As discussed in the last post, successful online marketing starts and ends with research. All other things being equal, the marketer that does the best job at research wins.
So what sorts of questions should you being looking to answer with your research? Here’s a list of 21 to start with . . .
- Where do your prospects “hang out” online?
- What other products/services do your prospects buy?
- What conversations do your prospects have going on in their heads when they’re looking for your product/service (or related ones)?
- What specific problems do prospects want your product/service to help them solve?
- What are the exact words they use to describe these problems?
- What is the level of sophistication of the market (ie. is it a fairly new market that hasn’t been marketed to a lot or a mature one where the prospects have seen and heard it all from advertisers)?
- What is the level of awareness of the market (ie. is your product/service relatively new and unique or is it widely known)?
- What similar products/services are being offered by your competition?
- How is your product/service the same as the competition’s?
- More importantly, how is your product/service different from the competition’s?
- Where is your competition advertising?
- What are the specific offers your competition is making?
- Who are potential joint venture or affiliates you could partner with?
- What are the latest industry trends?
- What are the latest national/global trends that could be influencing your prospects and customers?
- What are the most widely read blogs in your market?
- What are the most widely used message boards in your market?
- What are the most widely used social networking sites/groups in your market?
- What potentially underserved niches exist in your market?
- What are the most common benefits mentioned in ads targeted to your prospects?
- What keywords would prospects be typing in to find your product/service (or a related one)?
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