Your Brand Research Is Either Making You Money or Costing You Everything
Stop Guessing What Customers Want:
The 5 Research Sources That Never LieSS OWNERS
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: That rebrand you’re considering could be the smartest business decision you make this year—or the most expensive mistake.
The difference isn’t in the logo, the colours, or even the messaging. It’s in whether you’re building your brand on actual customer insights or dangerous assumptions.
“We’re serving up the exact research recipe we use with our branding clients—the secret ingredients that turn “maybe later…” into “take my money now!”
What Happens When You Get Brand Research Right
Remember when you first started your business and everything felt like guesswork? Brand research is like finally getting the answer key.
Our clients see:
- Significant increases in qualified leads within 90 days
- Pricing conversations that feel natural (and profitable)
- Marketing that actually converts instead of just “creating awareness”
- Teams that can confidently explain your value and brand to anyone
- Customers who become raving fans, not just satisfied buyers
What Research Reveals (Plot Twists from Real Client Stories)
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Almost everything you “know” about your customers is actually just a really convincing story you’ve told yourself.
Most business owners operate on “founder fiction”—the assumptions about what customers want based on what YOU would want, what makes sense to YOU, or what YOUR industry friends think is important.
The problem is that your customers don’t live in your head, work in your industry, or think like you do.
This founder fiction shows up everywhere in your brand:
- Your visuals reflect your taste (not what triggers them to trust and buy)
- Your messaging talks about features you’re excited about (instead of outcomes they care about)
- Your pricing assumes they think like you do about value (spoiler: they don’t)
- Your marketing speaks your language (not theirs)
The result? A brand that makes perfect sense to you and zero sense to the people you’re trying to reach.
It’s like showing up to a costume party in a tuxedo—technically, you’re dressed up, but you’re missing the point entirely.
What Research Reveals (Plot Twists from Real Client Stories)
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Almost everything you “know” about your customers is actually just a really convincing story you’ve told yourself.
Most business owners operate on “founder fiction”—the assumptions about what customers want based on what YOU would want, what makes sense to YOU, or what YOUR industry friends think is important.
The problem is that your customers don’t live in your head, work in your industry, or think like you do.
This founder fiction shows up everywhere in your brand:
- Your visuals reflect your taste (not what triggers them to trust and buy)
- Your messaging talks about features you’re excited about (instead of outcomes they care about)
- Your pricing assumes they think like you do about value (spoiler: they don’t)
- Your marketing speaks your language (not theirs)
The result? A brand that makes perfect sense to you and zero sense to the people you’re trying to reach.
It’s like showing up to a costume party in a tuxedo—technically, you’re dressed up, but you’re missing the point entirely.
What Good Brand Research Actually Reveals
Brand research is like a treasure map that leads you right to the treasure trove that is your ideal client’s inner psychology. You’ll dig up:
✓ Customer decision triggers (the “buy now” buttons in their brains)
✓ Pricing sensitivity points (how much is too much, how little seems sketchy)
✓ Emotional motivators (what makes them feel all the feelings)
✓ Language preferences (words that make them lean in vs. tune out)
✓ Competitor weaknesses (where they’re dropping the ball so you can pick it up)
Inside Your Free Research Guide
The Paper Lime Research Method (Our Not-So-Secret-Anymore Recipe)
Like grandma’s cookie recipe (but for your brand):
Research Source #1: The wisdom hiding in your own backyard (start here!)
Research Source #2: This one seems obvious (It’s not—so many people miss this!)
Research Source #3: Time to become a professional eavesdropper (in the most ethical way possible)
Research Source #4: Where the cool kids hang out and spill the industry tea
Research Source #5: The secret weapons most brands completely ignore (but totally shouldn’t)
PLUS: You’ll get the exact questions to ask, tools to use, and red flags that mean your research needs work.
About Paper Lime Creative
We’re the award-winning Edmonton-based branding agency that puts research first. Our clients don’t just get pretty logos—they get business-building brands.
Katie Dooley, Founder & Lead Brand Strategist
Winner, 2021 Muse Award for Brand Development
Questions? Email [email protected] or call (780) 555-LIME