February offers the perfect opportunity for businesses to delve deep into understanding what your customers truly love. Knowing your audience’s preferences, desires, and sentiments is paramount for crafting successful marketing strategies. Asking good questions and understanding what matters to them is a great way to foster a relationship. In this blog post, we’ll explore effective tactics to figure out what your customers and clients love, so you can do more of it.
The Power of Focus Groups
The practice of focus groups remains a tried-and-true method for gauging client preferences and values. While surveys can get answers to the “what” questions, the smaller group and extended conversation of a focus group gets to the “why” questions that underlie consumer behavior. Running a focus group doesn’t need to be complicated, the key is recruiting a group of people who represent your target audience. You may want to talk to existing customers to identify areas of improvement or what leads to retention. Or, you may want to talk to non-customers to better understand what would get them to try your products or services. Either way, find a location that supports good conversation and ask questions that solicit detailed answers (vs. a simple “yes” or “no”).
Gather a diverse group of individuals representing your target audience, and facilitate discussions on your products, services, or industry trends. This direct interaction provides invaluable insights into what resonates with your clients and what aspects need improvement. An in-person forum also allows for deeper understanding and unforeseen discoveries due to the ability to shape the conversation in real-time. If you don’t have the capacity or skill set to run a focus group internally, reach out to an agency (like BP) who can help.
Leveraging Social Listening
Social listening tools allow you to monitor online conversations, track brand mentions, and analyze sentiment. By tuning in to the social chatter surrounding your industry, you can gain a nuanced understanding of what your clients love, dislike, and respond to. Sentiment is also a direct correlation to how your clients relate to and think about your brand. Examine what is leading to the most positive sentiment and adjust your content marketing strategy to minimize what is resulting in negative sentiment.
Direct Feedback Channels: Surveys and Questionnaires
While focus groups help gather detailed information from a small number of participants, surveys, and questionnaires are great at getting answers to objective questions at scale (yes/no, preferences, etc.). It can be hard to formulate trends and correctly attribute traffic with so many options for customers to find a product or service. There is also often a large margin of error that can result from incorrectly placed pixels or analytics tracking. That is where surveys and questionnaires can come in to fill in those gaps. Create targeted surveys and questionnaires to collect direct feedback from your clients. Tailor questions to uncover their preferences, pain points, and aspirations. Offering incentives can encourage participation, and the data collected can guide your marketing strategies with precision.
Unearth Patterns in Behavior Through Data Analytics:
At least 23% of the $88 billion spent annually by marketers on programmatic advertising on the open web is a waste, according to the Association of National Advertisers. One of the most effective ways to reduce the amount of waste in your advertising is to leverage the power of analytics.
Data-driven strategies will help you identify patterns in consumer behavior, understand what’s working (and what’s not) and respond by changing one or more elements of your campaign. Be sure to dig deep into customer interactions, website traffic (bounce rates, click patterns, etc.), and purchase history to discern preferences. Uncovering these patterns can guide personalized marketing efforts, ensuring that your clients receive content and offers aligned with their interests. Having up-to-date pixels and placements and making sure your website and social platforms are communicating with each other is key to this tactic’s success.
Storytelling: Understanding the Narrative of Your Audience
Every client has a unique journey and a story to tell. Engage in storytelling techniques to communicate with current and potential customers in a way that resonates. In 2024 social media video advertising is expected to reach $79.28 billion. But not all video is created equal, and there is a wide range in performance between a poorly crafted video and one that changes opinions or inspires action. You need to craft a story grounded in smart strategy that leans into your audience and taps into their ethos to move them along their buying journey. At Between Pixels, all videos start with our Storytelling Framework. During this process, we conduct interviews, explore deep audience insights, and develop a structured narrative for your messaging. Understanding the experiences that resonate with your clients can be a powerful tool for building emotional connections and establishing trust.
Gamify Your Discovery Process
Entertainment is a great way to earn attention and build a relationship with your customers. Creating interactive content such as quizzes, polls, or contests can engage your audience in a friendly and approachable format. These activities not only provide entertainment but also provide you with valuable insights into client preferences. Gamification can turn the process of discovering what your clients love into an enjoyable and memorable experience.
As February unfolds, take the time to embark on a journey of discovery and understanding. By implementing a combination of classic and modern tactics, you can unveil the heart of your audience and tailor your marketing strategies with precision. In the realm of marketing, knowing what your clients love is not just a strategy; it’s a commitment to building lasting relationships based on trust, empathy, and a genuine understanding of their needs.
