What If You Don’t Actually Know What Your Customers Want?
You probably know who your customers are.
You know their age.
You know where they live.
You know what you sell to them.
You might even know which products or services they buy most often.
But there’s a more uncomfortable question worth asking:
Do you actually understand what your customers want from you?
Because knowing your customer and understanding your customer are two very different things.
And if your marketing is based on assumptions rather than genuine customer insight, you could be spending a lot of time talking about things your audience simply doesn’t care about.
Your customers are giving you clues all the time
Customer research doesn’t always have to mean expensive surveys, focus groups or complicated analytics.
Your customers are constantly giving you information.
They tell you what they’re struggling with when they ask questions.
They tell you what matters to them through the products they choose.
They tell you what they’re confused about when they contact your business.
They tell you what they value through reviews and feedback.
And they tell you what they’re interested in through the content they click, watch, save and share.
Google has highlighted the importance of understanding customer intent by looking beyond basic demographics and considering what people are actually trying to accomplish in a particular moment (Google, 2019).
The opportunity is there.
The question is whether you’re paying attention.
The danger of marketing based on assumptions
One of the easiest traps to fall into is assuming that because you think something is important, your customers must think it is too.
You might spend hours creating content about a product feature.
But your customer might actually care more about whether it will save them time.
You might focus your website on explaining what your business does.
But your customer might be trying to work out whether you can solve their specific problem.
You might promote your newest service because you’re excited about it.
But your audience might still be struggling with a much more basic problem.
This is where marketing can start to feel disconnected.
The business is talking.
The customer is listening.
But they’re not necessarily having the same conversation.
Research from McKinsey has consistently shown that customer decision-making involves multiple touchpoints and that businesses benefit from understanding the journey customers take as they research, evaluate and ultimately choose between options (McKinsey & Company, 2009; 2015).
Understanding that journey gives you something far more valuable than a list of demographic information.
It gives you context.
Stop asking “Who is my customer?” and start asking “What are they trying to do?”
A customer profile might tell you that your ideal customer is a 40-year-old business owner.
Useful?
Perhaps.
But it doesn’t tell you why they’re looking for you.
A better question might be:
What is happening in their world when they need what I offer?
Are they trying to save time?
Are they overwhelmed?
Are they comparing options?
Are they worried about making the wrong decision?
Are they looking for reassurance?
Are they trying to solve an urgent problem?
Are they simply looking for someone they can trust?
Those motivations are much more useful when you’re creating marketing.
Because people don’t wake up thinking, “I need to engage with a brand today.”
They have a problem, a goal, a question or a need.
Your marketing needs to meet them there.
Your best customer research might already be sitting in your inbox
If you want to understand your customers better, start by looking at the conversations you’re already having.
Look through:
- customer emails
- enquiries
- reviews
- FAQs
- sales conversations
- social media comments
- search queries
- website behaviour
- frequently asked questions from your team
Then look for patterns.
What questions keep coming up?
What objections do people have before buying?
What words do customers use to describe their problems?
What are they repeatedly asking you to explain?
What makes them hesitate?
What makes them choose you?
These patterns can become the foundation of your marketing.
Instead of guessing what content your customers want, you’re creating content around things they’ve already told you matter.
The goal isn't to know everything about your customers
You don’t need a 50-page customer persona.
You don’t need to predict every behaviour.
And you certainly don’t need to know everything about every person who could potentially buy from you.
You need to understand the people you most want to reach well enough to make your marketing relevant.
That means understanding their problems.
Their priorities.
Their concerns.
Their decision-making process.
And ultimately, what they need to hear from you before they’re ready to take the next step.
PwC’s 2025 Customer Experience Survey found that 29% of consumers had stopped using or buying from a brand because of a poor customer experience, demonstrating just how important the experience surrounding a purchase can be — not simply the product itself (PwC, 2025).
Your customers are judging more than what you sell.
They’re judging how easy you make things.
How clearly you communicate.
How well you understand them.
And whether they feel confident choosing you.
Your next marketing idea might already be in front of you
Before you plan your next month of content, take a step back.
Don’t immediately ask:
“What should we post?”
Ask:
“What are our customers trying to figure out right now?”
Then listen.
Look at the questions you’re being asked.
Look at what customers struggle with.
Look at what they search for.
Look at what they respond to.
Look at what stops them from buying.
And look at the moments where your business genuinely makes their lives easier.
That’s where the strongest marketing ideas often come from.
Because great marketing isn’t about finding cleverer ways to talk about your business.
It’s about understanding your customer well enough to know what they actually need to hear.
And the better you understand them, the easier it becomes to create marketing that feels relevant, useful and genuinely worth paying attention to.
Your customers are already telling you what matters.
You just have to start listening.
References
Google (2019) The key to assisting your customers is a smarter approach to analytics. Think with Google. Available at: Think with Google (Accessed: 3 September 2026).
McKinsey & Company (2009) The consumer decision journey. McKinsey & Company. Available at: McKinsey & Company (Accessed: 3 September 2026).
McKinsey & Company (2015) The new consumer decision journey. McKinsey & Company. Available at: McKinsey & Company (Accessed: 3 September 2026).
PwC (2025) 2025 Customer Experience Survey: The loyalty illusion. PwC. Available at: PwC (Accessed: 3 September 2026).
