5 Market Research Tips You Can Use On The Fly

Here at The Content Fair, we’re all about helping the freelance writer. Whether you’re struggling to make a career out of your God-given talent for writing or you’re already at a level each writer wants to be in, you could always use a little bit of help here and there.

When I decided to become a full-time I was picky with whom I wanted to work with. But then later, I had to swallow my pride and accept what was given to me by my editor. Now I’m happy and content. But what about the millions out there wishing they could be on their own and be sought after by companies waiting for get their hands on their writing.

So are you now are at that level of having a few followers and you’re kinda-sorta sought after but don’t know how to stand out? The key is to do some market research. I know the word “research” is probably one of the most dreaded or feared word. But you have to do it, be good at it, and in fact, love it to keep your dream clients happy.

Here are a few tips on how to at least stay afloat with the market.

Remember some basics

By understanding who your customers are will give you a clearer path on how to reach them. Start with the basics by gathering data. If you create buyer personas within your niches, you could get a wealth of information. Use the U.S. Census Bureau for data by age, business, profession, city, state, etc.

Then you could find out where they are most active online – reading blogs, interacting in forums, commenting on Facebook or YouTube views.

Going online

Google is the most popular search engine in the world. But if you want to see just how popular a topic is in searches by region or area, you should use Google Trends.

This is perfect for small businesses to find out local interest on their product or service. It even ranks by city.

Another great tool called BuzzSumo can be used to dig up what your competitors are publishing and what is being shared the most. Big businesses can also get information on theirs and their competitors’ brand health and compare data and see what areas need to be addressed. See what campaigns are working for them and know what you can do to emulate them.

Keyword research tools to use

What are searchers really doing in Google or Bing? They’re all searching for something. If you could take a peek into what it really is they’re looking for and then write that killer paper that they so need. Wouldn’t that be an awesome superpower?

Understand what keyword phrases people are looking for then create your content. Some great sites to help you are Answer the Public and Seed Keywords. They work similarly in helping you create topics or give you content ideas.

Want to know what important keywords are being used in a competitor’s web page? Use  Tag Crowd and it will show you keywords by importance.

Engaging in communities

You may not agree but the best advice, opinions, advocacies, interests and just about anything a person has to offer can be found in online communities. It’s a great source of information for your market research if you just engage the right people with the right topics. If you want writing advice, there are lots of forums with your specific problem. And the best part of being in an online group is, each one is craving to be heard and eager to help.

Using feedback from customer reviews

Getting feedback isn’t just about asking how satisfied a customer is. It’s actually more than that. By collecting feedback you’re gaining new customers’ trust, you’re fixing a problem or you’re opening up to new ideas from your customers.

Your customers’ reviews can be used as testimonials especially those that are specific about a certain service or a special feature of your product. Don’t use the generic types like “Great product!” or “Good service.” They offer no help in decision making.

Reviews offer more than just insight to how you can improve your product. This is why curious customers always read reviews and recommendations before even considering a purchase. By reading the reviews, a writer can get into what the customer is trying to say, and feel his emotions as he explains his dilemma or his delight. It’s a view not often seen by writers as a content helper but it can be an emotion-grabber because you know where his exact sentiments lie.

Think of market research as a serious investment into your freelance writing future. Remember, research is a never-ending learning process. A decade ago, doing market research to better understand your target audience and current readers was such a difficult and expensive task. Take advantage of what simple things you can do online to get so much valuable information about your cherished brand and their beloved customers.

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