7 Killer Tips For Building A Targeted Buyer Persona

Listen, we all want our marketing campaigns to be successful, right? But too often we don't get clear enough about who it is we're taking to, and so our message ends up less focused, less clear than it could be. 

Persona creation is the key to unlocking effective marketing. Without a well-defined persona, you're essentially stabbing in the dark when it comes to your target audience. So, how do you create a persona?

Here's a simple guide in 7 steps:

Start with the basics. 

Who are you selling to? What is the age range, gender, income level, and location of your target market? Now give them a name.

And yes, it's possible that you might have more than one prime persona. Yes, that means you might have to tailor your message to each persona. 

Figure Out Their Lifestyle.

Now that you know some basic demographics, you need to ask yourself some questions about your target market's lifestyle. What are their interests? Hobbies? What kind of media do they consume? What is their job?

Get inside their head. What is it that they are trying to move toward? What are they moving away from or trying to avoid?

Once you have a good understanding of your target market's lifestyle, it's time to start thinking about their thought process. Do they make decisions quickly? Are they risk-takers or cautious decision-makers? Are they logical or do they rely on their emotions?

Evaluate Their Daily Activities.

You need to know how your buyer persona interacts with your product on a daily basis. What do they use it for most often? How frequently do they use it? How does it fit into their routine (or doesn't)?

How do they feel if it works as advertised? How do they feel if it doesn't? What do they do about it?

Understand their motivation. What drives your target market to buy? Is it a need or a want? How is using to going to make some aspect of their life better? What is life like if they don't solve that problem?

What are their pain points and how can you solve them?

Look At Their Buying Process.

Finally, you need to understand how your target market buys. Do they do research online before making a purchase? How often do they consult with others before making a decision? Where do these conversations happen?

How do they feel about making purchases online? In person at the store? Will they go directly for the aisle in the store to find it, or is this better as a POP display product for the impulse buyers?

Now, Go Forth And Persuade...

Now that you have all this information, you can start creating marketing campaigns that are specifically tailored to your target market. Use these tips to create a persona that is accurate, and most importantly, relevant to your business.

THEN you begin figuring out what your message needs to be, and what that message looks like in the contexts where your persona will interact with it.

Do you use buyer persona as part of your marketing process? How do you arrive at them?