Do You Really Know Your Customer?

Data is not understanding.

For years, targeted advertising promised to take the guesswork out of understanding your audience. The first banner ad hit the web in 1994. From there, we sprinted through cookies, programmatic, retargeting, lookalikes, and the full suite of digital targeting tools that came to define the first two decades of internet advertising.

And for a while, it worked. At least on the surface. Marketers knew where you lived, what you clicked, and what ad to serve you next. But now, audiences are more aware. And more fatigued. Knowing someone’s job title, IP address, or search history doesn’t mean you understand what they care about.

Audiences have caught on. What once felt tailored now feels generic, and sometimes even invasive. Data might help you pinpoint who someone is on paper, but it doesn’t get you any closer to knowing how to build real connection.

If you’re a startup trying to build trust with users, customers, or investors, you need to go a layer deeper. You need to understand how people think, what they value, and how they communicate, not just surface-level demographics like gender, title, role, or industry. Real insight comes from knowing the environment your audience operates in, what shapes their decisions day to day, and what their personal ambitions are.

Imagine Your Customer. Now, Really Imagine Them.

Startup teams are often trained to think about their ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) using information like age, role, location, buying groups, or buying authority. These can be useful guideposts. But they're just data points. If you close your laptop and try to actually picture your customer, what comes to mind? Have you met them and spent time with them?

If you can’t tell me where they grab coffee or what brand of boots they wear, it’s time to dig deeper. Effective branding starts with a clear, grounded picture of who you're actually speaking to.

Here’s a quick gut check. Ask yourself:

• What brands or products do they already trust? Are there any they are skeptical of?

• Where do they get their news?

• If you had to send them a gift card to a store (no generic options like Visa or Amazon), would you know what to buy?

• What channels do they pay attention to? What do they ignore?

• Are there phrases, references, or on-the-job shorthand they use that you should understand?

• What activity would they choose for a team outing or happy hour?

If these answers don’t come easily, you may be building for someone you don’t yet fully understand.

Every workplace has a culture, and every team has shorthand, rituals, and unspoken norms. When you’re building something new, your job is to make sure that your brand doesn’t feel out of place to the people you’re trying to reach.

You don’t have to change who you are. But you do need to understand the context you’re walking into and make sure what you’re saying makes sense inside that world. If you’re selling into oil and gas, tech, logistics, manufacturing, utilities, or any other high-context industry, your tone, visuals, product design, and go-to-market strategy all need to reflect that understanding.

You might only get one shot to show that you get it. Don’t waste it.

Bridging the Buyer-User Gap

A word of caution. Many startups sell into organizations where the decision maker isn’t the end user. The person signing the contract might have very different priorities, challenges, and daily realities than the people who actually use the product.

Understanding both perspectives and how they influence each other is critical.

The office buyer might focus on cost, compliance, or integration. The field user cares about ease, reliability, and how the product fits into their workflow. Building a brand and messaging that connects across that gap is a critical but often overlooked step.

Your Investor Is a Customer, Too

Startups spend a lot of time trying to attract the right investors. But just like your customers, investors are people with preferences, patterns, and perspectives. You still have to understand what matters to them.

Do they want to hear how you're de-risking go-to-market? Are they looking for technical advantage, repeatable revenue, or founder-market fit? Do they care if you’ve built in a space they’ve backed before, or are they looking for something new?

If you’re not sure what would make them lean in, ask yourself the same set of questions. Where do they get their information? What kind of language signals credibility? What would make your story feel obvious to them?

The same instincts that help you connect with customers can help you connect with investors. Treat them like an audience worth understanding.

Build from the Inside Out

Your brand succeeds when it reflects the reality your audience faces every day. It earns trust by speaking to their challenges and priorities in a way that feels genuine.

This kind of connection comes from a deep understanding of your audience, including more than surface details and a clear grasp of how their world works.

Start with that understanding. Everything else follows.

Want to find the insights that drive your business? hello@rdb2bmarketing.com