If you’re a business owner, you know that it’s probably a good idea to conduct market research.
However, you also might think that since you don’t have the bank account of Warren Buffet, it probably won’t happen.
Well, I’ve got some good news.
And I have to say, we are so lucky to have the Internet!
I mean, good night… just a few decades ago, it wasn’t as easy.
You’d have to hustle on down to your local library, sweet-talk some bespectacled librarian to help you locate a bunch of reference books…
… find groups that fell into your target demographic, then start reading magazines that appealed to them. Or visit interest groups and eavesdrop on their conversations.
Yep. A lot of hard work for those who had to be creative with their research back in the day.
Now you can hop on the Internet and find what I call “hives” of people.
And these hives are all o-vah the place. So here is a “quick and dirty” list of places you can check when it comes to researching your target market:
Message Boards
you don’t have to necessarily join to enjoy the benefits of a message board. Simply do a search online for your group (i.e., gardeners) and then type out “message board.”
Type your search into Google’s search bar like this: “Gardeners” + “Message Board” Make sure you use the quote marks. You’ll get a nice clean SERP (Search Engine Results Page) that will have a bunch of gardening message boards. Some will have specific questions indexed in the search results. It’s a great way to peek into your audience and learn what concerns them the most.
Yes, this hive is just full of sweet honey.
The demographic on Facebook has become decidedly older (young kids use Snapchat, Twitter or Instagram).
But older people use Facebook a lot. And they emote. And rant. And share…
Use the search bar to look up your topic. You’ll find some discussion groups, maybe a few hashtags (that are helpful to do a Twitter search), and plenty of other useful info you can use in your marketing.
Amazon
Last but not least, one of my favorite spots to “eavesdrop” is on Amazon. Amazon reviews, to be specific. Let’s say you sell watches. Do a search for watches. Organize the search by rating. Choose those that have a lot of reviews.
Now take a look at the 5-star reviews. Pay attention to what’s being said. And then to really get a handle on your market, read the 1-star reviews. Those are actually more helpful than the 5-star reviews.
You find out fast what really ticks people off. What they hate and why they hate it.
Pure gold, my friend.
So there you go.
3 places you can check out (and one bonus idea for those who are paying attention) to get inside the head of your perfect buyer.
If you want me to dig around and give you more insights, I can be had for a certain price.
I don’t demand diamond watches as payment. But it is an investment.
Buzz around my hive with a message and we’ll talk.
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