What is a Buyer Persona? It’s making up a description of what your perfect customer looks like — detailing their demographics. You can have more than one target market. Some businesses are B2B (business-to-business) or B2C (business-to-consumer) or a combination of both. Here, are some examples of target market or buyer personas to give you an idea of how to create yours. But first, you need to download the Free Define Your Target Market Workbook, (if you haven’t already).
I asked a Realtor once, “Who’s your target market?”
She replied, “Anyone who wants to buy or sell a house.”
“Too broad,” I responded.
“Hispanics,” she replied.
“Still too broad, get more specific,” I said.
“Young Hispanic professionals, with families, who want to buy a house in the West Valley.”
“Now we have a target market!”
Why do we want to get so specific in identifying buyer personas?
It’s easier to create specific content to market to them knowing their likes and dislikes. When selling a house, you’re not just selling a building, but you’re selling the community, the city, and the neighborhood. A savvy Realtor wanting to reach young Hispanic professionals will have a blog highlighting everything from restaurants to schools to parks and recreation. Moreover, they will focus on their culture and what the West Valley has to offer. (The Realtor was in Avondale, AZ).
Here’s a Sample Buyer Persona from an Infographic by ConnextDigital.com
Get the idea?
Here are some buyer personas from some of my clients…
For Revive Family, which offers online parenting classes:
Determined Dan: 38, a stay-at-home dad with 3 kids, ages 3, 8, and 12. Besides his Mr. Mom role, he has a home-based business. His wife is a corporate lawyer with a demanding schedule. He was laid off in 2008 and decided to stay home with the kids. Dan is determined to raise healthy kids and manage his business at the same time. He doesn’t know it, but the 12 y/o is sneaking around, taking advantage of times when dad is busy with the younger kids and work. Reach him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.
Overwhelmed Olive and Oscar: Both in their 60s, they are raising their 2 grandchildren because their daughter is in prison. The grandkids are 8 and 10. They are afraid that they’ll make the same mistakes they made with the daughter. They find so much content online, they don’t know which advice to follow. Nothing makes sense. They are struggling financially. Oscar would like to retire, but can’t. Olive has to work part-time while the kids are in school. Reach them on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest
Both of them are in crisis and are seeking answers and help online. Now just taking into consideration their ages, you talk to someone over 40 differently than how you talk to someone under 40. (Check out this article on How to Reach the Different Generations) The 38-year-old dad is more likely to be searching on a mobile device and the grandparents on a desktop computer.
As for which social networks to reach them on, for the Dad, the grandparents, Facebook, and Pinterest. Instagram for both.
Buyer Personas For Simply Smashing Rage Room, “a safe place to lose control.”
They have rooms they rent out where you can go in and break stuff. When I asked who his target market was, he responded, “Anyone with stress, anger or frustrations.” Just about anybody.
However, he’s both B2C and B2B as he offers “team building”. So his buyer personas varied, and we had to describe them all because there had to be a different strategy for each one.
Irritated Iris – Single Mom of 3 kids aged 8, 12 and 14. She’s worked her way up to a district manager manager position for a large, national, retail chain. Has the added pressure of meeting sales goals for each store as well as hiring and firing managers. She recently relocated with her family to Chandler from California. Kids are not responding well to the new environment. Reach her via Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Concerned Karen – a 35-year-old Jr. High Teacher worried about her students and lack of materials. She deals daily with unruly kids. Though she wants to help them, they don’t want to learn or be helped. She is married with 2 kids of her own aged 6 and 10. The best places to reach her are Facebook and Pinterest.
Frantic Frank – a 55-year-old Corporate Executive is stressed about meeting sales quotas. The stressed-out salespeople that he manages aren’t producing like they were once before. He’s looking for a “team building” activity that will also help reduce stress. He’s married, but his wife’s father just moved in with them. The wife has her own business but is working less because she’s taking care of her father. Reach him via LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). Reach her via Pinterest and Facebook.
See what a difference adding details makes?
If you try to just post willy-nilly with no rhyme or reason, you’ll be trying to reach everyone and catching no one.
Today’s inbound marketing doesn’t work like old-fashioned broadcast or outbound marketing.
Here, the more specific you are in how you talk to your target, the better your marketing efforts will work.
What about the other people?
Don’t worry, they’ll find you. If you’re putting out content regularly — blogging and on social media — then someone who doesn’t fall into your target persona, will find you.
Once you’ve identified your buyer personas, then you need to do some research on them. This market research article will help.
Now all this takes some time and sweat equity, but if you don’t do it FIRST, you’ll be wasting time, money and effort and not getting the results you should be getting.
Market research and strategic and tactical planning are services that I provide. Let’s start with a free 15-minute phone consult! Click here to schedule.
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