MARKET RESEARCH & CUSTOMER PROFILES
Turning a regional building materials company’s customer questions into a strategic roadmap
CLIENT
Regional building materials supplier
SERVICES
Audience research, competitive analysis, customer review analysis
SCOPE
4 competitors, 9 audience segments, all WA locations
The situation
The Director of Marketing for a regional building materials company was trying to gain traction in Washington despite operating multiple locations. She knew her target audiences but not enough about them to prioritize strategy. Specifically:
What are our customers' actual pain points and unmet needs?
What influences their purchasing decisions and where do we reach them?
How do we break into the Washington market more effectively?
Which store locations have reputation issues that need addressing before we invest marketing dollars there?
What I did
I designed a research approach that addressed her immediate questions and the strategic ones underneath them.
Competitive landscape analysis across four major competitors, examining positioning, strengths, weaknesses, and digital presence. This led the company to reevaluate who their actual competitors are and spot differentiation opportunities they hadn't considered.
Audience intelligence research across nine customer segments, grounding the team in what matters most to their customers and helping them focus rather than trying to be everything to everyone.
Customer review analysis across all Washington store locations, creating a store-by-store picture of reputation, service quality, and operational issues affecting customer perception.
Qualitative market research to understand local industry trends and inform how the company positions itself in Washington.
"This research fundamentally changed how we approach market expansion. Instead of throwing marketing dollars at the problem, we now understand exactly where to invest for maximum impact."
— Director of Marketing
How the research is being used
What started as a marketing research project became a tool that reshaped conversations across the organization.
Training material for a new executive to understand the market and customer landscape
Conversation piece bringing sales and marketing to the table together
Strategic input for the company's social media management partner
Basis for operations team discussions around store-level reputation, training, and customer service expectations
Grounding for the company's brand strengths and focused audience strategy
SAMPLE DELIVERABLES
