Step 3 in Digital Strategy: The Power of Research

This article is the third of four that walk through the steps within the Strategy phase of START Planning, the process behind the Digital Marketing Success Plan® (DMSP). If you missed the previous articles, check them out:

1. (Series Intro) The Importance of Strategy in Digital Marketing: Why ‘S’ Comes First in the START Planning Process
2. Step 1 in Digital Strategy: Profiling Your Brand, Audience, and Goals
3. Step 2 in Digital Strategy: Digital Marketing Audits

Research is essential for digital marketing success.

Businesses often assume they know their audience, competitors and industry trends, but assumptions can be costly. Market research provides data-driven insights that remove guesswork, so businesses can develop marketing strategies that resonate with the right audience, stand apart from competitors and maximize return on investment (ROI).

In the Strategy phase of the START Planning Process, the third step of Research is the bridge between knowing where you stand and identifying where you need to go. This article explores how to conduct effective research and how the findings can be applied as you work through the Strategy phase of START.

1. Audience research shows you who you’re targeting.

Before you launch any marketing campaign or work through the rest of START Planning, you need a deep understanding of your audience, including their needs, behaviors and pain points.

These are the key audience research factors.

• Demographics: Age, gender, location, education level, income, and occupation.
• Psychographics: Interests, values, beliefs, and lifestyles that influence purchasing decisions.
• Behavioral Data: Online behaviors, preferred content types, purchase history, and engagement trends.
• Customer Pain Points & Needs: What challenges does your audience face, and how can your business provide solutions?
• Buying Journey Analysis: What triggers their buying decisions? What information do they seek before purchasing?

Here is how to gather audience insights.

• Surveys & Questionnaires: Directly ask your customers about their needs and preferences.
• Social Listening: Monitor brand mentions, industry discussions, and sentiment on social platforms.
• Website & Analytics Data: Use Google Analytics, heatmaps, and behavioral tracking tools to understand how users interact with your website.
• Customer Interviews: Conduct in-depth interviews with key customers to gain qualitative insights.

🔹 Pro Tip: Creating detailed buyer personas helps personalize marketing efforts and align messaging with audience expectations.

2. Competitive research gives you a strategic advantage.

Understanding your competition is essential for differentiating your brand. Competitive research helps identify market gaps, industry trends and opportunities to position your brand effectively.

These are the key competitive research factors.

• Competitor Positioning: How are competitors branding themselves, and what messaging do they use?
• SEO & Keyword Strategy: What keywords are competitors ranking for in search engine optimization (SEO), and how does their content strategy compare to yours?
• Social Media Presence: Which platforms are they most active on, and what type of content resonates with their audience?
• Pricing & Offers: How do competitors price their products or services, and what incentives do they use?
• Customer Sentiment Analysis: What are customers saying about competitors in reviews and social media?

Here is how to conduct competitive research.

• SEO Tools: Use Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to analyze competitor keywords, backlinks, and rankings.
• Social Media Monitoring: Track competitor engagement, follower growth, and content performance.
• Mystery Shopping: Purchase from competitors or engage with their customer service to evaluate their processes.
• Industry Reports & Case Studies: Use third-party research reports to understand market trends.

🔹 Pro Tip: Identify competitor weaknesses and position your brand as the better alternative by addressing their shortcomings.

3. Industry and trend analysis keeps you ahead of the curve.

Market trends evolve quickly, and businesses that stay informed can adapt their strategies proactively rather than reactively. Industry research helps businesses stay ahead of changes in consumer behavior, technology and market demands.

These are the key industry research factors.

• Emerging Consumer Preferences: Are there shifts in what customers value most in your industry?
• Technological Advancements: What new tools, platforms, or innovations are reshaping the market?
• Economic & Regulatory Changes: How do broader economic trends and government policies impact your industry?
• Seasonal & Demand Fluctuations: When are peak periods, and how can marketing be adjusted to match demand?
• Global Market Influences: Are there international trends that could affect local market dynamics?

Here is how to conduct industry research.

• Subscribe to Industry Publications: Read reports from Forrester, Gartner, McKinsey, and IBISWorld.
• Attend Conferences & Webinars: Gain insights from industry leaders and experts.
• Follow Thought Leaders & Influencers: Monitor LinkedIn and X discussions.
• Use AI & Predictive Analytics: Use tools like Google Trends and AI-driven analytics platforms to track emerging trends.

🔹 Pro Tip: Businesses that anticipate market shifts can pivot their digital marketing strategies faster than competitors.

4. Apply market research to your digital marketing strategy.

Once you’ve gathered audience, competitor and industry insights, the next step is applying these findings along with your Profile and Auditing work to arrive at your Goal (the next step in Strategy and the next article in this series).

Market research strengthens your marketing efforts.

• Improved Audience Targeting: Refine ad targeting to increase conversions and lower ad costs.
• Stronger Content Marketing Strategy: Create content that addresses real customer pain points and interests.
• Better SEO & Keyword Strategy: Optimize website and content with high-value keywords identified from competitor research.
• Enhanced Social Media Engagement: Tailor social content to reflect audience behaviors and competitor insights.
• More Effective Paid Advertising: Allocate budget toward high-performing channels and audiences.

🔹 Pro Tip: Plan for A/B testing to continuously refine messaging and campaign performance based on research findings (factor this into your assets in the Application phase of START Planning).

Research only pays off when it shapes your strategy.

Market research creates value when it’s applied. Here’s how to bring research insights into your marketing strategy as you develop your plan:

1. Update Your Buyer Personas & Customer Segments: Apply findings to refine audience targeting.
2. Refine Positioning & Messaging: Adjust branding and messaging to address audience pain points more effectively.
3. Factor into SEO & Content Marketing: Optimize based on high-performing keywords and competitor insights.
4. Enhance Paid Media & Ad Targeting: Use audience data to plan and create more effective campaigns.
5. Plan to Monitor & Adapt Continuously: Be ready to set up tracking mechanisms to monitor market shifts and adjust accordingly (in the Review phase of START Planning).

Avoid these common market research mistakes.

• Failing to Act on Insights: Research is useless if it doesn’t inform real marketing decisions.
• Overlooking Qualitative Data: Customer interviews provide depth beyond analytics.
• Ignoring Competitor Movements: Keep track of competitor innovations and adjust accordingly.
• Relying on Outdated Data: Use recent research for the most accurate picture of the market.

Research sets you up for the goal-setting step.

With research complete, you can combine the insights from this step with the Profile and Auditing steps to get a detailed picture of your opportunities going into the final step of the Strategy phase of START Planning, which is setting goals. Stay tuned for our next article, where we’ll explore how to set measurable, business-driven goals so your digital marketing efforts drive tangible ROI. If you want a partner in that work, our strategy and measurement team can help.