Market research 101: Avatar interviews
When we think of market research, we can often imagine different ways to get data on our target audience: keeping an eye on Facebook groups they’re in, conducting internet searches, even creating surveys or hosting a focus group.
However, the most surefire way to get to know your ideal person is by talking with them directly.
Social media only gives you an impression of what people think or feel (would you really want the world to know every detail of your spending, online behaviour, business backend and personal life?)
An internet search may lead you down a rabbit hole, but not necessarily get you more results than what you already saw on social media.
And surveys (if they get clicked and filled out to the end at all) will mostly get you short and general answers.
This post was originally recorded as a video. To watch instead of reading, check out the clip below.
Note: ICA stands for “ideal client avatar” or “ideal customer avatar”, but applies just as well to your ideal donor, follower, reader, or any other type of stakeholder.
You can also replace this with the word “persona” or simply “avatar”.
Why you should interview an “avatar”
Interviewing your ICA will allow you to:
Ask questions tailored to the person in front of you
Get full answers and have the chance to ask follow-up questions
Learn about your subject’s demographics, online behaviour, spending habits (when it comes to your product), content consumption (if you want to start a podcast - do they even listen to podcasts at all?) biggest challenges, etc.
Who’s your avatar?
[I wrote about your Ideal Client Avatar before] - your ICA is a “model” for your perfect client: it could be someone you know, it could be the former you, it could be a persona you created in your mind….
In my personal opinion, no one should ever even try to set up a business if they don’t know who their avatar is (for starters).
Then once you’ve pinpointed who you want to help, it’s important to talk to a couple of them before you start creating content or even products and packages for them; get a feel of what they’re struggling with and what they’re looking for, instead of assuming you’ve got a great offering and people will just line up to pay for it. Click to watch the video on what’s an avatar and why you need one.
How to find the perfect people to interview
First of all, decide who your avatar is. Don’t go with a broad description of your target audience; that could mean you end up with very wrong information.
For example, if your avatar is a 36-year-old stay-at-home pregnant mom who started her own business to make money from home and avoid going back to a job she hates (but she needs to pay the bills)… (just an example!)
Don’t go interviewing any stay-at-home mom. A SAHM with teenage kids and a husband able to provide well for his family, who started a business because she’s bored and wants more fulfilment out of life - they could end up buying your product, but they’re not your avatar.
You will end up with completely different results if you interview people who are not your intended avatar. If that’s the intention (maybe you don’t know which target audience to pick?), be aware you won’t really be able to use aggregated results unless you interview a couple of people with very similar characteristics.
Once you’ve decided on who you want to interview, a couple of things could hold you back:
You don’t know anyone who fits the description
That’s fine; if you’re totally sure they’re out there though, start looking for them. Ask friends, and business acquaintances, put it out on social media, ask your mailing list (if you have one).
If you cannot find one single person who fits the avatar description, that could mean you’ll have to change said description. Because how will you be able to sell products or services to a whole group of people, if you don’t even know where to find a single one of them to interview?
You can’t ask them directly
Maybe they’re just too busy to spend time being interviewed, they’re in someone else’s Facebook group (and you’re not allowed to conduct market research in that group), or some ethical or personal reason is keeping you from walking up to them and asking them for 20 minutes of their time.
Don’t worry, there are still ways around this; that could be to use a discovery call to get the information you need; use a Facebook group; or use live events;… - there are many possibilities!
You don’t know how to ask them
When you’re getting ready to approach potential interviewees, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Send them a personal message - not a copy-pasted template that sounds like you’ve sent it to hundreds of other people.
Keep it short & sweet - respect their time.
Don’t try to lure them in by promising something (big) in return. Asking if they’d like to pick your brains in return is great, but offering a gift in exchange for their cooperation could attract people for the wrong reasons, who are not your ideal client in the first place.
Reaching out can feel intimidating at first, but you’ll be surprised how willing people are to share their thoughts. And the feedback you gain will be gold for refining your ideas and connecting with your perfect clients.
