In this post, we talk about how to use ChatGPT to unlock the hidden layers of your target audience’s psyche, which will reveal customer insights that you can use to make your marketing messages more effective and persuasive.
[Theresa] Today’s episode is such a cool and relevant topic, if I do say so. Everywhere I look, people are buzzing about AI, especially in marketing.
[Meghan] It is the hot topic of the moment! So, talking about it today in relation to customer insights is good timing.
I think many of us struggle with understanding our target audience. This is one of a few areas that is a challenge for people. When I talk with business owners, they don’t really know their customers all that well. And, if I’m being totally transparent, I have had a tough time with this too.
[Theresa] I know, me too. It’s like there’s this secret world of your target audience’s emotions, desires, and fears! And, if you could just tap into it, then your content and your marketing messages would be so much more powerful and effective.
[Meghan] Exactly! Which is why this episode’s topic is so exciting. Today we’re revealing how to use ChatGPT to gather customer insights. This is going to be a game-changer, so let’s get started!
AI and Data
[Theresa] So, why should you care about AI in marketing? Well, it all comes down to understanding your customers, both through demographics and psychographics.
Quick refresher: demographics are the hard facts—like age, location, marital status—while psychographics dive into values, beliefs, and emotional triggers. Together, these insights help shape more effective marketing strategies and messages.
[Meghan] Demographics give you the ‘who’ while psychographics give you the ‘why.’ Both are important, but when you combine them with AI, you get something extra special: predictive behavior and customer understanding on a whole new level.
[Theresa] And, this is why AI is important to you as a marketer! You see, data is only as good as what you do with it. So, it’s awesome that AI can take a mountain of raw data and turn it into actionable insights. It’s like having an incredibly smart data analyst on your marketing team!
[Meghan] Exactly! So with AI, especially tools like ChatGPT, you get high-quality data interpretation without breaking the bank. It’s an affordable solution for small businesses to tap into data analytics.
[Theresa] And there you have it. By leveraging AI, you’re not just collecting data; you’re making it actionable. You can better understand, and even predict, customer behavior, which makes your marketing messages stronger.
Okay, so now we know that AI is perfect for data processing. But why do you care about customer insights and getting into the minds of your target audience?
Why Customer Insights Matter
[Meghan] Well, think about a time that your marketing fell flat. Chances are, you were operating on assumptions rather than real insights. So, your messages weren’t dialed in to your potential customers.
But, by understanding your audience’s psychographics, you can zero in on their true needs and preferences. You won’t have to guess, cross your fingers, or rely on hope and prayer.
[Theresa] Exactly. With accurate customer insights, your marketing becomes more effective and personalized. It’s like having a sixth sense about what your customers want, which gives you a leg up on the competition.
And, you’ll have an easier time crafting more meaningful messages. You’ll attract more qualified leads and repel those who aren’t a good fit with your brand or offers.
[Meghan] This approach also makes you more relatable and trustworthy. Why? Because buying is emotional; people want to feel understood and valued.
[Theresa] Hopefully you can see why customer insights are helpful in your business. Not to mention, you can use those insights to create or refine products and services too. When you truly know your customer, you can create offers that solve their problems—so it’s a win-win.
[Meghan] AI certainly benefits you beyond marketing for sure!
How to Use ChatGPT to Gather Customer Insights
[Theresa] So, how can you uncover customer insights using ChatGPT?
Let’s do a walkthrough. Mind you, there are many ways to do this! This is just one to get you started.
Step 1: Define an Objective
[Meghan] The first step is to set a clear goal or objective. What are you trying to learn or achieve?
Well, we know that the goal is to gather customer insights. But the more specific you get with ChatGPT, the better your results will be.
[Theresa] P.S. The opposite is also true: the more vague your input, the more generic the output from ChatGPT. It’s like that old saying: garbage in, garbage out.
[Meghan] Yep! So, be clear about why you want customer insights. What are you using them for?
For the sake of this discussion, let’s say your goal is to gather customer insights to help you write a high-converting sales page for your online course.
[Theresa] Now, this example may not apply to you, so adapt it. Your goal might be to use these insights to create a Facebook ad, write an email, or even identify your unique value proposition. So, swap that part out to make it work for you.
Step 2: Brainstorm with ChatGPT Using Prompts
[Meghan] So, you’ve got it in your mind what you’re trying to accomplish.
Step two is to brainstorm with ChatGPT, kind of like you’re having a conversation with a data analyst.
But, this isn’t a data analyst in your company. Think of ChatGPT as an external consultant; it needs context and direction since it’s not privy to your internal business and brand information.
[Theresa] So, to have this conversation and brainstorming session, you’ll provide information to ChatGPT and use well-crafted prompts. (And if you don’t know, prompts are the questions that you ask ChatGPT to help guide the conversation.)
The quality of the results from ChatGPT hinge on two things: 1) the information you provide and 2) the questions you ask. The more specific and detailed your inputs, the richer the insights you’ll receive.
[Meghan] There are lots of ways to get started. There isn’t necessarily a wrong path.
