4 Tools That Will Enhance Your Digital Marketing Research.

Though tools don’t make you great at Digital Marketing they’re required in conducting research on your segment. If you shoot blindly in the dark you’re guaranteed to miss your target completely. With Digital Marketing we’re able to see in real time what our audience is interested in and what they’re talking about so that brands become personified if done correctly. Take the classic Wendy’s on Twitter case, they effectively analyzed their audience to the point that their brand has honed in on their voice and will respond as if they’re just another troll on Twitter. Though it takes a lot more than tools to get there, they are a great starting block for conducting research for your Digital Marketing strategy.

Think Industry, Audience and Platform Trends: Think with Google

What better place to learn insights than the beast of all search - Google. This tool provides marketers with high level trending insights whether it be forecasts for Cyber Monday shoppers down to the nitty gritty stats and how to make sense of the data. This is essentially like Google's own blog directed at marketers, providing you with the most up to date data in the industry.

Direct consumer insights with a thought leader bonus: Quora

Quora allows at a granular level to understand what potential or existing customers are saying about your industry or product. Searching topics can leave you with a better idea of what people are really interested in and maybe even where you’re going wrong. The bonus with Quora is that you can use it for more than just your research but rather to join in the conversation and be regarded as a thought leader in your field by answering questions.

Keyword Cultivation with Ubersuggest

With the many keyword planning tools available in the market it's not exactly a secret that they exist and that they should be used. Ubersuggest, however, has really gained my recommendation based on its user friendly platform and the additional insights it provides. Along with the clear keyword details it provides a healthy list of alternative recommendations as well as the SERP (search engine results pages) on that keyword to easily see who your competition is.

Pew Research Center lays out the social landscape

The Pew Research Center is often recognized for their work done looking at U.S. Politics but it also offers an in depth nonpartisan view at trends shaping the world. Though it’s important to understand the political and economic landscape as a marketer it’s even more critical to understand the social and demographic trends facing your consumers. The center looks at different topics like the number of women in leadership and the changes in pay gaps which all impact the consumer buying process. 

These four tools will help guide the research for your overarching digital strategy by understanding your audience at a deeper level. Before focussing on tactics and implementation people often forget that research on their audience is critical to serve the real need. Afterall, marketing is a calculated effort intended to meet the desires of consumers not molding the consumer to our beliefs. So take a step back next time and look at what the audience wants before diving into the thick of your messaging. If you enjoyed these tools read my last blog 5 Common Mistakes Everyone Makes In Content Planning.