How to chat with users?

The relationship between people and brands is a longer-term interactive one, and they care more about individual emotions, changes in group consciousness, lifestyles, experiences, etc. During this period, brands will gradually find the most comfortable way to communicate with users. If you want to understand user consumption, please read the following article.

When you see users chatting, I think your first reaction might be:

Maybe it’s about consumer research?

So why not consumer chat?

The second reaction might be:

Chat? Who doesn't know how to chat?

They are indeed users, but not entirely consumers;

It is indeed chatting and an important part of the research.

This is the first article in a series of user content, so I’ll say some things in advance to ensure that everyone has a relatively consistent basis of understanding.

1. Not a consumer, but a user

The newness of new consumption and new brands, in addition to channels, is more about creating new value for users, not just new consumption opportunities.

The motivations of the two are different.

Consumers, people who consume you.

If everything we do is to make people consume, then you and her are in a purely buying and selling relationship. She can just make a purchase and leave, and there is no need for further contact.

There is only a sales relationship between people and brands. We need to do a good job before, during and after sales, and the key is to sell it.

Users, the people who use you.

If this is the understanding, then the brand will focus on how to enable her to use herself longer-term, more easily and better. The scope of use includes but is not limited to: physical products, services, knowledge, language, style, stores, packaging, community activities, and everything you create for her.

The relationship between people and brands is a longer-term interactive one, and they care more about individual emotions, changes in group consciousness, lifestyles, experiences, etc. During this process, brands will gradually find the most comfortable way of communicating with users.

I think the comparison would be clearer if we use the evolution of shopping malls.

What are traditional shopping malls called? Shopping malls are places where people gather for consumption and are spaces with a strong functional orientation.

Therefore, shopping malls try every possible means to make your consumption convenient. The brands they recruit are based on strong demand and high sales per square meter. The revenue of each store is guaranteed, and the regular brands that should be there must be available.

At the same time, brands also purchase consumer traffic from shopping malls in the form of rent, hoping to obtain conversions from the traffic. In this way, a sales cluster is formed between brands and shopping malls.

The purpose of Tianmu Li, Aranya, and Yuanye is to create an ideal community where users can experience content that they don’t often see but like. The entire space is a medium for communication with users.

Therefore, the targets of settlement are: unique and rare stores, art brands, brands owned by managers, and even deliberately avoiding conventional brands. It may not look at how much revenue each store creates for the community, but cares about whether it brings better experience and content to users.

After such brands join, they also form a cluster with the entire community, which is usually labeled as lifestyle, internet celebrity, etc. Ultimately, this multi-dimensional attraction amplifies the commercial value of the entire community.

Today, the two types of shopping malls are infiltrating and influencing each other.

The user series of articles is based on the latter. We hope that our daily brand creation work will be more centered around users, and we also want to promote this concept so that more brand people will accept it.

Therefore, the word "consumer" will not appear in the user series content. The change starts with words.

If you agree, let’s continue the conversation.

2. It’s not a survey, it’s a chat

It takes a certain process from recognition to application.

In our actual brand consulting and design work, we sometimes go to research with brand founders, marketing/branding departments, and product departments. Occasionally, we find that although we accept the "user" concept, due to many comprehensive factors, the overall focus tends to be:

My product is so good, why can’t sales increase?

What activities are competitors doing? Why are they not buying my products?

Why are my new products selling poorly?

First of all, these issues are still quite utilitarian and purely sales relationship issues. Another thing is that you shouldn’t go directly to users to ask for answers, this is a work issue left to the brand team itself.

I understand that every brand has invested a lot in its products and services and thinks that their products are very good. But when you really calm down and get on the same page with users, you will often find two truths:

1. Users are not obligated to consume or endorse products that you think are good.
2. The product value you originally thought and preset may be a different value in the eyes of users.

Do you think she has been using your product for many years because it is good enough?

Not necessarily. It may be that your product is related to this city or even the memory of a generation, so she has been using it for many years.

