09-customer-insight-global

Customer Insight (Global)

Information Gathering

Ask up to 4 questions before starting:

1. What is your product / service? (Industry, price tier, market geography)
2. Who are your current customers? (Gender, age range, typical price point, channels they discover you)
3. Do you have customer data? (CRM data, comments/inbox, reviews, surveys — share if available)
4. What's the goal of this insight work? (Content writing? Ad targeting? Repositioning? New product launch? Service improvement?)

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Consumer vs Shopper Distinction

The buyer is not always the user, and the user is not always the decision-maker:

	Consumer (User)	Shopper (Buyer)
Definition	Person who actually uses the product/service	Person who pays for it
Cares about	Experience, results, feelings	Price, convenience, value-for-money
Decides based on	"Will this work for me?"	"Is this worth the cost?"
Example (Skincare)	The person whose skin gets treated	Their partner / parent paying
Example (Course)	Student	Parent paying tuition
Example (Kids' toys)	The child	The parents
Example (B2B SaaS)	End-user employee	Manager / Procurement

Identification Questions

• Are Consumer and Shopper the same person?
• If different: who influences the purchase decision? Who shapes the experience?
• Which audience should content target? (Often both — but with different angles)

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4-Stage Insight Framework

Each funnel stage produces a different kind of insight:

Stage 1 — Awareness (They don't know they need it yet)

Element	Detail
State	Problem unrecognized, or aware but no solution sought
Internal question	"Isn't everyone like this?" / "Should I do something about it?"
Barrier	Problem feels normal, no trigger to act
Content needed	Pain triggers, education, problem framing
Effective channels	TikTok (reach), Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, blog SEO
Example insight	"They notice their skin is worse but blame the weather — never think 'skincare routine'."

Stage 2 — Consideration (They are comparing)

Element	Detail
State	Problem accepted, evaluating options
Internal question	"Which is better?" / "Is this worth it?" / "Who has tried it?"
Barrier	Too many options, fear of wrong choice, missing info
Content needed	Comparisons, reviews, case studies, process explainers, FAQs
Effective channels	Google Search, YouTube reviews, communities (Reddit, Discord, niche forums), email
Example insight	"They read 5 reviews but still hesitate — because they fear being upsold by a sales rep."

Stage 3 — Conversion (What pushes them to buy)

Element	Detail
State	Decision made, needs final nudge
Internal question	"Buy now or wait?" / "Any deals?" / "Where do I order?"
Barrier	Cost concerns, regret risk, complex checkout
Content needed	Offers, urgency, strong social proof, clear CTA, friction removal
Effective channels	Messenger/WhatsApp 1:1, landing pages, retargeting ads
Example insight	"They are ready to buy but need spousal sign-off — send them shareable info to forward."

Stage 4 — Retention (Why they come back, or don't)

Element	Detail
State	Has bought/used — deciding whether to return
Internal question	"Is it worth continuing?" / "Is something better out there?" / "Anything new?"
Barrier	Forgetting, no reason to return, mediocre last experience
Content needed	Follow-ups, exclusive value, loyalty program
Effective channels	Email nurture, SMS, in-app, VIP community
Example insight	"They liked the service but don't return because nobody reminds them — they need a reason, not just a discount."

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Jobs To Be Done (JTBD)

Customers don't buy products — they "hire" them to get a "job" done.

3 Layers of JTBD

Layer	Definition	Question	Example (Skincare)	Example (Marketing course)
Functional	Practical task to complete	"What do they need to do?"	Clear acne, cleanse skin	Learn how to run paid ads
Emotional	Desired feeling	"How do they want to feel?"	Confident, well-cared-for	Calm, not afraid of mistakes
Social	Image they want to project	"How do they want to be seen?"	Beautiful, professional	Skilled, modern, successful

JTBD Template

When [situation / context],
I want to [action / solution],
so I can [desired outcome],
and feel [emotional reward].

Examples:

• "When my skin breaks out before a big meeting, I want to find a fast professional treatment, so I can feel confident presenting, and feel professional."
• "When I don't know how to run profitable ads, I want to learn from someone who has done it, so I can manage campaigns myself, and feel independent from agencies."
• "When my Shopify store has traffic but no sales, I want to understand why visitors don't convert, so I can fix the leak, and feel in control of my business."

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Persona Builder

Customer Persona Template

Persona: [Representative Name]

Demographics

Element	Value
Gender
Age range
Location
Occupation
Income / month
Family status
Education

Psychographics

Element	Value
Core values	[What do they value most?]
Fears	[What scares them when buying?]
Aspirations	[What do they want to achieve?]
Beliefs	[What do they trust? What do they doubt?]
Lifestyle	[Describe in one sentence]

Behaviors

Element	Value
Primary info channel	[TikTok? Google? Friends? YouTube?]
Online time	[Morning / Lunch / Evening? How long?]
Shopping habits	[Online/Offline? Compare before buying?]
Trusted sources	[Reviews? Influencers? Friends? Experts?]
Purchase barriers	[Price? Time? Risk? Lack of info?]
Post-purchase behavior	[Reviews? Refers others? Silent? Complains?]

Media Consumption

Channel	Usage level	Preferred content
TikTok	High / Med / Low / None
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
LinkedIn
Reddit
Twitter / X
Google Search
Email newsletters
Podcasts

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Customer Journey Map

Journey Template

Stage	Touchpoint	Behavior	Thoughts	Feelings	Barriers	Opportunities
Awareness	[Sees ad? Reads article? Friend mention?]
Research	[Google search? Watches review? Visits site?]
Consideration	[Compares competitors? Asks community?]
Decision	[Messages? Calls? Books?]
Purchase / Use	[Visits store? Pays online? First experience?]
Post-purchase	[Satisfied? Reviews? Returns? Refers?]

