How Does Solving The Buyer Persona Maze Help You Deliver Results?
As a marketer your primary focus is to predict and influence customer behavior. Every strategy you formulate, every ad you promote, every landing page you publish and every email you send out has one primary goal i.e. persuading visitors to act while predicting and preparing for the action they are likely to take further. This means that you need to know what motivates your customers/users in the present and in the future.
For a marketing fresher the journey often begins with a blank canvas and a simple product to sell. For me, it all started with a Danish company way back in 2011 with a task to sell a mobile app featuring a QR code scanner for the first time during that period for the Europe market. Little did I know then that my journey would lead me to unwinding the factors influencing the market variations and the important concept of customer personas.
As a beginner in sales, I realized that understanding the problems and needs of customers forms the foundation for selling any product. Hence, I initiated my journey of discovery, starting with meticulous market research. This included empathizing with the customers and discovering the needs of potential users, understanding the unique value proposition (USP) of the app and aligning it with the identified market segments. This detailed planned approach laid the foundation for creating effective sales strategies.
As my career progressed into both B2C and B2B markets, I encountered the concept of customer personas, a profile based extensive audience and market research methodology that describes your ideal customer. Meanwhile, I learned about the critical concept of "What's in it for me" (WIFM) from my CEO at a B2C firm. This marketing jargon emphasized the importance of addressing the customer's needs and motivations in formulation of any marketing message. Supported by this knowledge, I realized that answering the WIFM question is key to winning half the battle in marketing.
Formulating a formal document to capture the ideal customer persona proved to be the turning point. This comprehensive persona document comprised various aspects of the customer's profile, including demographics, organizational structure, pain points, values and goals. By understanding these key factors, I was able to craft the marketing campaigns that resonated with the target audience. It’s important to note that you may have more than one buyer persona to target, especially if you segment your audience for hyper-focused marketing. Précised buyer personas can help you optimize your marketing and remarketing efforts. Below is the sample of this buyer persona document for one of our apps at Amoeboids.
The persona document serves as a guiding light, setting clear paths to targeted and impactful marketing campaigns. It provides invaluable insights into where the customer is present, how to reach them, and how to address their needs effectively. With this knowledge, I could formulate campaigns with precision, resulting in the desired outcomes and increasing expectations.
Some of the takeaways i have got by using buyer personas are listed below:-
- Amplifying Targeting and Segmentation- Buyer personas help you deliver valuable insights into the characteristics, preferences, and behaviors of your target audience so you can segment that audience more accurately and better focus your marketing efforts.
- Increased Customer Retention- As a market you know that Marketing it is exponentially more expensive to bring in a new customer than it is to retain an existing one. By taking the time to understand each buyer persona, consistently meeting their expectations, offering solutions to their challenges, It can lead to customer loyalty helping you save a valuable marketing budget.
- Improved Product Development- Aligning your products with your buyer persona’s preferences creates the opportunity to deliver customized offerings tailored to a persona specific requirements, which they’ve already indicated will compel them to buy.
- Competitive Edge from the competition- By tailoring marketing strategies, messaging and customer experiences to meet the unique needs of customers in your target market, you’ll be setting your product apart from most of your competitors.
So, the next time you start on a marketing campaign, remember to start with the persona document. It holds the key to uncovering the true potential of your marketing efforts and connecting with your audience at a high level.
How have you leveraged customer personas in your marketing campaigns? Would love to know your experiences in the comments below.