One of the things I learned by watching Garyvee is the difference between branding and marketing in the online world.
On the internet, you can either be a transactional marketer, or a branding guy.
You can spend money on Google/Facebook, drive a % of users to your funnel, optimize CTR & CPC, repeat. Or you can spend money on snapchat stories, fun competitions, blogs, any valuable content that may not drive direct results to your funnel but increases the volume of the conversation about your brand.
You could do both. It depends on your size & goals.
One thing I never understood when I read marketing and branding user research for an online product. What action should I take if I knew that 20% of our users shop online, spend more time on social media, or like to buy the cheapest thing?
When you read these reports, there isn’t much one can do. Online products are not sold on shelves and advertised for on TV. I don’t have to find the best retailer to put my product in. I don’t have to define upfront how the TV campaign will be perceived.
The online cycle is way shorter. You have to keep testing ideas all the time, optimize what works, and get rid of what doesn’t. It applies to branding, transactional marketing, and product features. The principle is the same, the difference is what you are optimizing for.
Maybe I am wrong, tell me what actions you could drive by reading such reports.