How to Do Covert Customer Research on Social Media

Like most marketers, you want to know everything possible about your ideal customer. We’ve talked about building useful audience personas before, but where does that information in the persona come from? If you’re savvy, you know a little research goes a long way.Your audience persona is the heartbeat of the entire customer experience with your brand. The research (what we’re about to dive into) is the backbone, the spine. It holds everything upright and gives the rest a reason to exist. Without this crucial step, you’ll miss out on so many details that your client is craving - they just haven’t told you directly! Doing research on your ideal customer is like putting together a 1,000 piece puzzle - you just don’t have the box top with the pretty picture… yet. You can see the pieces, you know they all go together, and as the puzzle comes together, you start to realize how beautiful the image truly is. Of course, research can sound super boring. Just the word alone probably takes you back to your college library and late night snooze study sessions. Here’s the thing: research doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, if you treat it like a game, it’s not boring at all. Here’s how to play:These days, most people won’t make a decision without a second opinion. And, in a digital age, that mindset is no longer reserved for doctors appointments. With Amazon reviews, Yelpers, instant feedback on Facebook and Twitter, and a quick Google search of basically anything, your customers have more ways to express themselves publicly than ever before. This is great news for you! Because of this unlimited ability to comment, complain, praise, and share in a very public way, you are now privy to exactly what your ideal customers are saying they want and how they want it. YOU get to take that power into your own hands with just a bit of quality research.Ready to get social with your research? Here are some top customer research tips on your favorite social media sites:[ AMAZON REVIEW IMAGE ]What do they find valuable? Take this Amazon review for example. It’s clearly a 5 star review and the reviewer mentioned that they are buying a second copy of the book so they can refer to it over and over again. If this was a book that came up frequently with your ideal customers, it’s worth noting that it will become a major companion piece for them. [ TWITTER IMAGE ]What do they say is missing or not expressed? This is a tweet with the hashtag #cookingprobs. If you are a personal chef, nutritionist, or food blogger, this is a great hashtag for you to search. By seeing a common problem spelled out like this - in this case Rachel is expressing that she feels like she’s spending money on groceries and still has nothing to cook - you can easily come in and offer a solution in a blog post, a product, or a new service.[ COOKBOOK REVIEW IMAGE ]What do they refer to? Sometimes you’ll find references to other people and products where you can close the gap. In the case of this Amazon review of a cookbook, the reviewer is referring to some of the author’s original work and saying it’s become a little more mainstream than what she used to do. Notice those keywords “instead of focusing on food normal people would eat”. If you are the personal chef from our previous example and you specialize in everyday cuisine, this is valuable information for you.Take all of the clues you’ve gathered and add them up. What stands out again and again? What is the link that binds them together? Let’s use our personal chef once again as an example. If the thing that’s missing is how to buy groceries that add up to a meal and what they refer to is wanting things to be more basic (like that author’s original work was), our personal chef has a real opportunity to create meal plans and shopping lists for affordable and basic meals that anyone can use and still wow their family at dinnertime. Now that’s exactly what her ideal customer wants! See how research helps the puzzle pieces come together?

Get social with it

Getting to the bottom of who your ideal customer is and what they want isn’t as hard as it might seem. Keeping the above questions in mind, here’s some ideas of what to look at on social media:

Twitter

Twitter chatsYou already know that Twitter Chats are incredible sources of community and brand building, but did you know they are a place you can uncover some clues about your ideal customer? Pull up a Twitter Chat on the topic you’re an expert at and read through the conversations happening there.HashtagsTwitter is the home of the hashtag, so put that to use. Three common hashtags to check out are:#TOPICproblems#TOPIClovers#TOPICchatInsert your area of expertise in that space where “TOPIC” is and find out what your ideal customers are talking about.

Instagram

HashtagsMake use of those hashtags again on Instagram if that’s where your ideal customer hangs out. You’ll get insight into what they love, what they need help with, and how you can engage with them even more.One quick note about Instagram: even though the app is designed to be used on mobile, it’s easier to do this research on your desktop or laptop. Save your eyes some squinting and head to your browser to get this leg of your research done.

