Throughout April and May this year, WSI conducted a free webinar series to share digital marketing tips, tricks, and best practices that you can use to overcome the marketing obstacles you are facing in today's business world. Here is a quick recap, plus the recording from our “Ahead of the Curve” webinar on understanding your target audience in challenging times by Cormac Farrelly from Dublin, Ireland.
What is a Buyer Persona?
The best definition can be found in our book, Digital Minds: A Strategic Approach to Connecting & Engaging with Your Customers Online,
“A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on a combination of market research, customer demographics and behavior, and real data about your existing customers along with your own understanding of their motivations and challenges.”
Why Does your Business Need to Define Them?
In such a hyper-connected landscape, personalization is the key to crafting marketing messages which persuade your audience to take action.
Trying to be all things to all people ends up backfiring, as your message gets lost in the masses. Don’t fear becoming too niche – it is essential that you really understand your target customer to communicate effectively.
Because understanding your ideal customer underpins all other marketing activity, here are the top five reasons your business needs to define buyer personas:
- Being clear about the kind of customer you would like to do business with attracts the right kind of buyer – leading to more business and increased revenue.
- Your unique selling points are highlighted when you understand what makes you an attractive proposition for your customers.
- Ditching jargon-laden marketing gives you the opportunity to share the core value behind your brand.
- Establishing the missing link in your content strategy.
- By crafting the perfect message to entice your customer, you up your conversion rate.
How Do You Create Buyer Personas?
Get your entire team together – from management and marketing to sales and front-line personnel. Ideally with the facilitation of your WSI Consultant, brainstorm your ideal customer including their demographics, their challenges, their values and what influences them, and so on. Use an empathy map to detail why each persona might use a particular product or service.
Once you have a few personas assembled, name them, and make sure that everyone in your organization can picture who they are.
Considering the Impact of COVID-19
Without rehashing the troubles COVID-19 has brought with it, re-assess your existing buyer personas as they have changed under the influence of the pandemic. Ask yourself:
- How has COVID-19 affected the priorities, fears, goals and dreams of your ideal client?
- Is your brand positioning appropriate, but still consistent in language, tone, and emotion with your previous style? Check your website, social media marketing, and mobile marketing.
- Are you going to have to reschedule events or promotions that may seem insensitive right now?
- Will you have to find new ways to get found without using face-to-face methods?
WSI – here to help in any way we can to keep your business moving
Contact us for digital marketing tips, tricks, and best practices you can put into action.
