Do you have a buyer persona for your business?
If the answer is no, or you’re not sure what a buyer persona is, then we’re here to help.
A buyer persona is essential for any business that wants to better understand their customers, increase leads, and improve profits.
Read on to learn about buyer personas, how to build your own, and why it’s important.
What is a Buyer Persona?
If you don’t yet have a buyer persona, it’s time to build one.
But first, let’s talk about what a buyer persona actually is: a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer.
Now, this representation is based upon a few things from market research, such as:
- Demographics
- Interest and Hobbies
- Behavior Patterns
- Pain Points
- Motivations and Goals
A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer.
You use all these data points to create a semi-fictional version of your ideal customer: how old they are, where they’re from, what they like to do, what their problems are, how much money they make, and more.
It’s like building your own character in a video game or tabletop game, but based on people who want or are already buying your product or service.
Take a moment to think about your business and who typically buys your products or services. Is there any trend that sticks out to you? If not, take a look at the data.
And if you’re not tracking purchases and customer data, you really should be.
Benefits of Building a Buyer Persona
Saves Time & Money
The less you know about your audience, the more time you’ll spend trying to market to them – often unsuccessfully.
The more you know, the easier it is to create targeted ads and marketing campaigns that will draw them in. You’ll know exactly where to focus your time.
Plus, with your marketing strategy down, you’ll know exactly where to put your money – so you won’t waste a cent on campaigns that won’t speak to your target audience.
Guides Strategy and Product Development
A buyer persona can give your company a better sense of direction. It’ll help you ask questions like, “How can we better solve customers’ problems?”
With those answers in hand, you can continue developing products and services your customers will love – and purchase.
Promotes Organizational Alignment
The more you use your persona and discuss it with your coworkers, the easier it is to work together. You’re working towards the same goal: better servicing the needs of your target audience.
So while it also helps you better define an overall mission for your team, it also helps everyone stay on the same path.
It’s a Win-Win
In the end, a buyer persona is a win-win for everyone. You’ll get more qualified leads, conversions, and profits, while your target audience gets their needs met, too!
The Big Mistake Most Business Owners Make
Unfortunately, many businesses start out by showcasing what they do rather than speaking to customers the way they want to be spoken to.
In other words, they focus on themselves instead of the buyer. This is a huge mistake. Instead, you should be talking about what your customers need.
Again, this is how people make decisions, so if you talk to your customers in a way that helps them make decisions more easily, they’ll be more likely to buy from you!
Building trust is key to any business-customer relationship.
Plus, building trust is key to any business-customer relationship. The best way to build trust is by getting to know your customers, understanding their wants and needs, and meeting them at their level.
Besides, by talking to them in a way they’ll understand and want to respond to, you’re more likely to make sales. If you show genuine concern and understanding for your target audience, you’ll gain their trust.
If you show genuine concern and understanding for your target audience, you’ll gain their trust.
How to Build One for Your Business
The more detailed your buyer persona, the better. Thus, try to gather as much information as you can.
A great way to start is by mapping out your customer’s sales journey. Think about how they get from the beginning to the end. In other words, map out how they get from first landing on your website to buying something.
- What got them to your website? Was it a Facebook post? A PPC ad? An organic Google search? Determine that first.
- What were they looking for that got them there? The keywords they used in organic search can help you find out!
- Where did they go once they were on the website? Which pages did they look at and for how long?
- What was the last thing they did before making a purchase?
Do you know what your customers want?
Then, ask yourself the following questions to build an awesome buyer persona.
Your Ideal Customer: The Basics
- Occupation
- Age
- Gender Identity
- Annual Income
- Education Level
- Family Size
- Marital Status
- Location
Then get a little more in-depth with this information by thinking about a day in the life of your target persona:
- What are the challenges they face (also called pain points)?
- What questions do they ask when attempting to beat those challenges?
- What do they wish they could do?
- What are their motivations and goals?
- How do they communicate?
- What drives their decision-making process?
- What is important to them?
- What are their interests?
With this information in hand, you can build a buyer persona that will take your business to new heights.
Build Your Buyer Persona with Help from EWR Digital
Building a buyer persona is a breeze with marketing experts on your side. Ready to get started? Simply contact us by clicking the button below, schedule a 15-minute-call with one of our experts, or call us at 713-587-6237.