But seriously, how does audience research inform your marketing strategy?

I often say audience research is the heart of it all. And in a sense, I don’t think most marketers would disagree. We use different words for it — customer insight, positioning, voice of customer, ICP development — but a lot of it comes down to the same questions:

What…

Our friend Tommy Walker, founder of The Content Studio, contributed the following, superb, much-needed article; thank you sir! Tommy was the Editor-in-Chief at ConversionXL, the first marketing hire at Shopify Plus, and Global Editor-in-Chief at QuickBooks. As a 20-year career veteran, his methodologies have contributed to 10-figures in revenue, and have become integral to developing category-defining brands.

You’ve just wrapped…

“Talk to your customers” is one of the most common pieces of advice in marketing. And it’s not wrong. But it’s also not always realistic.

Maybe you don’t have direct access or contact information for these folks. Maybe your team doesn’t prioritize customer interviews. Maybe you’re a founder wearing seven hats, or a marketer who doesn’t have a warm list…

We all know what a target audience is.

Or at least we think we do. We’ve written “target audience” in strategy documents and nodded along in meetings when someone mentions “our ideal customer.” But if we’re trying to grow, we have to pause and ask ourselves: Are we really targeting the right people, or are we just making educated guesses?…

It’s a tale as old as time.

Or uh… for as long as you’ve been doing digital marketing: You’ve uncovered powerful audience insights that you fully believe will transform your company’s approach, but when you try to share them beyond the marketing team, eyes glaze over. Executives nod politely before steering the conversation back to quarterly targets and sales forecasts.…

If you’ve ever stared at a blank content calendar wondering what to create next.

You’re not alone. Even the most prolific writers sometimes feel like they’re running nonstop on the content creation hamster wheel… even after ideas dry up and writer’s block sets in. But while continuing your creation habit can build momentum, sometimes the best content ideas aren’t hiding…

Editor’s Note, May 2025:

We are hosting a free webinar that walks you through how to do audience research. RSVP to join us on May 29, 2025!

We launched SparkToro four years ago with the firm belief that audience research — and the knowledge that the tech giants gather about us — should be accessible to all. In the pre-Musk…