Research Your Subject
If you've been following the steps in this guide, you've already finished some of your most important research.
You've chosen your subject, defined your audience and analyzed your competition. And each of those steps involved digging for data.
But even though you've honed your subject, you're just getting started.
This section of the guide will help you research any subject matter—so you can support your marketing with expert content.
Why Research Matters
Ever been at a party and had to introduce someone you didn't really know?
"I'd like you to meet … um … Karen. She works in … uh … sales, I think."
If you've been there, you know how awkward it can be—for both you and your listeners—as you stammer and stutter to make a connection.
So why introduce a topic to your readers without first getting to know it?
Think about it. People can sense when you aren't sure what you're saying. But after a little research, you'll be able to confidently create a meaningful connection between your content and your customers.
Start with a Research Plan
Once you're wearing your researcher's cap, your greatest challenge will be sorting through the glut of information out there (a glut your content will rise above once you develop a cohesive style).
But don't get discouraged.
What you need is a solid plan—one that gives you a sense of direction by setting parameters.
Here's what to do:
- Record, in point form, what you know about your subject. If you're promoting pet insurance, for example, write down everything you know about what's available, who buys it and why.
- Turn your subject into a central question. Focus your goals by asking, "What are the benefits of pet insurance?" or "Why is pet insurance a must for animal lovers?"
- Come up with 10 specific questions about your subject. Ask some targeted questions, like "Do people who insure their pets prefer purse-dwelling pooches or fighting fish?" What you learn will inform your writing.
- Find answers. Seek out sources that help you answer your specific questions.
See What's Out There
Before you start writing, take a look at what's been written.
Because no matter your subject, chances are someone else has had something to say about it. And you can learn what to do—or what not to do—by seeing what's worked for your competition.
You should already know who your competitors are, so spend some time analyzing what's led to their success. There's no sense in figuring out what works through trial and error if someone else has already done the legwork.
You'll also find some things that simply aren't effective—so you'll automatically know what to avoid when it comes time to write.
As you read your competitors' content, pay attention to:
- The keywords they use
- The tone and voice of their writing (and whether it targets a specific audience)
- The breadth of their knowledge and level of their authority
- Whether they've left any information gaps that your content can fill
In some cases, you'll see that there's really only one way to reach your audience, so your best bet is to mirror your competitors' strategies.
Other times, you'll find that certain aspects of your subject have been driven into the ground.
So you'll need a novel approach to make an impression.
Try Different Types of Research
From observing lab rats to cold-calling customers with scripted surveys, research can take a lot of shapes. Thankfully, not all of them will apply to what you're writing.
But for the basics, you should be able to distinguish between primary, secondary and tertiary research.
- Primary research involves coming up with data that don't yet exist. When you interview someone or monitor a focus group, you're doing primary or "field" research.
- Secondary research involves combing through and combining research that's already been done—like reading an article about an existing study in a newspaper's online archive.
- Tertiary research is even further removed from the original source. Take, for instance, a book that compiles similar articles dealing with the same initial study.
Let's add some context.
Say a psychologist studies a how a specific group of people respond to Super Bowl commercials. The original findings of the study would be considered primary research.
If The New York Times published an article online about those findings, then reading it would be considered secondary research.
And to get a sense of how others respond to the study, you might scroll to the bottom of the article to view readers' comments. Since they're commenting on the article rather than the initial findings, you'd be doing tertiary research.
Now here's the trick.
To fully understand a subject—and to confidently convey your understanding to readers—you should be doing all three.
Don't just rely on what's been done—get out there and speak to your customers. An email's all it takes. Or start a thread on a message board and see where it leads.
From there, see what others have found through their own research. And always watch for how people respond to what they read.
Use the Web
The type of research you choose will depend on your product. But since you're writing for the web, and since a vast amount of print materials are now available online, researching on the web is probably the way to go.
Print still has its place (in academic circles, for instance, it's considered infinitely more credible). But compared to the web, it can severely limit the amount—and type—of data you can gather.
