Find a need and fill it. Heard it before?

Though it sounds simple – too easy even – it does work. When you focus on fulfilling a need, helping or serving, you are providing value. That gets people’s attention.

Here’s the problem. If you have a new business with few or no prospects, it’s difficult to find out what your customers need and want. Even those of us who have been operating our business a while sometimes don’t know the answer to that. We think we do, but often miss the mark.

The wonderful thing is, with the Internet, there are lots of ways to find out. You already know keyword research is an important part of this puzzle. But keywords may not tell you the complete picture.

One of my favorite addition to keyword research is question research. Instead of looking for the keywords people may type in, use these phrases:

1. Are [keyword]
2. Can [keyword]
3. Do [keyword]
4. Does [keyword]
5. Is [keyword]
6. Should [keyword]
7. What [keyword]
8. Which [keyword]
9. Why [keyword]
10. Will [keyword]
11. Can anyone help
12. (Does) Anyone know
13. Can anyone recommend
14. Can you help
15. How do (I)
16. How do I find
17. How can (I) (We) (one)
18. How is this done
19. How do they do this
20. How would you
21. I am looking for
22. I need help
23. Is it possible
24. (Is) (Are) there any
25. Is there a (way) (tool) (app)
26. Please help
27. Should (I) (We)
28. What are
29. What can I do
30. What do you (do) (use)
31. What is the best
32. What is the most
33. What is the easiest
34. What is the fastest
35. What would you (do) (use)
36. Where (do) (can) I find
37. Where would I go

How To Use This List

Now that you have the list, it’s time to get to work. You can start with regular keyword search tool. Or drop them into your favorite search engine. I find the best results often come from venues where people gather. This is where I uncover the deeper, more specific questions that people are asking.

The following are places to try:

• Facebook – When searching in Facebook – be sure to wrap your phrase in quotes. Facebook will find all sorts of things that may not be useful. The best results within Facebook come from posts from Friends and Groups. This is another reason to join groups, or to start your own Facebook group.
  
• Twitter
• Quora
• Reddit
• Forums – no, they are not dead

Anywhere else? Sure. Think of sites where people gather, that has a search function – that’s where to try. The places listed above often keep me busy for a while and should be the same for you too.