What Is Voice of the Consumer?
How to reach your ideal clients by speaking their language (not yours)
Contributing Writer: Mary Smith
In addition to proudly contributing to the Hungry Typewriter writing team, I also speak fluent small business. My husband and I run a martial arts franchise, so when I talk about the pressures of getting the word out and the struggle with how to find more customers—I’m not just writing about it. I’m living it.
Because really, how are customers supposed to find us if they don’t even know we exist?
We flood social media. Post blogs. Record videos and promos. All in hopes that something sticks. And sometimes it does. But sometimes—even when we’re pouring our hearts into the message—it just doesn’t land.
After doing a bit of research into the voice of the consumer, I finally understood why some messages fall flat.
If you move to a foreign country but never learn the language, odds are you’re going to have a hard time connecting. The same goes for small business content marketing. Our ideal customers are speaking their own language—asking specific questions, looking for certain phrases, and responding to ideas in a way that feels familiar and relevant to them.
If we want them to listen, we have to learn to use their words first.
So… how do we do that?
Finding the Voice of the Consumer: Search First. Listen Hard.
If you’re used to thinking about SEO purely as a way to be seen and heard, here’s a twist: It’s also one of the most powerful ways to listen.
Search engines are the modern-day confessionals. Google is where people type in the questions they’re too embarrassed to ask out loud. It’s where your ideal customers are already telling you what they want—what they’re struggling with, dreaming about, or trying to fix before they hit “buy.”
So before you write your next blog, design your next flyer, or launch your next offer, try this: pretend you’re your customer.
Open a private browser, go to Google, and start typing a prompt about your business, offer, or service. What autocomplete suggestions pop up? What blog headlines, Reddit threads, and product reviews are ranking high? What language are people using to describe their pain points and priorities?
This is free, raw-market research. And it’s gold.
Here’s my real-life example.
In our studios, we teach Krav Maga—but when I saw the top searches for Krav Maga, I quickly realized using those words would likely attract a clientele of big, burly men looking for intense training, and that’s not who we’re targeting.
When we switched to the term “martial arts,” here are the top searches we found:
“Is martial arts good for kids?”
“Is martial arts good for adhd?”
“Is martial arts hard?”
“Is martial arts good for anxiety?”
Ah, much better.
I used to promote the benefits of “improved discipline and self-confidence”—because that’s what I thought parents wanted. But after digging into actual search queries and paying attention to how customers were talking, their words finally clicked.
Literally.
Once we aligned our small business content marketing with how parents were actually speaking—and searching—we saw a big lift in engagement, inquiries, and yes, enrollments.
The better you understand the words your audience is already using, the easier it becomes to meet them with the right story, in the right way, at the right time.
Pro Tip
Not sure what they’re searching for? Ask them!
In your next intake, ask your prospects what they Googled before they found you.
(Get other great questions here.)
How to Find More Customers: Review Your Reviews (and Your Competition’s)
You don’t need a fancy research team to uncover the voice of the consumer. Chances are, you’re sitting on a goldmine already—inside your inbox, voicemail transcripts, DMs, client intake forms, and, especially, your reviews.
Every question they ask.
Every compliment they send.
Every hesitation they voice.
It’s all usable.
These real-world words are a direct window into what your audience cares about—and how they naturally talk about it. You just have to train your eye to spot the patterns. Look for phrases that repeat, emotional triggers, and unexpected word choices. Are they saying “overwhelmed,” or “burned out”? Are they asking for “a better process,” or just “someone to take this off my plate”?
Once you start noticing the language they use, you can start reflecting it back—in headlines, landing pages, ads, even product names. When a prospective customer sees their own words mirrored in your messaging, it’s not just effective—it’s disarming. They don’t feel sold to. They feel seen.
Pro Tip
Got a long testimonial? Start there. Highlight the strongest words, then build a headline or offer around the phrases that pack the most punch.
Don’t stop with your own customers. Scope out competitor reviews, too—especially the three- and four-star ones.
These often deliver the most honest, balanced feedback: what people liked, what they didn’t, and where expectations weren’t quite met. That’s insight you can use.
For example, in my industry research I found that positive reviews often included phrases like:
“passion and enthusiasm”
“a solid community”
“teaches accountability”
“practical self-defense”
Negative comments, on the other hand, called out:
Poor communication about pricing or schedules
Frustration with unclear belt standards
High staff turnover
This kind of feedback is invaluable. It helps us identify what really matters to customers—and what makes them walk. Even better? It shows us how to speak directly to their needs in a way that no one else is.
Interview Your Best and Favorite Customers
The best way to clone your favorite clients is to figure out what attracted them to you in the first place. Because you don’t just want to learn how to find more customers—you want to find the best ones.
No one can articulate the voice of your consumer quite like…your actual consumer. That’s why short, strategic interviews with current or past clients can be one of the most valuable tools in your messaging toolbox.
And no, this doesn’t have to be awkward or time-intensive. You’re not hosting 60 Minutes. You’re getting curious. A 15-minute conversation can reveal more insight than months of assumption.
Ask things like:
What made you reach out when you did?
Was there anything that almost stopped you from working with us?
What’s changed since we started working together?
How would you describe us to a friend?
Record these conversations (with permission!), transcribe them, and highlight the exact phrases that pop. You’ll find some of your best headlines, taglines, and CTA copy buried in casual conversation. These interviews aren’t just for testimonials (though they help with that, too). They will uncover patterns in pain points, decision-making, value perception, and emotional transformation. And when you start seeing those patterns, you’ll know what really matters to your audience.
This is how you turn research into resonance. Chances are, the compliment you remember most…is also the message your next client needs to hear.
Join in!
What’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about your work? Share your goodness with us on LinkedIn!
Repeat After Me: How To Say What They’re Saying.
Before you dive into content or your next brand messaging overhaul, remember this: Your audience is already telling you what they care about, what they’re searching for, and how they want to be spoken to.
Your job is to tune in.
Voice of the Consumer research isn’t about chasing trends or parroting competitors. It’s about understanding your people deeply enough to meet them with empathy, clarity, and confidence—before you ever ask them to buy from you.
From homepage headlines and nurture emails to product names and positioning, the success of your small business content marketing depends on how well you reach your audience. The closer your words mirror theirs, the faster trust forms. Not because you shouted louder—but because you softly, clearly, and accurately echoed what they were saying.
The best copy doesn’t try to outsmart the noise. It cuts through it—by speaking the one voice your audience trusts most: their own.
Ready to turn what your audience is saying into content that connects—and converts? Schedule your Easy Intro today.
