Why I Ask Clients These 9 Questions

Unpopular opinion: Do you ask clients specific questions when onboarding? Most consultants and freelancers, like myself, have their own unique onboarding process when working with new clients. These clients can range anywhere from being completely new, to those having an established strategy looking for a refresh. Regardless of where they are in their marketing journey, it is important to ask clients the right questions to better understand what holes they are looking to fill with a marketer’s help. 

Think of it like interviewing for a job. The conversation between you and a potential client is an interview. Just as they interview you for specific skills they need, you should be interviewing them to ensure your skills align with their goals. Up until this year (2021), I typically accepted all brands within my realm of digital marketing without a formal onboarding process or brand questionnaire. But it wasn’t until after my first experience with a sensitive client that I realized a branded questionnaire needs to become a best practice in my business to ensure client satisfaction.  

Through this experience, I spent time crafting a series of brand questions and information I deemed crucial to create a custom strategy for new clients. These questions became incredibly important when crafting social media calendars, templates, and copy for clients, who were relying on my expertise to guide them in the right direction.

With the help of my current clients, I compiled the following 9 questions that will help any marketer identify 2 very important things: (1) exactly what holes a client is looking to fill and (2) what recommendations you can provide to improve their marketing strategy.

Branded Questionnaire: 

1. Who is your target audience? Consider age, gender, and stage of life. 

2. What does your audience like to do? Who would they follow on social media? 

3. What pain points are your target audience currently struggling with?

4. How does your product/ service alleviate those pain points?

5. What are your target audience's spending patterns? Are there financial concerns?

6. What motivates your audience, personally and professionally?

7. Who or what would influence their purchase decisions? Think about who they trust.

8. Why should someone be your customer, instead of your competitor?

9. Are there any brands that are similar to the ones you’re trying to create? 

When a client is unable to answer all or some of these questions, we will work together to help find the answers to each through market research and testing. These questions will become the foundation of our work and will also become one of many marketing goals that we aim to complete. Similarly, the answers to these questions will become the foundation for all future marketing efforts, only strengthening a brand and its presence. 

Data or any KPI metrics should always be the force behind answering these questions, as without any concrete metrics the “why” behind each question clouds the strength of the brand.

If you are interested in digital marketing services, I encourage you to take a look at my 9 brand questions and use them to determine what areas of improvement or holes you’re looking to fill with a marketer’s help. For new brands, let these questions help define your services and offerings to scale your business upwards. 

For any assistance on how to use this questionnaire or where to find the metrics, feel free to schedule a consultation call and I’d love to help!