The Ultimate Marketing Questionnaire

The key to successful marketing is having a deep understanding of the business and its goals.

That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive questionnaire.

These are the questions we ask our clients, when we start complex marketing, websites, and copywriting projects.

Why do we do it?

Bt answering these questions, we gain a deep understanding of the business and organization.

Our ultimate goal is to gather as much information as possible to use it to our advantage – create second-to-none marketing, websites, presentations, and copy packages.

It lets us convey all the right messages, tell great stories, and much more.

How do we do it?

We book a 1 to 2-hour interview with the founder, CMO, marketing manager, or other relevant people.

Whoever it is, we need a knowledgeable person.

We usually come for a tour of their office/facility to see and get to know the business better from the inside out.

If the client is too far, we do a phone or a video.

When you start, say something like this:

Our goal is to gather as much information as possible to convey your brand to the fullest without missing any important detail.

There are lots of questions, and some might sound repetitive or irrelevant. But they are in a specific order, so I can see different angles when discussing different things.

Feel free to get into as many details as you want, talk, and expand about anything you think is important.

Tips to make the most out of the time (clients and yours)

1. Bring paper and a pen. Don’t use a computer or tablet.
2. Take as many notes as humanly can.
3. Use little drawings, arrows, and other visuals.
4. Only ask these questions on the phone or in person.
5. Don’t use this before a client pays you. This is not a brief questionnaire.
6. Please don’t make it into a form or send it via email.
7. If the project is small, do ask these. It’s a complete waste of time.
8. Bring water (the client will talk a lot).
9. Be as curious as you can, and ask as many additional questions.
10. Don’t ask the questions you don’t think are relevant.
11. Do research before the interview so you’re as knowledgeable as possible.
12. Use a voice recorder, so you can listen to it again.

The questions

About the business

1. If you had to describe your business/product/service in one sentence, how would you do it?
2. Do you have a tagline, strapline, or slogan? If yes, what is it?
3. How old is your business?
4. What are the mission and vision of the company?
5. What are the key messages you’re trying to convey?
6. What are the long-term goals? Where do you see your company in 5, 10, or 50 years?
7. What is the story of your business? How was the idea created? If you’re the owner, what made you choose this business? (Is there a unique story behind your company, business name, or logo? )
8. How many employees do you have?
9. How many offices and or franchisees do you have?
10. How many clients/customers have your business had and currently has?
11. Who is/are the face(s) of the company? Who founded it?
12. Which of these words better describes your brand?
    1. High-end or cost-effective?
    2. Traditional or modern?
    3. Friendly or corporate?
13. Is your company part of associations or professional unions?
14. Does your company have registered patents or trademarks?
15. Does your company organize seminars, presentations, and events?
16. Do you have your own technology, approach, methods, methodologies, etc.?
17. Does your company have licenses, insurance, and qualifications to do what you do?
18. Are there any publications about your company? (TV shows, news Articles, etc.)
19. Do you have your own software/hardware/ programs?
20. What are the marketing sales channels you use?

About the product/service

1. If you had to describe your business in one sentence, how would you do it?
2. What products/services do you provide?
3. What problem do you solve for your customers? What is the primary pain that your customers have?
4. What is the dream outcome of your target audience?
5. What sacrifices do people need to make to achieve their dream with your service or product?
6. What effort do people need to put into achieving their dream outcome with your service or product?
7. What is the time delay? How soon do people get your product/service? How long does it take to get to the dream outcome using your service/ product?
8. Tell us about your most and least expensive product/service.
9. What numbers can you provide? (delivery time, production time, warranty time, how fast you respond to leads, etc.)
10. How does the use of the product/service look/work? How do people use your product/service?
11. What happens after your clients use your product or service? Do they through it out?
12. What is your product/service made of? Where is it made? Who produces it, and how is it produced?
13. What are the process or stages of delivering/ creating your product/service? What components/parts does it have?
14. Do you have secrets or know-how that only your company uses?

About the market and the competition

1. What is the name of the industry your product/service/business is in?
2. Compare your business/product/service to your competition? How is it different?
3. Compare the price of your product/service to your competition? How is it different?
4. What are the objective reasons for choosing you and not your competitors?
5. What are the subjective reasons for choosing you and not your competitors?
6. What are your strengths compared to the competition?
7. What are your weaknesses compared to the competition?
8. Who are the main competitors that you know of?
9. In your opinion, what set you apart from the competition?
10. Identify 3-5 non-service/quality reasons why your customers should choose you?

About the people (Target Audience)

1. Is your product or services B2B, B2C, or both? Explain details if applicable.
2. Do you have any market research that you can share with us?
3. Who are your ideal customers? Describe your ideal customer with ± 5 adjectives or words that best describe your ideal customer. Be as detailed as possible.
4. Who is the primary target audience? Whose problems and pains do you solve the best?
5. What is the target audience’s age group?
6. Are they mainly male or female, or non-binary?
7. What is the average household income of your target audience?
8. Where are most of your audience located? Country/City
9. Do you target different audiences differently? If yes, please put them in categories.
10. Are there any new markets you’d like to break into? If so, what would they be and why?
11. If your customers had to describe your company in one sentence, what would it be and why?
12. What are the most frequent client doubts, fears, stereotypes, and objections?
13. Do you have any celebrity/influencer/opinion-leader customers?
14. What usually attracts your customers the most?
15. How much money have you helped save/earn for your customers?
16. How do potential clients find you? What is the initial point of contact? What marketing and sales channels do you use?
17. Describe the stages of working with your customers from the initial point of contact to purchase
18. Describe what you do post-purchase. Do you provide support or documentation? Do you call or email them?
19. Describe how you provide support for your customers after a purchase?
20. Do you give your customers gifts/presents? If yes, in what circumstances?
21. Do you have loyalty programs (cards, bonus points, gifts, giveaways, etc.)?
22. Do you give any guarantees?
23. Does your business have an “easy entry” or a “free first step”? For example, free trials or free estimates.

Final questions

1. What topics are off-limits? What we should talk about?
2. Is there anything else you’d like to add that we haven’t already covered?
3. Please share your website and all marketing and advertising materials with us
4. Who else can I talk with to learn more?