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Instead, they want to be guided to a natural, organic purchasing decision through a business’s ability to tell them a story.
But what story do they want to hear?
There’s a great quote by author Rudine Sims Bishop that explains why kids choose the books they do:
Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection, we can see our own lives and experiences as part of a larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.
It’s exactly the same for buyers. They choose stories that they feel connected to; stories that are so relevant they could almost be about them. And this is where a lot of businesses are hitting a brick wall.
In order to tell a story that truly connects with their audience, they need to know that audience.
And not many do.
A buyer persona is key to gaining a fuller, more comprehensive picture of your target audience. It goes beyond the basics of age and gender. Instead, it builds up a fictional manifestation of the ideal buyer.
This embodies the characteristics of many potential audience pools into a single, visible representation.
For example, at myCloud Media, we may build a buyer persona that looks a little like this...
Name:
Gavin
Age:
40 to 50
Location:
Yorkshire
Occupation:
Business owner, CEO, and ambitious entrepreneur
Industry:
Manufacturing
Relationship:
Married with children
Current revenue:
£2.5m
36-month forecast:
£7.5m
Aims:
Secure investment, develop online presence, position as market leader
Challenges:
Unsure where to start, gaps in workforce skills, lack of time/resources
Hangouts:
Industry blogs, industry association websites, local incubator podcasts, LinkedIn
That’s a very condensed example, of course, but it does give us more to work with. We have an idea of where Gavin currently is, where he wants to be, and why he’s struggling to get there.
We also know where he’s looking for help and support. This means we can build an approach tailored to his needs.
Understanding Gavin, his goals, and his pain points could influence how we approach a huge number of business tasks. It means that, in absolutely everything we do, we have our buyer at the centre of it all.
A buyer persona can be used to shape practically everything we supply, including:
Ultimately, we can build a strategy that ensures we’re telling the right story to the right audience.
There’s really no right or wrong way to build a buyer persona. It’s something that’s personal and unique to each organisation. However, I typically stick to a simple 4-step process:
1. Functional attributes
This step is based on demographic data. Essentially, the basics that come to mind when you hear the term ‘buyer persona’. For example, age, location, income, relationship status, employment status, and so on.
2. Emotional attributes
This is based on buyer preferences, and why they choose the businesses that they do. Think about the problems buyers have, how they perceive these problems, and what motivates them to seek solutions.
3. Decisive attributes
This is based on the processes that buyers typically go through during their own decision-making process. Think about how your buyer not only forms decisions, but qualifies and justifies them, too.
4. Behavioural attributes
This is based on how a buyer interacts and engages with businesses. For example, what channels do they use to communicate? How do they prefer to get in touch? Where do they tend to look for information?
Thank you for contacting us.
We will reply to you in the next 24-48 hours.
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