- Marketing is all about getting the right message
in front of the right people.
Your customer segments are who you'd like
to get your message to.
But to figure out how to message,
you need to truly understand your customer segments
and that's where personas come in.
A target persona is a fictitious person that you describe
that represents your target group really well.
So instead of figuring out how to message to
customer segment 1A,
you're building a campaign for new graduate, Jenny.
Every customer segment you create
needs to have a persona attached to it,
and persona should fit on a single page
and provide a snapshot of the customer
that's quick to digest,
and they usually look something like this.
Let's build one together.
You'll start with these four questions
about your ideal customers.
Who are they?
What are their demographics, psychographics,
behaviors, and their interests?
What needs do they have?
What barriers do they need to overcome?
And what motivates them?
Imagine you're marketing for a company
that sells eco-friendly organic diapers.
Here's how you might answer these questions.
One of my ideal customers might be a woman,
between 28 and 35 years old,
who lives in an urban area, works full-time,
and has an interest in healthy living,
yoga, and connecting with other moms.
Her needs are to be environmentally responsible,
increase her free time,
and to continue to advance in her career.
She also wants to get outdoors more.
Now she faces some obstacles,
a lack of time, which often makes it harder
to find eco-friendly products,
a general distrust of big box retailers
to source responsibly,
and anxiety around what products are safe for her child.
She is motivated by advice from moms in her peer group,
validation from certification organizations,
easy and quick shopping experiences,
and companies that align with her values.
Once you complete this exercise,
you want to make this fictitious person feel real.
So add a picture and a name.
Creating a target persona makes it easier
to imagine the person that you're marketing to.
You'll find creating marketing campaigns
and crafting messaging is much more enjoyable and easier
when you have a persona.
It's a powerful exercise that you can do
even with limited time and resources.