Legible Marketing Logo

Academy / Digital Marketing Foundations

Customer & market research · 15 min

Write the market brief

In this lesson

  • Produce a client-usable research page

A brief Dana can reopen on Monday

Client-usable research is short and labeled. Lead with the 8 signals, not a paragraph about “the automotive landscape.” Put sources next to claims. Leave the five unknowns as questions (“What does Search Console show for used CR-V + Frederick?”) instead of guessing 12,400 searches. This page is the input to the AI verification lesson and the $3,000 split — it is not an SEO keyword map, not an Ads Editor outline, and not a weekly owner report. If a row cannot be collected this week without a paid tool, write the free substitute or mark it unknown.

Exercise

Market Intelligence Brief

Build an 8-row signal table for Northfield, not a mood board. Each row: signal, where you would collect it this week (Search Console, GBP reviews, competitor homepage, lot walk, form fields), and label observed / inferred / unknown. Then a 3-column competitor read for two Frederick-area used lots: promise, proof, what they ignore. End with five questions you still cannot answer without a real source. Do not invent search volume, “exploding demand,” or a market-share number. This is research — not the SEO keyword map and not a $3,000 media split.

Deliverable: 8-row signal table + 2-competitor promise/proof/ignore grid + 5 labeled unknowns. No invented numbers.

Create a free account and verify your email to save progress, quizzes, and portfolio work. Create a free Academy account · Sign in

Module 2 check

You found a blog that says “used car demand in Frederick is exploding.” What should you do first?
Which is the strongest demand signal for Northfield?
You have not opened Search Console. A slide says “used SUV demand in Frederick is up 22%.” How do you label that claim?
When you read two Frederick used-car lots, which columns belong on the grid? Select all that apply.

Assignment

Market intelligence brief

Build an 8-row signal table for Northfield, not a mood board. Each row: signal, where you would collect it this week (Search Console, GBP reviews, competitor homepage, lot walk, form fields), and label observed / inferred / unknown. Then a 3-column competitor read for two Frederick-area used lots: promise, proof, what they ignore. End with five questions you still cannot answer without a real source. Do not invent search volume, “exploding demand,” or a market-share number. This is research — not the SEO keyword map and not a $3,000 media split.

Deliverable: 8-row signal table + 2-competitor promise/proof/ignore grid + 5 labeled unknowns. No invented numbers.

Write at least a short brief (80+ characters). A mentor reviews for a pass.

Ask the tutor

The tutor will guide you. It will not finish graded work for you.

Previous lessonNext lesson