I still remember the moment I realized we were missing a critical piece of our marketing puzzle at AnyWord. Like many PLG (Product-Led Growth) companies, we were driven by self-serve sign-ups and customer onboarding. But it wasn’t until a seemingly innocuous onboarding question – “How did you hear about us?” – gave us a revelation that would shape our marketing strategy.
The answer? YouTube. Despite what our attribution software had been telling us, we learned that a significant portion of our new users came from YouTube ads – a channel that had been drastically underreported. This “aha” moment pushed us to rethink how we gathered and applied our market insights, changing the way we engaged with our audience and refined our campaigns.
Let me walk you through the three playbooks we used at AnyWord to turn raw insights into action, and how you can do the same.
In a world filled with tracking tools and attribution models, it’s easy to fall into the trap of relying solely on automated data. But there’s one thing that sophisticated tools can’t always capture: what users remember. That’s why self-reported attribution has been one of the most valuable strategies we’ve implemented.
For us, this started with a simple onboarding form. When users signed up, we asked them directly, “How did you hear about AnyWord?” The results were surprising. Platforms like YouTube were driving traffic, yet they weren’t reflected accurately in our automated reports. Based on these insights, we increased our YouTube ad spend and saw a considerable return.
But self-reported attribution didn’t stop at onboarding forms. We also trained our SDRs and AEs to ask this question during demo calls. This uncovered an entire layer of insights, including the importance of niche communities like Slack groups and micro-influencers. These findings helped us build better relationships with influencers who were organically promoting AnyWord, further fueling our growth.
Tip: Don’t just rely on software attribution. Implement self-reported attribution both in onboarding and sales conversations to validate where your audience is truly coming from.
Gathering insights from users already in your funnel is essential. But it’s equally important to understand the people who aren’t engaging with your product. That’s where ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) interviews come in.
At AnyWord, we started interviewing not just our power users but also those who had never heard of us. We connected with people through our extended network, LinkedIn, Slack communities, and marketing groups. These conversations gave us a clearer picture of potential objections and hesitations, even for people who fit our ICP on paper.
Interestingly, we discovered a group of what we started calling “anti-ICPs.” These were people in the right industries and roles who had the right pain points but had no interest in AI tools. Their primary objection? They didn’t think AI could ever match their brand’s tone of voice.
This insight changed everything. We realized that while we were emphasizing the performance aspects of AnyWord, we weren’t addressing a significant concern: brand authenticity. By highlighting our AI’s ability to learn and replicate brand tone, we tackled this objection head-on. This shift in our messaging helped us close deals with entire teams, not just individual users.
Tip: Go beyond your current user base and interview those outside your funnel. They can reveal blind spots and objections you might not be addressing.
One of the unique features of AnyWord was our Copy Intelligence Platform, which connected all of our marketing channels – from emails to ads – and analyzed the performance of different messaging. This wasn’t just about open rates or click-through rates. We were looking for deeper insights: What phrases resonated with our audience? Which words drove the most engagement?
Using this data, we created copy that was not only more engaging but also more aligned with our audience’s preferences and pain points. For example, after learning that users were hesitant about AI-generated copy, we launched campaigns that directly addressed this fear, showing how our platform could match their brand voice. It was a simple but powerful shift in messaging that led to more closed deals and longer customer lifecycles.
Tip: Use predictive analytics to identify the best-performing phrases and messaging in your campaigns. Then, optimize your content based on those insights.
At the end of the day, market insights are only as valuable as the actions you take based on them. Whether it’s revising your messaging, reallocating ad spend, or building better relationships with influencers, the key is to act on what you learn.
By blending self-reported attribution, ICP interviews, and predictive analytics, we were able to not only gather insights but also turn them into practical, actionable steps that drove real growth. And you can do the same.
The next time you ask yourself, “How would you turn market insights into action?” remember that the answer is two-fold: listen to your audience and make sure you have the right tools to translate those insights into strategic moves. It’s not always easy, but with the right playbooks, it’s absolutely achievable.
By following these approaches, you can start making more informed decisions, refining your marketing strategies, and getting closer to your business goals. Just remember – it’s not about having the insights; it’s about what you do with them.
