the competition and this is much simpler than you imagine.
This week, we'll be discussing how you can conduct successful customer research on a shoestring budget. However, before we dig into that we'll look at the stakes.
The importance of customer research in setting firms from the competition
Did you know the expression "it's an e-commerce market"?
Typically used to describe the employment and real estate sectors market shifts to buyer-centricity when the supply outweighs the demand of the product. In those markets buyers instead of the company, that has their pick of the available options.
In reality, around 338 new websites develop every minute. There's no shortage of competitors competing for customers' attention. However, even though it might seem daunting, it's actually a great aspect.
Consumers will appreciate that they won't be faced with poor experiences and poor product offerings. For businesses, it allows them to set themselves apart from the sea of sameness by providing richer, more seamless interactions and engagement with clients.
And, if you do set yourself apart with stronger engagement, customers are eager to advocate for you , whether they're in the B2B or B2C audience.
Unfortunately, as the chart below shows, it's not one that most businesses are successful to hit.
B2C-related businesses are better off than B2B However, 47% of people think brands could do better in increasing engagement.
In either case, it is clear that there's a gap in the expectations of customers and their experiences and it's a gap that cannot be fixed without efficient customer research.
Do you really come up with a different way to meet these demands without understanding the person who are behind them?
74% of people would prefer to be treated as individuals, not as niches.
33% of customers believe that a company must anticipate their needs prior to when they can.
70% of your audience is looking for personalization in your advertising messages. They expect it to be tailored exclusively to them, and exclusively those who are.
These statistics aren't exclusive to those who reside in the United States, by the manner, even though they're most impressive within the U.S.
72% of the people in the UK say they will not think about a brand until they show that they are able to understand and respect the needs of their customers in a person-to-person way.
So, is that the end of the story?
Whatever the location, customers aren't satisfied with firms that treat them the same way as generic invoices.
They expect you to understand them, empathize with them to develop products and services to meet their demands as people.
And the best way to accomplish it is to dig to the depths and research regarding your potential audience.
You'll stand apart from the competition.
Don't do it, and you'll be blending with the crowd.
As for getting started you can choose from a range of methods for investigating your market, but there's one you shouldn't avoid.
(The first, obviously.)
#1. Write down your research and goals for marketing from the start
It may seem as if it's a redundant step however, it's the basis of your research, and while all other methods of research may be mixed and blended according to your preferences This one must be the first step.
Why?
Two motives.
The first one is an analysis in 2005 looking at the connection between goal achievement and whether or not these goals were written down. In groups where people recorded their goals as opposed to those who kept the goal in their head, the performance increase was substantial.
Take a look:
Another reason to set and documenting your goals is less about the research aspect and more about preserving your resources.
If you are aware of what you want to accomplish then you can cut out the unnecessary and narrow in to the essential data you'll need to know about the audience you're targeting and their needs.
While if your goals are in vain, you're likely to expend your time and money trying to filter across the endless sea of information you'll encounter in your search.
It's not just a supposition in any by the way.
Setting and documenting your objectives, process as well as the research tactics that emerge from these are crucial to a modern product's success. Marketers who have goals set will be 429percent higher likely to achieve success as opposed to those who leave their plans to nature.
This is likely why, for businesses hiring marketers , the top qualities that an applicant can demonstrate include managing projects, data analysis, and the capacity to gain knowledge from information about the customer.
As for how to set these objectives The Framework for SMART remains the best option for defining and testing the goals you have set.
If you've never heard of it, here's how the acronym breaks down:
Let's go through an easy example.
The first step is to get your message across to the right customers. Although that is a good primary metric of specificity -- it's not measurable, time-based, or attainable without further details.
If you go back to drawing a new plan You could change your goals to include something similar to this:
It will be easier to identify your readers' main three issues using online marketing tools prior to developing your newest ebook.
This is a great goal because it helps us:
Limit the scope of what we're looking for when conducting our studies.
Find the connection of the research findings to what the company needs
Select a time frame to finish the job
Use the information in a meaningful way in order to develop new products
This all answers concerns raised in the SMART system through providing specificity and measurability. It also provides achievability relevancy, and time constraints.
If you prefer a more aesthetic method, the graphic below provides a good outline of each section and other points to keep in mind while you work through your goals.
It's all good. Once you're familiar with your objectives and know why customer research is so important, it's time to take the next step.
Watching competitors' products.
#2. Review product reviews carefully to find high-level overviews
Here's what I mean.
If you're interested in learning more about the audience that will benefit from these books, look to already-available products on the market. In particular, take a look at the products that excel in the same area to gather useful information. .
These are reviews for a book with high reviews on Amazon, UX Strategy: How to Devise innovative Digital Products that People Want . A quick look at the reviews, and look for topics in these reviews.
Here's what I noticed:
All of the reviews mention how easy it is to use for those new to the game.
Two out of three of the reviews focus on how examples and demonstrations relate to the real world.
Each review gives the nod to the depth of the book and the depth of the principles within the book.
On this basis I'm guessing that the target audience for the same book seeks out something accessible to new readers, relates concepts to real instances, and provides a wealth of details.
Let's see how it is able to stand up when I try out another book in the same vein with a equivalent number of reviews. The Design of Everyday Things The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and expanded Edition .
Based on these reviews, you might find:
Customers are critical of this book's design and layout. Many users have criticized its ineffective (if it is ironically) designs, which could indicate issues with organization for newcomers.
The first book's review pointed out the author's use insights and real-life examples, reviewers were less receptive to the same thing in this edition.
