Market Research Cheat Sheet for Web Copywriters, Marketers, and Business Owners

To write web copy that converts requires an intimate understanding of what makes your readers tick. If you can’t find the pain and craft an offer that lifts your audience up and out of that situation to something better, you’re dead in the water. So don’t guess what will feel right for your audience. Roll up your sleeves and do your homework first. Researching your target market is the most straightforward yet hugely overlooked step in creating web copy that really connects with your reader.

Some of my clients are on a budget and simply cannot afford to launch full fledged market research campaigns. What many don’t realize, however, is that they could easily do much of the research themselves. All they require to know is:

1. What questions to ask.
2. Where to ask the questions.

Simple. Let’s get our hands dirty then, shall we?

Here’s a cheat sheet for doing your own target market research online. (This list is by no means meant to be comprehensive but should give you a solid start on the research bandwagon.):

1. Google terms your target audience might type into a search. This will give you a good idea of what’s already out there as well as hook you into other terminology you might not have thought of. Remember to click to page 2 of the search results as you might uncover some real nuggets of gold there.
2. Do keyword research to uncover additional terms and topics that are important to your target market. My favorite tool for this is Google Keyword Suggestion Tool. Again, try to think outside of your own frame of reference and step into your customer’s shoes. Download the resulting keyword list for future reference. (Your search terms can easily be exported to an Excel spreadsheet.)
3. Use social media to observe and interact with your target audience. This could include everything from online forums to listservs to twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Also cruise blogs where your target market hangs out and comments on actively. Bookmark these sites or add them to your feed reader so you can check them regularly. Don’t be afraid to ask a question or post a provocative comment should the opportunity present itself.
4. Conduct surveys on the cheap. You can do this by way of your email list and a tool like SurveyMonkey.com. Or you can post a short survey to social media sites you are active on. Make sure you qualify respondents with questions around key demographic information like gender, age, and occupation. An easy polling tool I’ve had success with is TwtPoll.com. Choose survey tools that are simple and easy to use. Consider holding a draw or a contest if you’re really struggling to get engagement. If you do this, however, be sure NOT to “reward” specific responses as this will skew your results.
5. Search online for surveys, reports and industry related commentary. There are people researching and writing about nearly any topic you can think of, and it’s almost always published somewhere online. Just be sure to review all data with a critical eye on the quality and integrity of the reporting. Opinion based reporting can be insightful IF it comes from a trusted expert.

DIY market research caveat: There is a phenomenon in market research called “self selection” that you need to be aware of. This happens when your respondents may not be statistically representative of the target population you want to sell or market to. For example, if you survey your list, the people who actually respond may possess different traits and attitudes than the people who hold back their opinions and do not participate in the survey.

Self selection in market research can be very difficult to avoid unless you have a big budget, so just be aware of the issue and calibrate your assumptions accordingly.

Whether we like it or not, ALL marketing is a “best guess” scenario. Human nature is not an exact science, and as such, you–or your copywriter–can never predict with certainty how someone will respond to your web copy. However, as a business owner and marketer, you CAN make informed, educated guesses choices around the kind of words and messages that will resonate most powerfully with your audience.

By doing the pre-work instead of jumping in feet first, you will increase the odds of success (and conversions) dramatically.