April 26, 2018
Buyer personas are not a foreign concept to the B2B marketer. We’ve all heard it before—know who your audience is! But having a general knowledge of your audience isn’t the same as having a specific understanding of your ideal customer. This lies at the heart of what a buyer persona is—a semi-fictional profile of your ideal customer based on real customer data and market research. Understanding why these personas are valuable will help you develop ones that lead to improved communications in many ways.
Reach out to prospects without annoying them
Did you know targeting cold leads with persona-based content is more effective than targeting warm leads without using persona-based content (58% versus 45%)?
When reaching out to prospects, a buyer persona will help you lead with targeted insights based on their pain points. This means when developing your persona, you need to ask detailed questions about their challenges to get a clear picture of their concerns. What have they tried in the past? If that didn’t work, what are they looking to try in the future? This will prevent you from annoying prospects with irrelevant information.
Avoid poor leads with negative personas
It’s also helpful to create negative personas—know who you don’t want as a customer. Maybe someone who’s too advanced for your product. Or those who are just seeking out educational information. A negative persona will help you avoid spending time on poor leads and you’ll be able to better allocate your marketing and human resource budgets.
Leverage the platforms your prospects prefer
Being able to successfully reach your ideal customers begins with knowing where they spend most of their time online. Find out how they search for information. Do they use review sites to research products? What blogs and publications do they read? Do they belong to an association? Maybe there’s a specific social media site they prefer. This information will direct your marketing efforts to the most effective platforms.
Improve your product or service development
Understanding your customers problems will give you a better idea of what solutions they’re looking for. What are their biggest complaints about your product or service? What changes would they like to see? Asking these questions will help you uncover gaps and highlight new opportunities for improved product or service development.
Create targeted content by speaking their language
Today’s buyers expect personalized content, even though you may not have access to their personal information. This is where buyer personas can make all the difference. You can’t create high-quality, targeted content without being able to speak to your prospect’s direct challenges, goals and personal preferences. Use persona development to learn their lingo as well. What words do they use when searching the internet for solutions? By speaking their language, you’ll become more relatable and grab their attention.
The importance of developing personas should not be overlooked. The effect they have on improved communications is undeniable!
