Charlie Creative Blog

Market research brings you closer to understanding the needs and desires of your chosen clients so you can serve them better.

Here are six steps you can take to get acquainted.

Actually, no. You do what’s right for yourself and your business based on the needs of a strong market. You don’t have to specialize, but there are compelling advantages to it.

The definition of an expert is someone who specializes in an aspect of a specific field. In transportation a bus driver is an expert: she specializes in driving a bus. Hiring an expert makes people feel good about working with you. They’ll even expect to pay more for your services.

After all, you’re doing work you love and doing it well. So, if you want to make more money doing work you love, specialization is a practical choice. It’s true that when you specialize you turn off some people. It turns out that’s not so bad. It strengthens the connection to your ideal market. The more specific your brand message, the more you appeal to the people you wish to serve.

I read a webpage today that said: Amateurs do what they enjoy; professionals do what it takes to make their businesses work. That’s a popular view. If your business doesn’t bring in profits you have no business, right? You see this in start-ups all the time. Someone has a great idea but they fail to connect it to a market. It’s heart breaking to see and frustrating to experience.

But here’s the thing. When you’re fully engaged in your business your company thrives because you bring forth your best efforts. It’s not an either/or question. Making your business work is a given. Among other things, you’ve got to connect your idea to an eager market. But a business that’s driven by personal interests thrives.

Branding is a relationship between the personal interests of a company and the personal interests of a niche market. Without personal interests on both sides there’s miscommunication and profits fall. Professionals do what it takes to make their businesses work… they also share personal interests with their market.

Studies show the more you give away the more you sell. Today, for instance, I bought a product Online because they gave me a 15-minute audio sample right in the sales letter. I felt comfortable because I could tell what I was buying. Even if I hadn’t made a purchase today, I would have bookmarked the page and returned later. This happens all the time. People aren’t always ready to purchase on their first website visit. But if you answer specific questions and provide useful material people will feel good about you… and they’ll remember. Your job is to keep them coming back. What can you give away that will help people decide to buy your product or service? What can you regularly change or update on your site so people return to see what’s new? Does a blog come to mind? A podcast? A video blog?

Too often commercial websites are written with no audience in mind. But business is based on two-sided relationships. So are websites. Good websites have personalities. They’re written with the understanding that both sides matter in a relationship. Get to know your audience and write for real people. Make your writing conversational. Anticipate questions and make clear points. Use your personality and tell a few compelling stories. Surprise your readers and give them meaningful content. In other words, fill your website with the fresh, lively conversation you’d like to have with your clients. Go on, sharpen your pen. They’re waiting for you now, all ears and bright smiles.

Everybody has different preferences, thank goodness. But what happens to your website content when you try to satisfy visitors with different needs? Is it even possible?

Bob Bly wrote a book called The Online Copywriter’s Handbook (McGraw Hill, 2002) and included a section on writing copy to “Fit the Buyer’s Mood and Intent.” In the book, Bob defines various browsing styles along with tips for layout. Here’s a selection of his advice for reaching different website reading preferences:

“Artist… text in digestible chunks”
“Writer… list(s) of words” fast downloads
“Explorer… plenty of content”
“Seeker… one-click access to what they want”

For other styles, see Bob’s excellent book. So, here’s a question: Do these methods broaden the market for a website, or do they simply enhance the experience for a chosen market?

Good branding means tending to the market, your customers, your identity and the media. These elements shift from time to time for various reasons. You need to know how they shift and when to shift with them. Think of it this way. You’re standing behind your four-year-old daughter pushing her on a swing. You send her out and watch as she swings back to you. You send her out again. You measure the strength of your push by her reaction. Is she smiling and having fun? Next time you push a little harder. That one is better. Now she’s laughing. That’s where you want her: excited, having fun, feeling adventuresome and safe in your care. Do that with all aspects of your brand and it will feel well tended. Your brand will feel fresh, strong and loved.

If you’re going to communicate effectively you’re going to have to listen to your audience more often. You’re going to have to keep up with how they see your brand. Not last quarter. How do they see your brand today? When you know what your customers think you know what to say, how to say it, and where and when to say it so they hear you. Ask them what your brand means. Act on facts. Otherwise you’re throwing your money away on a one-sided conversation, hoping they’ll respond while you yell at a wall. That’s a tough way to make friends. Reach out and research. It’s fun. You’ll make friends, woo clients and your brand message will speak to real people. Not bad for a little friendly conversation.

You wouldn’t express your brand message the same way on a billboard as you would on the screen of a digital kiosk. Different media have different functions and effects. But that doesn’t mean you change your brand message. It means you apply it to various media in appropriate ways. You can’t see radio and you can’t hear a print ad—unless you rip it. Figure out the most effective way to express your brand message in the media you use. But first, choose media that your audience will experience. If your audience lives in Minnesota and 89% of them get their style advice from obscure Japanese websites do you really want to invest in a sponsorship at a shop in the local mall? Market where your market is. Choose the media they use. Apply your brand message in an appropriate way for the media. Thank you!

Your brand is driven by your vision and your values. Your values emerge from who you are and how you express yourself through your business. That’s what makes you different from your competition. Loads of small businesses struggle when they search for a brand message, but if you consistently express your values to your ideal market through your business you already have a unique brand. If your brand appeals to the people you choose to serve you have a good brand. A good brand is inherently authentic. That’s what makes it unique. The best brands send a consistent message in every context. They’re satisfying because they meet unique expectations.