The 8 Layer Market Research Process

You know content marketing could be driving more impact.

You see the gaps, the missed opportunities, the wasted effort.

But then you hit a wall.

Leadership doesn’t get it.

First off, if that's you, you're not alone.

Last year we ran The State of (Dis)Content Report to find out what had content marketers feeling down.

Among many things, we found:

🔸 Only 30% of in-house content marketers say their leadership is fully bought-in.
🔸 41.3% admit they aren't doing audience research nearly enough.
🔸 60% are unsure if their content stands out in voice and tone.

If you don’t have buy-in, if research is rushed, and if content doesn’t stand out—why would it drive real results?

This is why most companies treat content as an afterthought, and it’s many why content marketers struggle to prove their value.

Here’s how to change that: Stop making the case with opinions. Start making it with research.

Introducing: The 8-Layer Market Research Process

Most content strategies fail because they aren’t based on real audience insights.

If you want to prove content deserves investment, here’s how:

1. You – Your Brand Narratives

What are your four core brand narratives?

Category – What is your take on the state of your market?
Product – How does your product solve the problem?
Persona – What does using your product say about the customer?
Culture – Why is your team uniquely qualified to solve the problem?

2. Your Customers

Interview your customers to find out:

What do they want, need, value and fear?
How do they overcome obstacles?

3. Your Competitors

Positioning & messaging – How do they sell their value?
Content topics – What are they covering (or ignoring)?
Channels – Where are they showing up and where are they not?
Reputation – What do reviews and social media say?

4. Your Search Competitors

Who ranks for key topics?
What content types perform best?
Are there collaboration opportunities?

5. Industry-Adjacent Players

Who serves the same audience?
How do they communicate & position themselves?
Are there partnership opportunities?

6. Industry News

Emerging trends shaping the industry.
Competitors in the media.

7. Influencers

Who are the voices driving the conversation?
Who influences them?
Who has a contrarian take?
What are their strongest content formats and channels?

8. Real-Time Industry Pulse – What’s Being Shared Now?

An automated method of finding what’s trending among competitors, influencers, and news.
What media ecosystems (podcasts, YouTube, newsletters) are driving discussion.

How This Gets You Buy-In

Executives respond to data that exposes risk and opportunity.

🔸 Proves what’s broken – Misaligned content, missed opportunities, competitor dominance.
🔸 Reframes content as a strategic advantage – Pitches a strategy, not just “more content.”
🔸Shifts leadership from skepticism to action – Real data forces real decisions.

What Happens Next?

Once you have the data, the next step is to analyze the market and design a content code so your stuff will create a signal among all the noise.

The Studio Insider