Facebook

Graph SearchHave you heard of Facebook Graph Search? It’s a fancy name for the pattern Facebook uses when you use their search bar. Make use of that search bar with these keywords:Groups joined by people who like MEFind out which Facebook Groups your fans have already joined and look for similarities there. See what groups are open and join them to check out the conversations being had there.Pages liked by people who like MESee what other pages your Facebook fans are checking out.Interests liked by people who like ME and SOMEONE ELSEA stealth move, add one of your competitors to that “someone else” slot and see where you overlap in the eyes of your ideal customer.

Amazon

3-star reviewsIf you can find a book or product your ideal customer mentions often, head to Amazon to do deeper research. The 5-star reviews are fun and all, but 3-star reviews are where the truth really comes out. 3-star reviews typically include a little bit of what they liked and a few points of what they didn’t like. This intel is pure magic as you build your own products and services.Frequently bought togetherWhile you’re there, check out what other products are frequently purchased with that one. Peek at the 3-star reviews over there too to find trends.

Blogs

Most popular blogsA lot of bloggers share what posts are the most popular on their blog. Check those out. The most popular posts tend to have the most comments and that’s where….CommentsYou can find a lot of intel about your ideal customer in the comments section of their favorite blogs! Look for the more descriptive comments (typically on those “most popular” posts mentioned above) and write down any clues about what they like, don’t like, and want to hear more about.

Ohhhhh shiny!

When you’re doing research on some of your favorite social media platforms, it’s easy to get distracted (we know). You might also find that you get sucked into the world that your ideal customer lives in. Let’s say your customer talks a lot about spending time on hand lettering and adult coloring blogs and sites. So you start to look into some of her favorite places and POOF! two hours later you are reading every blog post and breaking out your own colored pencils. Don’t fall into the trap!Set a timer. The Pomodoro Technique is a great one for research. Typically this looks like 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5 minute break. Make sure that the work time is actually focused on the work and the break is a real break. Get away from your computer, stand up, stretch, get some food. Take a break! And then get back at it.Stay on task when you are researching. If you need to grab a screenshot or bookmark something to come back to it later for yourself, do so. You could try keeping a Google Doc and a secret Pinterest board open when you’re researching. You can quickly save screenshots and notes in those two places and, if needed, you can jot something down that piqued your interest. As you research your ideal customer, you might find they are a lot like you. It’s natural to be interested in diving into their world, but make sure this time is reserved for some serious fact-finding.

Soak it in

When you do take a break, let everything you’ve just learned simmer. Take the dog for a walk, go to the gym, take a shower, or cook a meal in the middle of that research. Give yourself time to step back, look at the big picture, and see how the puzzle might all come together. Remember that puzzle analogy? Well, have you ever sat and stared at a massive piece puzzle looking for that one piece you can’t find and then your family member walks in out of the blue and lays their eyes right on the very piece you’ve been looking for? The same thing can happen when you give your eyes (and brain) a break for a bit and come back. Moral of the story: don’t do all of your research in one sitting.

Research can actually be fun!

After looking at ways to make use of social media for ideal customer research, are you ready to dig in and learn more about your audience?We covered a lot so let’s do a quick review:Ask yourself:What do they find valuable?What do they say is missing or not expressed?What do they refer to?What is the link that binds it all together?Twitter

• twitter chats
• #TOPICproblems
• #TOPIClovers
• #TOPICchat

Instagram

• hashtag search
• easier to view on computer

Facebook

• Graph Search
• Open Groups
• Groups joined by people who like ME
• Pages liked by people who like ME
• Interests liked by people who like ME and SOMEONE ELSE

Amazon

• 3 star reviews
• frequently bought together

Blogs

• most popular blogs
• comments

Of course, there are plenty of other social media channels you can put to use in this process. Depending on where your ideal customer hangs out, you could look at Quora, Etsy, LinkedIn, Reddit, Pinterest, YouTube, Yelp, etc.Does this change the way you view customer research? Share your biggest discovery in the comments below!