I frequently ask small business owners about their customer base, and it absolutely floors me how many cannot answer simple questions about the people who buy their services, stock, or inquire. Without this knowledge, it’s nearly impossible to craft effective marketing strategies or build lasting relationships with your audience.
Luckily, we’re in the business of helping tiny teams build bold brands, and one of the most powerful ways to do that is by asking the right questions to understand customers—who they are, what they need, and why they choose your business. In this post, I’ll share simple customer research questions that can help you gain valuable insights. Because when you know who’s buying from you today, you can make smarter decisions about how to target your ideal customer and get in front of the right people at the right time—so they choose you again and again.
Geographical Location
If you’re selling online, tracking customer location is a bit easier since digital customer insights can be gathered and analyzed through tools like Google Analytics and Meta Insights. But if you are a brick-and-mortar business, it requires a little digging or data collection by talking to the customer or exchanging value for information. Here are some questions to understand customers location, where they are coming from and how often they might be in your location:
- Did you grow up in [insert your city name]?
- Are you from the area?
- Did you travel far to get here?
- Where are you from?
- I think I detect an accent, are you new to town?
- We’re starting to track how far our customers travel from, could I get your zip code?
By better understanding your customers’ locations, you can improve your small business marketing strategy and customer targeting. For example, if you’re located along a major highway corridor, you might be getting traffic traveling to or from a larger city for medical care, education, or work. But if you’re in a tourist town, you may be attracting seasonal customers who visit less frequently. One scenario might call for hyperlocal marketing, while the other calls for partnership marketing with other businesses.
Motivation
If you’re selling something that isn’t shelf-stable, there’s a good chance your product is being purchased for immediate consumption. However, if your goods have a longer shelf life or are for special occasions, understanding customer motivation is crucial. Some quick and easy questions to understand customers motivation and engage with them include:
- What brings you in today?
- Are you currently a subscriber?
- Is this for you or someone special?
- Can I help you find something new today?
- Are we looking to replenish or replace [type of item] today?
With a solid understanding of why and when customers buy, you can time your marketing efforts more effectively. For example, seasonal marketing campaigns for holidays, graduations, or anniversaries can help you stay top-of-mind for your customers to target key times, places, or life moments/milestones to bring their attention back to you as their best valued solution when they need you most.
Generation & Age
Your target audience may shift, but your customer demographics tend to stay the same unless your business model or industry changes significantly. Understanding customer age groups and generational marketing trends can help you tailor your messaging. Here are some clever ways to ask questions to understand customers age without being too direct:
- I went to school there too! I was class of [insert year]. What year did you graduate?
- We have two daughters in middle and elementary school—what grades are your kids?
- What year were you born? (if ID verification is needed)
- We’re having a debate at the office—which pop music band is your favorite? (List generational options or leave open-ended.)
- We have a birthday club special! We just need your email, month, and year. Would you like to join?
By understanding customer demographics, you can align your small business branding strategy to appeal to your audience’s values and preferences. Each generation interacts with brands differently, so speaking directly to their needs and motivations will increase engagement and brand loyalty.
Leading Questions
When you’re on a mission to grow and scale, it’s essential to engage with your current customers. Afterall, good people tend to know good people. Your customer is likely to surround themselves with people they have things in common with, who might have the same struggles, desires, and circumstances that you could help! Here are some great leading questions to understand customers connections to help your audience identify leads and referrals to help reach the next level:
- This also makes a great gift, can you think of anyone who might enjoy it?
- We’re considering expanding into a second location, can you think of a nearby spot that would do well?
- Our product tends to sell well in [description of types of stores], do you know of any locally owned spots like this that might be interested in carrying our [name of product] in their store?
- We love connecting with [describe your ideal customer], do you know of any [type of event]s coming up that we may want to consider sponsoring or being a vendor at?
Next Steps
Understanding your customers is more than just gathering data—it’s about asking the right questions and truly listening to their needs and motivations. By incorporating these simple yet powerful questions into your business practices, you’ll gain insights that can help you refine your marketing strategy, grow your brand, and ultimately drive more sales.
At Neat + Nimble, we specialize in helping small businesses scale by connecting them with the right customers. Our team offers tailored solutions for businesses looking to build a stronger brand presence, optimize marketing efforts, and reach their growth potential. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, let’s chat!
Book a Free Consultation today and discover how we can help you develop a strategic approach to customer insights and business growth.