When we always mention "research", we tend to preset results, have complex motivations, and have a heavy psychological burden. We ourselves feel uncomfortable, and it is not easy for users to get into the mood and talk to you.

Just like "online interview" and "online chat", the feeling changes with the difference of one word.

3. Don’t analyze first, feel first

Many of my friends have the habit of reading a book and then breaking down the core content.

Why not disassemble it while watching?

Because the feeling of smooth flow the first time is easily disrupted.

The same applies to user chats. Don’t use all the logical analysis and reasoning right away. Keep a normal mind and let yourself feel comfortable first.

How do you feel specifically? Is there any method?

Let’s continue our conversation.

4. How to chat with users when they are users in real scenarios?

1. What does real-life scenario mean?

In real scenarios, that is, in the user’s real life scenarios.

In the second season of "13 Invitations", Xu Zhiyuan asked a question when interviewing Lin Chiling.

Xu Zhiyuan: What was the most comfortable job for you?

Lin Chi-ling: The most comfortable scene was probably "The Battle of Shama Town". I felt very comfortable at that time because it was very special, with that kind of packaging. You know, I usually think that girls should sit properly. When we were shooting "Shama Town", we were in a real countryside, living there, and eating barbecue every day.

Xu Zhiyuan: The freer you emerged that time.

Lin Chi-ling: Yes, and you can say things that you can’t say. And I remember that I didn’t speak Mandarin in the film, but with a dialect accent.

This is what it means in real-life scenarios.

In the real country scene of Shama Town, Lin Chi-ling was influenced by the environment, integrated into it and released her free self.

You see on the Internet that actors have to experience life in order to get into the role, and what they experience is actually the life scenes of that character.

The best way to chat with a user is to chat with her in her real scenario.

Purchasing scenarios at Huamei, Watsons and other department stores for skin care and cosmetics;

Convenience stores, supermarkets and other fast-moving consumer goods purchasing scenarios in daily retail;

Restaurants, coffee shops and other purchasing and usage scenarios for ready-made food;

Pet parks, communities and other life scenarios for pet supplies and food;

2. Get into the role, don’t be a researcher, really listen, really watch, really feel

You are finally in the same scene with the user, but don’t rush to chat.

At this time, don't let her know that you are "the brand's research team". It will be difficult for her to tell you the truth, and you will also be trapped in the identity of a researcher and unable to enter the user's perspective.

It’s best for us to become a user ourselves and then chat with her.

To put it bluntly, it’s easier to get into the role.

Once, we encountered difficulties in the brand upgrade project of Sun Family Pet Food. We did not have a clear grasp of the real needs of users. There were many possible directions, but we could not make a final decision.

At that time, a colleague contacted the owner of a Bedlington kennel to join us, and a few of us appeared in Xuhui Riverside with a Bedlington dog that attracted a lot of attention, and started walking the dog.

After remembering the dog’s age and name, I gradually entered the state of a novice pet owner and started chatting with other owners in the Riverside Dog Park.

At the beginning, we talked about everything. As a novice, we didn't know anything, but most dog owners were happy to share their experiences. Of course, we consciously guided them in some directions related to pet food, and we talked to about half of the dog owners in the park.

During the trip, we also took out the Sun House air-dried meat and fed it to other dogs to observe the reactions of the dog owners and to ask them what brands they chose and why.

The communication during this period was very natural and organic. We kept eye contact with the pet owners, casually absorbing some knowledge about raising dogs and things to pay attention to. The more enthusiastic ones would even recommend some products or brands to you.

At that time, your feelings and reactions are closest to those of the "user".

At that time, we clearly felt a simple but basic user demand.

Since pet food cannot be consumed by the owner on behalf of the dog, the owner’s trust in the brand is very important. To put it bluntly, whether the brand can make the owner feel as safe as possible is also very similar to the characteristics of the infant food industry.

However, when it comes to trust, each brand expresses it differently, so changing food or snacks is always a very troublesome experience.

Judging from the brand names asked about, the current situation is that more owners are willing to trust imported brands psychologically, and there are only a few domestic brands.

