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Let’s be real, no one wants to be the brand shouting into the void, hoping someone, anyone, will listen. The magic of great marketing? Knowing exactly who you’re talking to. And that’s where customer personas come in.
And, coincidentally, did I just team up with the brilliant folks at Semrush to create a seriously kick-ass course on this exact topic? You bet I did.
If building customer personas isn’t quite as exciting as planning for soon-to-be-coming Halloween, it’s close (trust me, and Halloween is my favourite holiday).
But where do these personas come from?
Today I am going to talk to you about market research, my favourite tool for understanding your customers inside and out.
👩🏫 Lesson of the week
Market research is simply gathering, analysing, and interpreting information about your market. It’s the data and insights that bring customer personas to life and make them, well… real. This is how you go beyond the surface of basic demographics and dive into what really drives your audience.
Let’s break down the essentials, starting with the two main types of market research.
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Primary vs. Secondary Research
To build the most accurate customer personas, there are two main types of market research you can lean on:
Primary research is where you roll up your sleeves and collect new data straight from the source—think surveys, interviews, and focus groups. You’re getting fresh, firsthand insights directly from your audience.
Secondary research involves gathering insights from existing data like industry reports, competitor studies, or even good old Google.
Both types are useful, but primary research gives you unique, specific insights that are often more directly applicable to your brand. Let’s dig into some key tools you can use for each.
Surveys: Your Essential Persona Builder
Surveys are a tried-and-true way to get direct input from your audience. A few questions done well can give you a treasure trove of data about your customers’ preferences, habits, and challenges. Here’s what we’ve learned about survey design:
Do’s:
Keep it short and sweet: No one loves a long survey. Aim for clarity and brevity.
Ask specific questions: Make sure every question is easy to understand and directly linked to the info you need.
Mix it up: Use multiple-choice, rating scales, and open-ended questions to get a variety of responses.
Don’ts:
Avoid leading questions: Don’t phrase questions that hint at the “right” answer.
Skip the jargon: Simple, clear language is key. Keep it relatable.
Interviews & Focus Groups: Digging Deeper
Interviews and focus groups are perfect for when you want to go beyond surface-level insights. Think of it as having a coffee with your customers and listening to them open up.
Keep conversations open-ended: Have a set of guiding questions but let the conversation flow naturally.
Create a comfortable environment: Make people feel at ease so they’re open to sharing.
Stay neutral: Let participants lead the conversation—your job is to soak up the insights.
With tools like Otter.ai, you can record and transcribe these sessions so you don’t miss a thing. Plus, you’ll have valuable feedback you can review and analyse later.
Don’t have time or resources for surveys and interviews? Look no further than social media. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn are bursting with data on your audience’s preferences, behaviours, and interests. Use social media analytics to track engagement, popular topics, and audience demographics.
Tools like Semrush’s Social Analytics can give you a breakdown of your metrics to identify what’s working and what needs tweaking.
🏫 Class in session
Building customer personas backed by real data transforms your marketing game, making your messages resonate with the right people. In the Building a Customer Persona course, we’re walking you through every step of conducting market research and crafting detailed customer personas that actually work. It’s all about making your marketing more relevant, targeted, and impactful.
Join us in the course and take your customer knowledge to the next level. You’ll have everything you need to start creating data-driven personas that take your marketing from generic to genuine.
Always cheering you on,
Fab ✌️