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When it comes to building a brand strategy that works, guessing is not a strategy, it’s a gamble. In the real world, due to time or budget constraints, we sometimes need to make informed guesses, but after that, it’s critical to test those assumptions. However, the best way to do it isn’t just to hope you’ll connect with your audience; it’s to know what your audience cares about, wants, and needs. And how can you know for certain? By asking, also known as audience research.
Audience interviews and analysis are the unsung heroes of a great brand strategy. They help you cut through assumptions, uncover the truth about your target market, and create messaging and experiences that truly connect. But as with anything, there’s a method to doing it. Here’s how to do it right.
Define your goals
Before you start talking to people, you need to know why you’re talking to them in the first place. Ask yourself:
What are you trying to learn?
Are you validating assumptions about your audience, understanding why they buy, or uncovering unmet needs?
What decisions will this information inform?
Will it shape your messaging, refine your audience segments or guide product development?
What hypotheses are you testing?
“Our ideal clients choose us because of our innovative approach” or “Our audience values affordability over brand recognition.”
The answer might be “all of the above”, which is fine, but you need to be aware of this, otherwise, the answers you get to your audience research questions, might not be that helpful. However, be open to surprises. The best insights often come when you least expect them so try not to control everything.
Identify the right people to interview
Your audience isn’t just a homogeneous crowd. To understand them properly, you need to speak to the right mix of individuals. These are some of the groups you might want to speak to. It might not be helpful to talk to them all, every time, but if you know what you want to get out of the conversations, that will help you decide who to talk to.
Ideal customers: These are the people who already love what you do. If you’re working on building audience personas, you definitely want to talk to this group.
Lost prospects: Talk to those who didn’t choose you, if you can. Their feedback can be eye-opening. If you’re trying to work out what your product or service is lacking, understanding why people don’t choose you, is as important as understanding why they do.
Competitor’s customers: If possible, learn why they went with the competition. If you’re working on your unique value proposition and messaging, talking to this group can be really helpful.
Industry influencers: Thought leaders in your field can provide big-picture insights. If you’re trying to work on your industry positioning, why not get an external perspective on what you offer?
If your audience includes multiple personas, make sure to include them in your interviews – it’s important to include everyone.
Prepare thoughtful questions
The goal here is to spark meaningful conversations, not fill out a multiple-choice survey. Your questions should be open-ended and encourage storytelling. Here are some quick examples:
On why they decide to buy:
“Can you walk me through how you chose a provider for [product/service]?”
“What made you pick [competitor] instead of us?”
On their pain points:
“What challenges were you facing before you found us?”
“What do you wish someone in our industry would solve for you?”
On their perceptions of your brand:
“How would you describe our brand to a friend?”
“What stood out to you about our competitors?”
Don’t over-script. You want to follow the conversation where it naturally goes, not interrogate your audience – don’t try to control the flow too much.
Conduct the interviews like a pro
Whether you’re meeting over coffee or hopping on a Zoom call, make your interviewees feel at ease:
Start with easy, rapport-building questions.
Listen more than you talk; silence can prompt deeper answers.
Ask follow-ups like, “Can you tell me more about that?” or “Why was that important to you?”
Record the conversation (with permission) so you can focus on listening, not note-taking. Even better, if you’re doing it on a video call, use an AI recorder so you can get the video and transcript automatically. That transcript is going to be a goldmine.
People love to talk about themselves, but only if they feel like you’re genuinely interested. So be curious, not clinical.
Analyze your audience research!
Once you’ve gathered a treasure trove of insights, it’s time to make sense of them. Here’s how:
Look for patterns: What themes keep popping up? Are there shared frustrations, desires, or motivations?
Segment your audience: Identify distinct personas based on goals, behaviors, and pain points.
Highlight actionable insights: What did you learn that could directly inform your brand strategy? For example, you could discover that: “Our audience values speed over cost” or “They’re confused by our messaging.”
Visualization helps. Use tools like mind maps, or charts to organize and analyze your data.
Turn insights into action
Now comes the fun part, using what you’ve learned to refine and improve your brand strategy.
Here’s what that can look like:
Mission, vision, values: Align your brand’s core identity with what your audience truly cares about.
Messaging: Speak their language. If they use words like “reliable” or “cutting-edge,” so should you.
Positioning: Differentiate yourself in a way that directly addresses their needs and desires. That way your value proposition will be something that they actually want.
Content strategy: Create resources that solve their problems or answer their most pressing questions.
Audience interviews aren’t just about gathering data, they’re about building empathy. When you take the time to truly understand your audience, you’re not just creating a better brand strategy; you’re building deeper connections with the people who matter most to your business. It’s time to stop guessing and start listening.
If this is something you’d like help with – let’s talk – georgina@crabapplecomms.com
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