Based on these current situations and analytical thinking, we have deepened the core value of the brand, simple food. Friends who are interested can click on the link to have a look.

In the process of chatting with pet owners, we actually achieved:

Select a real scene

Enter the role of pet owner

Really listen, really watch, really feel

The difficulty here lies in getting into the role.

I don’t know if you have noticed that we actually set up an identity for ourselves at that time.

Status: A novice dog owner with a Bellington.

Bellington: Age, gender, name.

Props: Sun Family’s pet snacks and dog drinking cups.

Objectively speaking, this is a very simple identity setting, but it does help us more easily believe that we are a "real" user.

Some people may ask, some categories are difficult to discuss as a user, and we have to act as researchers. So when we are researchers, how can we talk to users in a more realistic way?

Let’s continue chatting.

5. When you have to act as a researcher, how can you chat with users better?

Indeed, when we are working on a catering brand, it is difficult for us to talk as a user and we can only be researchers.

Here are some tips to help you generate as much valuable user feedback as possible.

1. Give users a little benefit

My habit is to talk to users in the role of the brand’s marketing department.

The difference from chatting as a user is that when you act as a researcher, the user is not obligated to use their own time to cooperate with your research.

So I started off by very sincerely introducing myself as being from the brand's marketing department. I'm here to do some research. If you can answer some of my small questions, I can give you a dessert, snack, etc. for free.

2. Respect all her expressions

During the entire process of the user's expression, try to look the user in the eye to show that her opinion is important. Listen to her carefully and don't interrupt. This will make the user feel that she is being taken seriously and that you value her, and it will also make her answer more real.

3. Chat about some life topics appropriately

Especially at the beginning of the survey, you can start by leading with topics about life to let users relax and open up.

You can also choose some simpler and easier to answer questions that will definitely have answers and ask them first to avoid awkward silence.

For example, do you live nearby or work nearby? Questions like these can also help you determine her basic information.

Here are some questions we have used:

• Local? Live nearby?
• How did you first know about our brand?
• What was the reason for choosing to come here for the first time?
• How many times have you come here?
• What dish do you always order?
• What do you think of the product?
• Apart from the product, do you feel there is anything uncomfortable about the overall experience?
• Which shops do you frequent around here?
• What other stores in this category have you visited? Do you feel any difference between them and ours?
• Feel free to say a good point or a bad point.
• Do you think this is a good place to eat with family or friends?

Of course, I answer questions on the fly.

6. Final Thoughts

1. Online user chat ensures immediacy

You can also feel that we recommend that all user chats take place offline as much as possible, because face to face you can feel the user's expression, there is eye contact, and it is more real.

If there is really no other way and online chat is necessary for special categories, then I suggest that it should at least be instant. If voice is possible, then use voice. If voice is not possible, the reply speed of text communication must be fast. Don't give the user too long to think, so that her answer can be as subconscious as possible.

2. If you don’t have time to do a comprehensive market research, chat with users whenever you can.

The more you chat, the easier it is to develop a physical intuition about your users.

One brand person I admire very much is Ms. Peng Ying. When she was working on her new brand LESSGO, she determined her understanding of cosmeceuticals through a lot of chatting with potential users. She often records her current insights and summaries when she is watching dramas, traveling, reading books, or looking at competing products. She publishes them on her official account once a year and recommends reading them.

When Neiwai was still in its early days and had yet to break out of its circle, the founder communicated extensively with target users, put himself in their shoes to understand the physical and mental needs of female users, and constantly adjusted the product to attract the first wave of seed users.

I forgot where I saw it, but there was a founder of a clothing brand who, in order to hone her intuition in selecting products, went to clothing stores repeatedly and observed with her eyes which items she thought were best-selling and slow-selling items. She then made comparative observations the second time she went. Over time, her intuition in selecting products became extremely sharp.

Above all, don’t lose your user’s physical intuition, no matter how mature we are.

Author: Shaokang loves brain burning

Source: Shaokang Blake (ID: shaokang92)