But, start by asking ChatGPT to create a buyer persona after describing your business, target market, and goal. The key here is to be as detailed as possible for more relevant insights. There’s no such thing as TMI in this scenario!
[Theresa] Exactly! It’s like feeding the AI the breadcrumbs it needs to follow the trail to your desired outcome.
Example Prompt for a Buyer Persona
[Meghan] Here is a real-life example prompt that you can use to inspire you:
“I offer content marketing consulting services in the United States. My target audience is small business owners, such as website designers, business coaches, and solo entrepreneurs with personal brands who make at least $85,000 a year. Also, I offer an online course to teach this target audience how to create a content calendar for a blog, vlog, or podcast. I want to promote this course using a sales page on my website. But I need help to better understand my target audience. Please create a buyer persona for a business coach or consultant with a personal brand that needs my help.”
The “please create a buyer persona for X” prompt works well if you’re detailed, like I just was in that example. I’ve had good results. In this example. ChatGPT gave me:
- demographics
- psychographics
- goals and aspirations
- challenges and pain points
- habits
- objections
- a preferred sales approach (in other words: what would get your target prospect to buy)
And because I was so specific, much of the customer insights were in relation to the offer, which if you remember is a course on how to create a content calendar. This is also so valuable for the sales page and to help sell the course, by the way!
Step 3: Dig Deeper
[Theresa] Love it! ChatGPT is such a handy tool for customer insights!
Okay, you can stop there or continue to brainstorm with ChatGPT. And we suggest you keep going! So, Step 3 is to dig deeper. Keep asking questions to unpack more layers of valuable insights. Each prompt builds upon the last.
Be inquisitive about the information ChatGPT provides. Ask follow-up questions like, “Why is that?” or “Do you have industry-specific examples?” This will refine the data you gather.
[Meghan] Don’t hesitate to dig deeper into psychographics too.
[Theresa] The more curious you get, the richer the insights. And, pro tip here, don’t be shy about refining or rephrasing your questions. Sometimes just tweaking your question a bit can reveal so much more.
For example, in a similar exercise I used AI to help identify my avatar’s pain points. Then I asked it to tell me what my avatar was thinking, how they were feeling, and what they were saying for each of those pain points. I discovered a whole new layer of valuable insights.
[Meghan] Yes! You’re trying to gain a comprehensive understanding of your audience, so keep at it. Feel free to iterate until you’re satisfied with the insights you’ve received. That way, your marketing will be more focused and effective.
Take it to the Next Level with ChatGPT
[Theresa] After you’ve had this in-depth conversation with ChatGPT, it is practically an expert on your target audience. You know?
So, remember in Step 1 you set a goal about why you wanted customer insights? Well, you could have ChatGPT apply those insights to help you with whatever marketing task you had originally set out to do. In our example, it was to write a sales page.
[Meghan] Or, really, you could have ChatGPT help you with ANY marketing task now that your target audience and customer insights are more defined!
[Theresa] True! But, that’s out of the scope of this podcast…and honestly we could go on about this for another half hour!
But, just as a side note, if you were to ask ChatGPT to write your sales page you’d want to give it more information.
[Meghan] Right. You’d want to provide your offer details and a sample of your writing to mimic your style and voice. You could even prompt ChatGPT to tell you the best sales page strategies and the top performing copywriting formulas. Then you can apply all of these things to your conversation to get a better sales page.
[Theresa] There are loads of options and different scenarios! Way too many to cover here. But, hopefully, we’ve given you enough guidance to try this out on your own.
There’s really no right or wrong. It’s about asking the right questions and giving ChatGPT enough information to guide it to give you what you want.
What’s Next
[Meghan] It’s time to apply the insights you’ve gathered. You are now armed with lots of information, so go forth and conquer your marketing—whether you use it to write a sales page, restructure a campaign, or tweak a headline.
[Theresa] But remember, while AI can be immensely helpful, it’s not always 100% accurate. The insights you gather can be a great starting point for you. But, always prioritize what you know to be accurate and true. Pay attention to your intuition.
[Meghan] By the way, I’ve used more generic prompts for market info, and the results have been okay but not what I needed for messaging. The information here today is really more focused on gathering customer insights to improve your messaging.
[Theresa] I’ll add that the more you interact with ChatGPT, the better you get at phrasing your questions for precise insights. Don’t be afraid to jump in and try!
[Meghan] Like with all tech, just when you get used to it, it changes and you have to adapt again! But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore AI and give it a chance to assist your marketing efforts.
Oh and PS, I’ve used both the paid and free versions of ChatGPT as well as both newer and older versions. The paid, newer version is outstanding, but the older, free version is good too.
[Theresa] I’ve used multiple versions of ChatGPT as well. Both paid and free. And I agree with Meghan on this. The free version is very good, but the paid version is a whole other level. I’ve been blown away to be quite honest.
[Meghan] Anyway, ChatGPT can improve your audience targeting and your marketing messages— without having a massive budget or hiring a data analyst. And, that’s a definite win as far as we are concerned!
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