I get asked a lot of variations on the same question: How did you know what to offer? How did you improve retention? How do you actually figure out what's not working?
Different surfaces, same root answer: it comes down to actually understanding the people you're trying to reach.
If you genuinely understand your audience, you know what they want, how they want it delivered, and what would actually make them choose you over the alternative. If you don't know? You ask them. And if you've built real trust, they'll tell you.
I'm guessing the idea of formally researching your audience sounds about as fun as reorganizing a filing cabinet. So let me tell you a story that might change your mind.
The plot twist that'll blow your mind
Pop Mart opened 15 years ago as a variety retail store. They grew steadily for six years. Then the founder did something deceptively simple: he sent out a survey asking customers which artists they wanted to see featured in collectible blind boxes.
The audience responded. In 2016, the first series of 12 collectible figures launched based on that feedback.
All 200 sets sold out in seconds. Not minutes. Seconds.
Here's where it gets wild:
It started with one survey asking customers what they actually wanted.
The gut check worth sitting with
When was the last time your organization directly asked the people you serve what they actually wanted, rather than building based on what leadership assumed they wanted?
Most organizations are building toward what they think their audience wants instead of asking what's actually true. Guessing when they could be asking. Assuming when they could be finding out for certain.
Pop Mart didn't invent blind boxes or collectible figures. They asked one specific question, listened to the answer, and built exactly that. One question changed their entire trajectory.
Whether you're trying to improve engagement, develop a new offering, or figure out why something isn't landing the way it should — the answer is usually hiding in plain sight, inside the heads of the people you're trying to reach. You just have to ask.
Ready to find out what your audience actually wants?
If you're tired of guessing what will work and want real insight instead, schedule a discovery call here.