Having an amazing product or service isn’t enough to really get word out about your business. Really knowing your market is what makes a good product great- knowing what makes them tick is how you get them to buy.
Buyer personas aren’t a new thing but they sure are underutilized in the marketing space. Many marketers feel that just knowing your demographic is enough- but is it? We at BottomLine feel that building a buyer persona is key to your marketing success. So not just knowing where your target customer lives, but why they live there, what they do for fun- but why they do it….you get the idea. We have found that this in-depth knowledge of your target market gets you that much further in the marketing arena and closer to success.
This is where Facebook comes in. We all know that Facebook has a vast amount of information about people- almost a creepy amount of information (likes, preferences, where they live, what they’re interested in etc. etc. etc.). With the help of platforms like such, we can pull out information we need for audience personas faster and at a minimum cost. Amazing, isn’t it?
What really is an ‘Audience Persona’ and why do we need to build one?
We mentioned “audience persona” above—but what exactly is it and why should we even invest in time building it? A persona is basically an overview of observations made on a key group of users who display similar behaviors and lifestyle choices. This could include their age, where they live, what they like, and what they do for fun….The list goes on. Having this information on hand will save you huge amounts of time as it’ll group users; hence, allowing you to target specific markets instead of having to deal with thousands of random people. It also allows you to build an actual ‘persona’ of who you are targeting. Almost like an avatar. We at BottomLine typically write these personas as a story: Jill is a 23 year old female who lives in Windsor Park. Jill spends the majority of her time at the University where she is obtaining a degree in Psychology. (you get the idea).
Expect that you might not end up with just one persona. Oftentimes, you will find yourself with different personas. That’s okay. Having multiple personas will help you further personalize your approach to each user group instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach. Always remember that each person has a story and if you find a way to connect with each person’s story, you’ll be on your way to creating a relationship that will most likely to lead to a sale.
Last Words
Big brands spend a generous amount of money just to get to know their customers. Although not all of us have the budget to compete with these big brands, we can always utilize platforms like Audience Insights to help us out.
Of course, while Facebook is a great way to create an audience persona, it should be noted that the data given to us by Audience Insights should just be one of many research methods we use to get to know our target market more.
Why don’t you dig around Google and other search engines for surveys done in your niche? Google Analytics is also a good platform to get to know your audience. Finally, get out of your cubicle and start speaking with people. Meet your market face-to-face and get to know them. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll learn!
We’d love to hear your buyer personas when they’re done! Click below and share- a real live person on the other end will actually give you some feedback.
