In today’s hectic business environment, time has become a precious commodity. Attention spans have decreased; patience has worn thin and when we want answers, and we want them now. Better yet, yesterday. Information is available everywhere―probably in more places than we would like to see it. Don’t go unnoticed because you are pumping out information to the masses. People recognize when your message is not customized to their needs. And we all want to feel special and understood. Because of this, it is critical to create and maintain engagement with potential buyers through relevant content marketing.
Tailor your content marketing efforts to the individuals you want to connect with and influence by creating buyer personas. A buyer persona is a detailed description of a specific person for whom your products and services are intended. This description includes more than demographics―it defines a person’s personal attributes, likes and dislikes, behaviors, motivations and more. Knowing for whom you are creating content allows you to narrow your focus and speak to your customer’s motives, priorities and problems.
Before you begin building your buyer personas, you need to evaluate the buying process. Think about how your products or services are purchased. If you sell to multiple industries or market segments, you will have to evaluate this process separately for each. Now, you will need a detailed view of who is involved in the buying process and what their role is in the organization. You cannot successfully target your content without knowing which stage of the buying process it is for and which specific buyer persona you are trying to reach. After you’ve done this, you can begin mapping out your buyer personas and target your campaigns to those you want to convince to use your products or services.
Develop your organization’s buyer personas using the components below:
- Demographics
- Type of business
- Job title and level of seniority
- Buyer role
- Objectives
- Performance measures
- Strategies
- Values and goals
- Major concerns, problems and pain points
- Where they go for information
You know that you’ve described your buyer personas successfully if they are distinct from each other, cover the market, feel like real people and are easy to describe.
Want to know ways you can use buyer personas to strengthen your marketing? Look out for Part 2 coming soon!
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