Moments of Truth

Moment	Description	Your action
Zero Moment (ZMOT)	Customer searches/asks before contacting you	SEO, third-party reviews, educational content
First Moment (FMOT)	First impression of product/service	Imagery, packaging, website UI, channel profile
Second Moment (SMOT)	Real experience while using	Service quality, processes, staff attitude
Ultimate Moment (UMOT)	Customer shares their experience	Encourage reviews, referrals, UGC

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Insight Validation

Not every observation is an insight. A real insight must pass 3 tests:

The 3-Criteria Test

Criterion	Validation question	Pass / Fail
TRUE	Is this grounded in real data/observation, not assumption?
TENSION	Is there a contradiction, dilemma, or unresolved need?
ACTIONABLE	Can you build content, product, or strategy from it?

Validation Examples

Observation	TRUE?	TENSION?	ACTIONABLE?	Insight?
"Women 25–35 like skincare"	Yes, but generic	No tension	Not specific	NO — too general
"They know their skin worsens but blame weather, not their routine"	Yes — seen in comments	Yes — gap between awareness and action	Yes — educational content can shift mindset	YES — strong insight
"They want to try the spa but fear high-pressure upsells"	Yes — reviews and DMs	Yes — desire vs loss-of-control fear	Yes — no-upsell pledge, transparent pricing	YES — strong insight

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Internal Monologue (What they think but don't say)

Customers rarely say what they actually think. This section captures the inner voice:

Internal Monologue Template

Stage	What they say	What they actually think	What it means for you
Awareness	"It's fine, normal"	"Why does everyone else look better? Is something wrong with me?"	Soft pain triggers, no pressure
Consideration	"Let me look around"	"Too many options. Hard to tell legit from scam — afraid to choose wrong"	Honest comparisons, not bragging
Conversion	"Let me think about it"	"I want it but I'm scared — afraid of wasting money or not seeing results"	Risk reduction: trial, guarantee, real reviews
Post-purchase	"It's okay"	"Should I keep going? Nobody has even checked in on me"	Follow-up, after-care, retention offers

Sources for Capturing Internal Monologue

Source	How to extract
Comments on competitor posts	Read questions, complaints, praise — especially long comments
Your DMs / inbox	Most-repeated question = biggest worry
Reviews (Google, Trustpilot, Amazon, app stores)	3-star reviews are most valuable — mixed praise + criticism
Industry communities (Reddit, niche forums, Discord)	Opinion threads, vent threads, comparison threads
Past-customer surveys	Open question: "What made you hesitate before buying?"
Sales call recordings	Listen for objections, hesitations, repeated phrases

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Behavioral Segmentation

Move beyond demographics — segment by actual behavior:

6 Segmentation Dimensions

Dimension	Categories	Example segments
Purchase frequency	One-time / Repeat / Frequent	Trial buyers vs Regulars vs VIPs
Order value	Low / Mid / High	Budget vs Premium spenders
Acquisition channel	Organic / Paid / Referral	TikTok-found vs Word-of-mouth
Engagement behavior	View / Like / Comment / Buy	Lurkers vs Loyal fans
Lifecycle stage	New / Active / Lapsed / Returning	New vs Churned vs Win-back
Loyalty level	Price-driven / Loyal / Advocate	Discount-seekers vs Brand-loyal

Behavioral Segment Action Table

Segment	Traits	Best content	Channels	Offers
New (no purchase yet)	Just discovered, researching	TOFU: education, social proof	TikTok, Instagram, Google	Trial, sample
First-time buyer	Tried once, no return yet	MOFU: added value, case studies	Email, SMS	Second-purchase offer
Repeat buyer (2+)	Satisfied, building habit	Retention: exclusives, VIP perks	Email, community	Loyalty tier
VIP (5+ purchases)	Loyal, ready to refer	Referral: bring-a-friend programs	1:1, events, VIP group	Referral bonus
Churned	Bought before, now silent	Win-back: reason for absence + special offer	Email, SMS	Comeback offer

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Cross-reference

• Need competitor targeting analysis? → Use 08-competitor-research-global
• Writing content from insight? → Use 05-ad-copy-global or 04-video-script-global
• Mapping full customer journey? → Use 02-campaign-brief-global
• Calculating budget by segment? → Use 10-reverse-kpi-calc-global
• Building overall strategy? → Use 00-marketing-plan-global

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Quality Checklist

Before delivering the insight report, verify:

• Consumer vs Shopper separated — if different, each has its own strategy
• Insights cover all 4 stages (Awareness, Consideration, Conversion, Retention)
• JTBD covers all 3 layers: Functional, Emotional, Social
• Persona has all 4 sections: Demographics, Psychographics, Behaviors, Media Consumption
• Customer Journey has touchpoints, emotions, and concrete barriers — not generic
• Every insight passed the 3-criteria test: TRUE, TENSION, ACTIONABLE
• Internal Monologue is grounded in real sources (comments, DMs, reviews) — not imagined
• Behavioral segmentation moves beyond demographics — each segment has a specific action
• No assumptions without backing — every conclusion sourced or evidenced
• Output drives concrete actions (content, ads, product), not just description