For years we've heard the phrases "Provide value" and "Be engaging" but these are so vague and lack definition. But to do that, we first need to know what that value is, why the person on the other side of the screen will find it valuable, and where we're going to meet them so we can deliver the right value at the right time.
Let's go. From The State of (Dis)Content Report:This was the most shocking stat when it came to the report and one I keep coming back to as I talk about it. 41.3% of content marketing professionals report not doing their audience research "nearly enough".
Now, since the report's been live, there's been a solid case made there's the chicken and egg scenario where the lack of leadership (or client) buy-in prohibits content marketers from carrying out meaningful research. I really hate this argument, because if the content being produced isn't getting shared, discussed, generating leads, or making sales, it's ineffective and you're just "playing content" and burning cash. There isn't proper training.Nobody I've ever met said "I want to be a content marketer when I grow up" as a kid. Most I've known were writers, journalists, or something else when they got in the field. Like I said earlier, I was an actor. Coming from humanities backgrounds, that means most of us don't have a formal research background that bridges the gap from creative work to business results. That's why "The 8 Layer Market Research Process" existsI've developed this process over the past 10 years and it's one that's been at the foundation of the content strategies I've built for companies like Shopify Plus and QuickBooks.
That's just a handful of the main benefits of this process. What is the real purpose of research?Before doing any research, you need to know the ultimate goal: My favorite example of this is a topic many people might be familiar with: "How to build a landing page."
What they need to know however depends on what you sell.
By weaving those elements throughout, your content - written, audio, or otherwise - goes from providing information to communicating ideas. What those idea are, who you're communicating them to, and where you're communicating them, well... That's how the layers and how they are usedOk, I've teased you enough, these are The 8 Layers of Market Research 1. YouWhat are your core brand narratives? 2. Your customersWhat do they value? What do they fear? What are their strategies for success? This is the shared DNA that connects your customers 3. Your direct competitorsTake all of the things they do the same (big logos, shared language, etc.) and cancel them out. Prospects do. Once those are gone, what's the substance behind what they're saying? 4. Your search competitorsNot everyone who shows up in the same SERPs are your direct competitors. In fact, they may be potential partners. Take advantage of that. 5. Industry adjacentThink apps, agencies, or conferences that target the same customer. Here's another opportunity to find allies and opportunities to spread your message. 6. NewsYou want your references to be timely right? Might also be good to know if you ever wade into digital PR territory. 7. InfluencersWho's driving the conversation? Potential partnership opportunity? Could be. 8. PulseHow do you keep track of all this in real time? Take 30 minutes in the morning so you can stay on top of what's happening in the industry and either feed it to the company, into your content, or both. This is the foundation of Content TheoryThe idea behind The 8 Layer process is that we create a total awareness of the market so we can continuously identify gaps so we can create the things nobody else can. There are only 15 spots left. P.S... This is just one of the many strategies and tactics I teach in my course, Content Theory. In it we go in depth on…
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Tommy Walker is the founder of The Content Studio, a content marketing consultancy for Fortune 1,000 companies and fast growing B2B startups. The Studio Insider blends filmmaking principles with B2B marketing advice to help marketers create meaningful content that connects and converts.
25 narrative principles Live workshop option Early bird sale starts June 27th, 2025 The problem with most content programs Most content marketers are stuck "playing content." You know the cycle: Write "good enough" content. Get vague feedback ("I don't like this"). Make random changes. Repeat until exhausted. Publish anyway. Wonder why it underperforms. Sound familiar? In the two decades I’ve worked in content marketing, I hear the same frustrations over and over again: "Leadership doesn't...
Hey Reader,We don't think in keywords. We think in arcs. We wrestle with big, layered problems and go down rabbit holes when we think we’re onto something. We binge. We compare. We revisit. We want to make sense of things, and we want to be taken seriously while doing it. So when your content is structured as disconnected articles, you’re forcing the audience to do the heavy lifting of stitching the narrative together. What Narrative Planning Changes A narrative-driven content calendar treats...
Ever watch a show with a killer premise... that you gave up on halfway through? For me, it was Heroes. The first season built tension. It hinted. It layered. It pulled you forward. Season 2? It just fed you information. No tension. No hook. I watched it — but I didn’t care.That's what most B2B content does.It just kind of starts, presents a bunch of information, then... ends.It presents info, then ends. You skim it, forget it, and deep down, you know your reader will too.If that's you, don't...