Lack of care for particulars damaged the credibility of the writer in the eyes of customers.
The third point is particularly fascinating because it provides us with an the opportunity to dig further -- provided it is in line with the goals we set -- and also compare the various products. Why did one book excel in comparison to the other?
And, moreover how do we ensure that our offerings are in the right place on that broad spectrum?
At this stage, we aren't in a position to start generating any materials because all our information is just a bit of interpretation, but we do have an idea of what to look out for while creating our product and a great supplement for those who do come across quantitative evidence.
That's, in turn that's what we'll do next.
#3. Use keyword research to guide your search
They will help you to reach out to the public and comprehend the potential clients you could be attracting by studying the volume as well as the click-through rate (CTR) behind key words.
They've made a visual which shows how they perform against comparable SEO suites as well as, while any person who recommends themselves must be considered a pinch of salt, I've confirmed my experience with each of these software and their rankings.
So, why is keyword research a good way to get customer insights?
Because volume tells you how many people are interested in this topic The way you phrase it will tell you what they are searching for during different phases of the buying process, their most frequently asked questions are asking about the topic and what kind of content resonates well with them.
In the meantime, however there are two points that you must be aware of when conducting keyword research:
Volume isn't a valid measure for actual SEO, but it is helpful in analyzing customer information since it lets you know how customers browse to find what they're looking for.
Keywords are searched and then filtered in accordance with the purpose of the person who is searching. Rankbrain , the AI behind the process of determining intent, actually very good at it far better than humans which is why you should put stock in its suggestions.
Rankbrain is a reliable source of information because it measures keywords the same as we measure reviews: by the degree of levels of satisfaction with the users .
Combining the suggestions of its authors together with the knowledge we gained from product reviews provides the most effective of bothorganic and non-organicminds.
Combining your qualitative insights and Rankbrain's quantitative insight isn't just a straightforward way to work, by the way, it's also an effective form of marketing that relies on data.
A solution that accomplishes both of its most important objectives -- giving you the capability to make more decisions based on information and enhancing your data with the most complete information that professional marketers need.
No matter what tool you use, though, the key is to find patterns within the data, and draw insights by analyzing the qualitative information you gleaned during the earlier section.
If, for instance, users are consistently seeking free solutions to the problems you're trying solve, and complain about the price in review of the product, this niche isn't lucrative enough for you or it could require you to overcome more objections to get customers to buy.
In contrast, if they're always seeking easy solutions and praised competitor products to make their lives easier, you may have the opportunity to supply the same solution -- at a fee and with a thoughtfully designed solution that is able to meet their requirements.
Of course, there's only one way to guarantee your union of quantitative as well as qualitative information is a match created in heaven after having made them work This is the last tip.
#4. Make use of surveys and actual conversations to conclude the process
Everything we've done to now has been about building and proving our assumptions.
The last part, however, is about making them more difficult and breaking the idea of challenging them.
Put simply, if you want to go deeper into the study of your audience and you should There's no better option for having real-time conversations and interaction with the people you're talking to.
Surveys, fortunately, relieve some anxiety away by putting the required data to make it easier for you. They are also one of the easier and higher-value means to have the interactions you need.
Technology companies know this better than most. According to Research Now, now Dynata is 76% of companies in the tech industry say insights gained from survey studies were very or extremely useful to their plans.
They're not just great for conducting research with customers before development, by the way.
Polls and surveys are suggested by industry experts to keep customers satisfaction high following the launch of your website also.
They demonstrate that you care.
They offer insights unlike any other type of research could.
By simply asking for feedback, you make customers more likely to remain committed to your company.
Another significant advantages from using surveys to conduct market research are the capacity to determine the sentiment of consumers as well as create lead-generating research and gauge the need of consumers for your products.
Just make sure that your surveys are short and straight to the point. It is a good idea to make surveys to conduct market research must last no longer than fifteen minutes , and the shorter you can make it, the more likely to get people to complete your survey.
Better yet, if you would like to push your research to the next stage and achieve higher completion rates, you shouldn't submit surveys via email.
You can take it in person or over an online gathering. The average response rate for surveys conducted in person is nearly twice the rate of response for email and online surveys.
It's advantageous for several motives, but the most crucial is when you ask questions via webcam or even in person it will allow you to discern signals you might normally miss out on in an online survey.
It is true that just 7 percent of all communication is dictated by real words used. The other 93% is through nonverbal signals like facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice.
Furthermore, when you meet someone face-to-face, you'll have the chance to delve deep into their issues and emotions than an answer box would allow.
And the deeper you go, the closer you'll be to truly understanding your customers as individuals. This, if you'll recall it's no lower than what the contemporary consumer demands.
Do your research and meet with them.
There's simply no better solution to meet theiras well as your company'srequirements.
It's not an easy road however, it's a rewarding one.
Knowing your customer is essential to creating an organization that is superior to the competition and delivers better customer experiences.
Although it's certainly not a simple process it's not a complicated one also.
The steps are pretty simple in reality:
Set out your goals by deciphering them and capturing them. This is a crucial step greater than what people usually give it credit for.
Read product reviews of rivals to find patterns and opinions about your prospective customers.
Turn to the research on keywords to find out the things people are looking at in your business and what they are looking for it.
Then, use surveys to understand why they look for those identical things. The more specific information received from your customers the better.
Better yet, top it all off with actual conversations. You'll get more insights as well as higher responses rates and that much closer to knowing your customers.
It sounds easy, doesn't it?
That's because it is so, making it an unanswerable reason why companies don't make use of consumer research.
However, their chance to win is their loss.
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