Easy, budget-friendly ideas to research your target audience

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Researching your target audience can be deemed a somewhat boring task. But personally, it’s actually my favourite part! I love learning about people’s behaviours and getting to understand their thought processes.

Many clients are reluctant to take this step because they either think it’s going to be really expensive, or they think that they know enough about their audience already. I’d say for both cases, they could actually be quite wrong.

Often we think we know what people want, but until we put ourselves out there, we don’t actually really know. So research is a really useful step of the brand building journey because it helps to put ourselves in the shoes of our target audience and make sound decisions grounded on empathy.

And because we come from a place of empathy, it means that we are able to communicate with the right messaging aimed towards the right people. It means your marketing efforts can go further as they’re more targeted.

So if you have ever struggled with getting people to understand what you do, what’s the importance of it, or why it matters, researching gives a lot of great insights into how you can improve either your product/service, and the way you communicate with them.

In this episode, I’m going to share 5 ways to learn more about your target audience. We use these methods often in our projects because they don’t break the budget, are really easy to carry out and also, can either provide some really eye-opening insights or validate what you already know.

It’s worth noting that before you start on any of these research methods, it’s important to think about what the goal is. What you’re aiming to find out about and why it matters to any decisions you’ll be making. It’s like doing detective work… It's about being inquisitive and observant in order to solve a problem.

1.Conduct a Quantitative Survey

The first and easiest way to gather data is via a survey. This is usually for gathering quantitative data.

Out of all the research methods, a survey is the one you’d use if you need quite specific answers like, how would you rank an experience or do if you prefer A to B?

This is very concrete data that can help you make a decision.

Platforms like Typeform and Surveymonkey allow you to create and share a survey in under 10 minutes. They’re usually free to begin with, but if you need additional features they usually start at around 12 USD/month.

Before you start a quantitative survey…

Think about what exactly it is you want to find out about and frame questions around that.

Survey are a fantastic way to get quantitative data and a large reach in a short amount of time to test the temperature of an idea.

2. Search for deeper insights with a qualitative survey

Usually after gathering quantitative data, we identify if there are any areas that we can dig deeper into. This is where we would conduct qualitative research.

Personally, I’m not a fan of focus groups. I prefer to take a 1-on-1 approach so that people aren’t influenced by one another, and they feel comfortable enough to share what they really think.

We usually start by finding the loyalists, which are your number 1 fans, and try to retrace their steps to identify what influenced their thinking around your product/service, mapping out the journey they took. How they feel about your brand, what’s changed for them since using your products/services. Because if it worked for them, likely it will work for others—identify any patterns coming through.

Other than loyalists, sometimes we also try to talk to those who are on the other end of the spectrum. Those who don’t believe in the product/service.

Not that the ones who are 100% against what you do will convert, because it is much harder to sell to people who don't believe in what you do. But to understand the WHY. It might shed some light on how you could improve your communication. Maybe there was misinformation? Or it can share some insights on where your product/service is not meeting the demand.

Identifying extremes on both ends is always helpful to get a fuller picture.

You can carry out qualitative research quite easily depending on how much depth you need.

We always prefer to do either 1-on-1 sessions in person, or via Zoom so you can see the person’s facial expressions.

Otherwise for smaller research tasks—for example to get quotes to support your hypothesis—can also be carried out via a WhatsApp or email conversation.

3. Borrow what’s already out there

This next method is especially helpful for new brands and can easily be done with some team brainstorming or desktop research.

Very often when we’re creating brands from scratch, it’s really hard to predict who would be interested and how exactly to catch their attention. A really useful exercise is simply identifying what other brands your target audience would use and borrow from them.

It doesn’t have to be within the same industry as you. In fact, it’s better if it’s not. For example, if you’re a sustainable coffee brand, would your target audience be more likely to use Tesla or Mercedes? Why? It’ll tell you a lot about their behaviours and lifestyle choices. So borrow these key things you’ve identified and see if you can apply it into your brand’s positioning, values or messaging.

4. Conduct in-person or on-site research

So far, we’ve talked about research methods that have a particular goal or hypothesis in mind. This next one I’m about to share is one that’s more open ended and sometimes you can’t tell what you’ll find.

It’s my favourite way of getting to know people in their natural habitat. There’s so much we can learn about people’s behaviours and beliefs from simply observing and listening.

Go to a few shops that you’d like to stock at in the future to check out packaging, pricing, behaviours of people purchasing. Really observe what catches your eye and why. Look at the items that sell out the quickest. Where are they placed? What makes them stand out? What kind of people shop here?

Also when doing this kind of competitor research, really take note of the customer journey. What made you feel good? What made you feel not so good?

5. Use social media groups to your advantage

Finally, another very, very, very easy way to do your research is through social media groups. Like forums, Facebook groups, Slack groups!

These are highly concentrated areas of people who already believe in something. I often read up on posts and comments in circular economy groups, purposeful business groups. Not only is it a great way to keep up to date with relevant news but also how people are responding to them.

To sum it all up these are the 5 ways you can quickly and effectively research your audience

• Use surveys for quantitative research and understanding the breadth of a topic.

• Follow this with qualitative research for the depth.
• Look at the brands your audience might also use and borrow from them.
• Do in-person or on-site research to immerse yourself in their environment.
• Keep an eye out on social media groups for hot topics and conversations around them.

So, how are you feeling? It’s not as hard as you thought, right? Doing audience research really can be easy, cost efficient and fun! You just have to know how and keep an open mind.

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