Two Questions to Ask for Deeper Customer Insights

Understanding your customers' true motivations can make or break a marketing campaign. Traditional feedback methods usually provide shallow data. CMOs, Marketing Directors, and Brand Managers who want to build customer loyalty can ask two key questions to get significant insights.

Consider this: 70% of buying experiences are based on how customers feel they are being understood (Source: McKinsey & Co.). Yet many brands fail to grasp the "why" behind consumer choices. Instead, they rely on patterns and percentages. To break this mold, we must dig beneath the surface and use questions that tell us more than metrics can.

Question 1: The "Why" Behind the Action

Customers may articulate what they do, but the deeper reasons for their actions are often left unexplored. Discovering the underlying "why" provides context to customer behavior, revealing the emotional and personal motivations behind their decisions.

For example, someone may appreciate a product for its aesthetic design. However, their chaotic work life and a desire for efficiency may be the real "why" behind the purchase. Understanding these motivations can transform your marketing strategy.

Practical questioning tips:

• "What led you to consider our product/service?"
• "Can you walk me through your decision-making process?"

Question 2: The Unmet Need

At face value, your product may meet customer expectations. But what additional, unspoken desires remain unfulfilled? Identifying these can help you improve your product and elevate the customer experience.

Customers could be delighted with your service but might want community connection or professional growth, which your product could facilitate. By uncovering these needs, your brand can enhance its offering to deliver more than the obvious.

Practical questioning tips:

• "If you could change one thing about your experience, what would it be?"
• "What are you hoping to achieve using our product/service?”

Benefits of Using This Approach

Adopting this approach does more than satisfy curiosity. It promotes a relationship by demonstrating that your brand values the customer's needs and desires. Here are some ways these key insights can be used to enhance your business:

• Uncover drivers of loyalty: Understanding the actual "why" behind customer choices allows you to develop the experiences or benefits that will bind them to your brand. You can then double down on these elements to increase customer retention.
• Fuel innovation: Identifying unmet needs can spark product development or service improvements. It highlights opportunities to address problems that customers may not be aware of, potentially leading to new solutions.
• Create marketing that resonates: Once you know your customers' deeper motivations and aspirations, you can hone your messaging. This increases the sense of connection and authenticity between the brand and the customer.

Example: Imagine a fitness apparel brand. The company conducts customer interviews and discovers the "why" behind purchases is often a desire for confidence and self-improvement. They also identify an unmet need for community connection among their customers. This leads the brand to adjust their strategy:

• Product Development:?They might create workout gear with motivational slogans or design products that cater to a broader range of body types to boost customer confidence.
• Marketing:?Their campaigns shift focus from athleticism to empowerment and celebrating personal journeys.
• Community Building:?They launch online forums?and local events?or partner with fitness influencers to build customer connections.

Result: By addressing the deeper emotional needs of its audience, the brand sees increased engagement, loyalty, and potential sales growth.

Conclusion

You can start using these questions in your next customer interaction and see the results for yourself. Going beyond surface-level feedback gives you a transformative understanding of what drives your customers' choices. This knowledge is the key to building a loyal customer base.

Have you used similar methods to get a deeper understanding of your customers? Please share your experiences in the comments.