Hitting the library might give you one or two dusty books or faded magazine articles on your subject, but searching online gives you instant access to thousands of useful pages. Even better, you aren't limited to standard works like online newspapers and magazines—you can search discussion boards, message forums and newsgroups (a great way to get into the heads of your customers) and read industry blogs. You can often even email the authors of articles to ask for additional clarification, further sources or a custom quote to make your content more credible.
And imagine how easy it is to email a targeted survey to a list of prospects.
The possibilities are endless, and virtually all of them are useful. The trick is to figure out which type of source suits your offering.
Let's say you're writing content to promote a new line of antibacterial stuffed animals (yes, they exist).
You'd likely assume that parents who'd buy them are concerned with one thing: protecting their kids from germs. And you'd probably write copy that plays on that pain, warning nervous mothers about the dangers of their dirty floors and fixtures.
But by visiting an online parenting forum where doting moms and dads discuss products they like and dislike, you might learn that they get queasy whenever a toy has chemical components—even if those chemicals kill bacteria.
So prodding their fears about microscopic hazards might make your prophylactic teddy bear less desirable. It might even seem dangerous.
Clearly, researching your offering isn't enough—you need to research the pains, fears and needs of your customers.
And the communal nature of the web makes it the perfect place to begin.
Know Where to Start
In a word, Google.
In two, Google and Wikipedia.
Sound obvious? It should—both are extremely useful resources. But you have to use them properly.
With Google, take some time to think about which search terms will give you the specific results you're after—just as you carefully considered your own keywords.
If you're writing about organizing authentic adventures for daring tourists, don't expect to Google "vacation" and find anything conducive to your content. Try something targeted, like "adventure tours" or "authentic travel." For help with specifics, try Google Suggest, which shows you what others have searched for as you type your request.
And don't treat Wikipedia as a one-stop shop. It can be a great (and surprisingly reliable) source for general information, but its objective mandate means you won't get inside the heads of prospects.
Instead, think of Wikipedia as a springboard. Once you've got the basics, check out the "External Links" section at the bottom of each article. You'll find some great content that you might never have noticed, since much of it doesn't rank high in search engine results.
Judge Your Sources
You already know that cyberspace is packed with information on just about any topic you can imagine.
So how can you tell if a web page is worth your time?
Well, whenever you read something—even if it's not online—there are a few questions you should ask:
- What kind of source is it? Newspapers and magazines have professional fact checkers (and reputations to uphold), so they'll likely be more credible than someone's personal blog.
- Who wrote it, and what are their qualifications? And if the author has a PhD, make sure it's from a school that doesn't have "upstairs" in its name.
- When was it published? Current information is the only information that counts online.
- Is it well-written? If you find yourself stumbling over typos and awkward sentences, the content obviously wasn't edited. And if someone doesn't bother to polish their words (or hire a good copy editor), how much time would you wager they spend checking their facts?
- Is it biased? The web's anonymity makes it easy for anyone to push an iffy agenda. But a credible source considers both sides.
To be safe, always take a critical stance and question any content you find. Even major newspapers have to print regular retractions, and no medium is free of misinformation.
Know When to Quit
With all the information available on the web, you'll never put fingertip to keyboard if you don't force yourself to stop searching and start writing.
So stick to your research plan—focus only on answering the questions you think your readers will ask.
Considering your readers is key when you're doing research. Finding every last fact about a subject is pointless if you don't consider it in relation to your audience.
As an example, if you're writing about lawn tractors, researching the tractors themselves will give you a list of features that might sound cool (and that's a big "might") but won't connect with your readers.
But if you instead research the needs and desires of people who buy them—people who want to save time, avoid cleanup, and spend their energy doing more exciting and productive things than mowing their lawn—your content will convey benefits instead of features.
And benefits are what lead people to buy.
What's Next?
Now that you have your research, you need to organize it. Make your writing easier and more effective by creating an outline.
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