The 8 Layers of Market Research
Tommy Walker
Teaching how to create high-performing content at scale to Fortune 1,000s and high-growth startups
For years we've heard the phrases "Provide value" and "Be engaging" but these are so vague and lack definition.
As someone who has studied storytelling for nearly 30 years - first as a career actor, then as a marketer - I believe there are multiple principles that can be taken from film theory and behavioral psych and ancient philosophy that can help us create stuff that can be valuable and resonate at a deeper level.
But to do that, we first need to know what that value is, why the person on the other side of the screen will find it valuable, and where we're going to meet them so we can deliver the right value at the right time.
Of course, the only way to do that is through market research.
In this newsletter:
Let's go.
From The State of (Dis)Content Report:
This was the most shocking stat when it came to the report and one I keep coming back to as I talk about it.
41.3% of content marketing professionals report not doing their audience research "nearly enough". I can not begin to stress how much of a negative impact across all other vectors of the survey, such as:
Now, since the report's been live, there's been a solid case made there's the chicken and egg scenario where the lack of leadership (or client) buy-in prohibits content marketers from carrying out meaningful research. There's also an argument to made that there's such a strong focus on production, production, production that doing audience research is just another thing to add on.
I really hate this argument, because if the content being produced isn't getting shared, discussed, generating leads, or making sales, it's ineffective and you're just "playing content" and burning cash. There's some merit to both of these arguments, but personally, I think there's one major reason why this happens:
There isn't proper training.
Nobody I've ever met said "I want to be a content marketer when I grow up" as a kid.
Most I've known were writers, journalists, or something else when they got in the field. Like I said earlier, I was an actor.
Coming from humanities backgrounds, that means most of us don't have a formal research background that bridges the gap from creative work to business results. Couple that with the fact that "Audience research" is such an amorphous phrase that means many things to many people. If the qualitative feedback from the survey tells me anything, a good deal of people, even those who say they're doing it, don't have a real defined process for themselves. It's no wonder so many content marketers have a hard time carrying it out or communicating what it is they're even trying to do so they can take the time to do it.
That's why "The 8 Layer Market Research Process" exists
I've developed this process over the past 10 years and it's one that's been at the foundation of the content strategies I've built for companies like Shopify Plus and QuickBooks. The 8 Layer Market Research Process is designed to help you:
That's just a handful of the main benefits of this process.
What is the real purpose of research?
Before doing any research, you need to know the ultimate goal: What does your audience want? What does your audience need? Wants are the conscious desire they have that is specific to them and will help them achieve their ultimate goal. Needs on the other hand are often unknown or ignored, universal to everyone, and helps them develop as a person.
My favorite example of this is a topic many people might be familiar with:
"How to build a landing page." On the surface, someone looking for a topic like this might want to know the basics.
What they need to know however depends on what you sell. For example, if you sold A/B testing software, what they would really need to know is:
By weaving those elements throughout, your content - written, audio, or otherwise - goes from providing information to communicating ideas.
What those idea are, who you're communicating them to, and where you're communicating them, well...
That's how the layers and how they are used
Ok, I've teased you enough, these are The 8 Layers of Market Research
1. You
What are your core brand narratives? What's your company's take on your category, your product, your customers, and the culture they're supposed to live in? Many content folks I've met don't think this is up to them because the "brand" team takes care of it. Maybe. But if the content team lives in a silo, wouldn't it be nice to break down barriers and get to hear it from your colleagues?
2. Your customers
What do they value? What do they fear? What are their strategies for success? What is the common spark that connects them to each other? What is the shared interest and passion?
This is the shared DNA that connects your customers
3. Your direct competitors
Take all of the things they do the same (big logos, shared language, etc.) and cancel them out.
Prospects do.
Once those are gone, what's the substance behind what they're saying?
4. Your search competitors
Not everyone who shows up in the same SERPs are your direct competitors. In fact, they may be potential partners. Take advantage of that.
5. Industry adjacent
Think apps, agencies, or conferences that target the same customer.
Here's another opportunity to find allies and opportunities to spread your message.
6. News
You want your references to be timely right?
Might also be good to know if you ever wade into digital PR territory.
7. Influencers
Who's driving the conversation? Potential partnership opportunity? Could be.
8. Pulse
How do you keep track of all this in real time?
Take 30 minutes in the morning so you can stay on top of what's happening in the industry and either feed it to the company, into your content, or both.
This is the foundation of Content Theory
The idea behind The 8 Layer process is that we create a total awareness of the market so we can continuously identify gaps so we can create the things nobody else can.
After all, you can't create a signal if you don't understand the noise.
There's more to it, but those are the basics.
If you're interested in learning more about The 8 Layer Market Research Framework and how we build upon it to build distinct and differentiated content programs, you should join me for my one week summit running from January 27th - 31st in 2025.
Each day is packed full of the knowledge I've gained over a 19+ year career and from my experiences at building content programs for companies like Shopify Plus, QuickBooks, and several other mid-market companies.
There are only 10 spots left.
If you'd like to learn more, book a time and we'll talk.