Get Started with Your Brand Research – Client Intake Form

Please remove this client intake form insights section before publishing.

This Client Intake Form is designed to gather comprehensive information about a business’s brand, market positioning, challenges, and goals to determine the most suitable research and analysis services. Below is a breakdown of each section and its strategic importance:

1. Business Overview

Purpose:

• Establishes foundational knowledge about the company (industry, size, revenue, business model).
• Helps tailor research methodologies based on B2B/B2C focus.
• Identifies short-term business goals to align research outcomes with strategic priorities.

Key Insights Gathered:

• Revenue range indicates budget capacity for brand research.
• Business model (B2B/B2C) affects research approach (e.g., B2B requires more competitor analysis, B2C needs customer sentiment analysis).
• Top 3 business goals guide the focus of the research (e.g., brand awareness vs. market expansion).

2. Brand Research & Analysis Services Needed

Purpose:

• Allows clients to select specific services, ensuring alignment with their needs.
• Helps consultants recommend bundled services (e.g., competitor analysis + brand positioning).

Key Insights Gathered:

• Market Research selections indicate whether the client needs macro-level industry insights or micro-level customer data.
• Brand Perception & Positioning choices reveal if the brand struggles with messaging clarity or differentiation.
• Competitive Analysis requests suggest concerns about market threats.
• Digital & Social Media Analysis highlights online reputation or visibility issues.
• Customer Insights show whether the business needs deeper buyer behavior understanding.

3. Current Brand Challenges

Purpose:

• Identifies pain points to prioritize in research.
• Helps differentiate between brand awareness issues vs. customer retention problems.

Key Insights Gathered:

• If the client selects "Low Brand Recognition," the focus may shift to awareness surveys and competitor benchmarking.
• "Inconsistent Brand Messaging" suggests a need for a messaging audit and positioning strategy.
• "Declining Customer Loyalty" may require churn analysis and customer journey mapping.

4. Target Audience & Market

Purpose:

• Ensures research is tailored to the right demographic and geographic segments.
• Reveals expansion plans, which may require new market entry research.

Key Insights Gathered:

• If the client lacks clarity on their ideal customer, buyer persona development becomes essential.
• Plans to enter new markets may necessitate competitor benchmarking and cultural/regional sentiment analysis.

5. Competitor Information

Purpose:

• Helps identify gaps in the client’s positioning compared to competitors.
• Guides competitive SWOT analysis and differentiation strategies.

Key Insights Gathered:

• If competitors outperform in pricing, a pricing strategy analysis may be needed.
• If the client struggles to articulate their unique advantages, a UVP workshop may be recommended.

6. Suitability Assessment (Critical Section)

Purpose:

• Determines whether the client’s expectations align with the services offered.
• Uncovers past research efforts to avoid redundancy.
• Assesses budget and timeline feasibility.

Key Insights Gathered:

1. "What prompted you to seek research now?"
   If the answer is "sales decline," the focus may be on customer dissatisfaction analysis.
   If the answer is "new product launch," market gap and competitor analysis become crucial.
2. "Previous research findings?"
   If they’ve done brand perception surveys before, we may focus on actionable strategies rather than redundant data collection.
3. "Expectations from research?"
   If they want "a rebranding strategy," services like messaging audits and visual identity reviews are essential.
   If they need "better customer targeting," persona development and segmentation are prioritized.
4. "Existing brand strategy?"
   If they have no strategy, a full brand positioning workshop may be needed.
   If they have one but it’s ineffective, a messaging and competitive audit may help refine it.
5. Budget & Timeline:
   A tight budget (<$2K) may limit research to a competitor audit or social media sentiment analysis.
   A higher budget ($10K+) allows for full-scale market research and brand strategy development.

7. Additional Notes or Special Requests

Purpose:

• Captures unique needs not covered in standard questions (e.g., niche industry requirements).
• Helps consultants customize deliverables.

Example Insights:

• A client may request "analysis of sustainability perception in our brand"—indicating a need for ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) branding insights.
• A startup might ask for "brand naming testing" before a launch.

Strategic Value of This Form

1. Prevents Mismatched Services – Ensures the client’s needs match the offered solutions.
2. Guides Proposal & Pricing – Helps consultants recommend the right services within budget constraints.
3. Identifies Urgency & Scope – Determines if the project is a quick audit or a long-term strategy development.
4. Builds Trust – Shows professionalism and a structured approach to solving the client’s brand challenges.

Improvement Suggestions (Optional):

• For E-commerce Brands: Add a section on "Online Review & Reputation Analysis."
• For B2B Companies: Include "Key Account & Stakeholder Perception Surveys."
• For Startups: Add "Brand Naming & Trademark Research."

Please remove this mandatory questions recommendation section before publishing.

Here are the mandatory questions that should be included in your Brand Research & Analysis Client Intake Form to ensure you capture essential information for an effective strategy:

1. Business Basics (Must-Have)

Company Name (For identification and documentation)
Contact Person & Email (Primary communication channel)
Industry/Sector (Guides research focus, e.g., B2B vs. B2C)
Business Model (B2B/B2C/Both) (Impacts research methodology)

2. Brand Research Goals (Critical for Scope)

Top 3 Business Goals (Align research with priorities, e.g., awareness vs. expansion)
Specific Services Needed (Market research, competitor analysis, etc.)
Current Brand Challenges (Identifies pain points to address urgently)

3. Target Audience (Non-Negotiable for Precision)

Ideal Customer Profile (Demographics, behaviors – ensures tailored research)
Key Markets/Regions (Geographic or demographic focus areas)

4. Competitor Insights (Essential for Benchmarking)

Top 3-5 Competitors (Required for competitive analysis)
Competitive Differentiation (What sets the client apart? Gaps to address?)

5. Suitability & Expectations (Avoids Mismatches)

Why Seek Research Now? (Reveals urgency, e.g., sales decline vs. new launch)
Expected Outcomes (Ensures alignment with deliverables, e.g., "rebranding roadmap")
Budget Range (Filters feasible services – no proposal without this!)
Timeline (Quick audit vs. long-term strategy? Prioritizes urgency.)

Why These Are Mandatory:

Avoids Wasted Effort – E.g., skipping "budget" could lead to proposing $10K services to a $2K client.

Guides Methodology – "Competitors" and "target audience" shape research tools (surveys, SWOT, etc.).

Sets Clear Expectations – "Expected outcomes" prevents scope creep.

Optional but Recommended:

Existing Brand Assets (e.g., "Do you have a brand style guide?")

Past Research (e.g., "Have you conducted brand surveys before?")