Imagine that you have created an online business, a store in which you have put all your illusions and your money, and that what you want is that they buy a lot from you. But if we ask you who that ideal client is, you don't have much idea and you answer in a general way that anyone. That only implies that you have not defined your clientele, that is, you do not know how to create a buyer person.
A buyer persona is essentially a representation of your ideal customer , the person you'll focus all your marketing strategies on to reach them. But what exactly is a buyer persona? How do you create one? And are they really useful for developing a sales strategy? We'll discuss all of this and much more below.
What is a buyer persona
Before knowing how to create a buyer persona, it is very important to know what we are referring to with this concept and understand it as well as possible. A buyer persona is a "buyer persona", if we were to translate it directly.
This is a characterization of what we might consider an ideal customer. In other words, and according to HubSpot, it would be "a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer."
Because it is important? Well, imagine that you are going to open an online toy store. Your customers are supposed to be children, but is that really the case? Although your products are focused on the smallest of the house, the truth is that your buyer person is not the children, but the parents of those children, who are really going to be the ones who buy from you. Therefore, when establishing a strategy, you cannot base yourself on writing "for children" but for "parents."
This model is created using information about real users to understand how they interact with the products you offer, whether they like them, whether they're a good buy, and so on. Essentially, the information you'll gather includes demographics, personal circumstances, purchasing attitudes, and more.
Why create a buyer persona
Now that you know a little more about this concept, you may wonder why you should create it. And although it is not clear to you whether it is really good or not, or how to do it, the importance of the buyer person is there, and it is real. Not only does it help you define your strategy, but it makes all your efforts go in the direction of that target audience that you have, that is, who may be most interested in what you sell.
But, in addition to that, you will get:
- Offer adequate content to your customers. It is not the same that you go to a youth audience than an adult one, or a senior one.
- Define the steps of your relationship with customers. In this case, you will be able to establish how to attract, convince and retain that customer. And you will only do it if you "speak the same language." We are not referring to the fact of speaking the same language, but rather that you understand the client's needs and that you offer them the solutions to what they are looking for.
- You will have the keys to know which communication channels to use. Each group of people is usually more in one place or another. Therefore, knowing which communication channels to use will help you not to waste time on those that are not suitable, or that your target customer is only there minimally.
- Your entire business will focus on your main customer. It doesn't mean that you can't sell to other customers; but it is true that your "grosso" is going to be this and, therefore, your entire brand will seek to empathize with that person, that buyer who identifies with the brand (it is the best way to achieve loyalty).
How to create a buyer persona step by step
Although it may seem impossible, anyone can create a buyer persona. To do this, there are a series of steps that you must take into account so that the result is the most appropriate. These are:
Define the needs
Specifically, we talk about what are the needs that you have with respect to your customers. That is, what do you need to know about them. It may be that you only need to know if they are parents, if they are single or married, their age, etc. While it is true that the more information the better, you should also focus only on those most relevant data.
So how do you get that data? Well, you can assemble a group of people to research your new product. Another option is to hire data collection companies to gather the information you need.
Another option is to collect that information from your own customers. This way you will create a database with the possible users that, in addition, you could build loyalty (because if they have bought you once, they might be interested in another).
Profile your buyer persona
Now you have all the information you need to create your buyer persona. But it is "raw" information. Now you have to really know the key points of that information. In other words, we are talking about establishing what the characteristics of that potential customer are.
Establish your strengths and weaknesses
Once you've defined your buyer persona, it's important to understand your business 's strengths and weaknesses. You need to identify where you need to make changes to ensure customer satisfaction.
Establish your buyer persona
Now you just have to summarize all the information you have to finish. There are many templates that you can use that help you see what is really important to you, so if you've never done it before, you can make use of them the first few times.
But remember, the buyer persona isn't static; it's constantly evolving. There will be times when you'll need to adjust or refine this concept to adapt to changing circumstances. In fact, you might even establish a buyer persona, only for a new, more powerful group to emerge in your business, requiring you to revise your strategy to focus on the one that offers the greatest benefits.