We’ve all heard the saying, ‘know your customer’. It’s a cliché that’s as old as marketing itself, easy to dismiss as an ornament from a bygone era.
Perhaps the reason this saying still persists today is because it actually challenges us to accept a powerful truth. It’s my view that the sentiment of ‘know your customer’ offers us an inherent wisdom that’s central to marketing success.
I’ve been a part of the inbound journey for over 6 years now, and seen first-hand how online and new media has given us more tools and techniques than Taylor Swift has Twitter followers.
Despite the change and new innovation, the one element that has remained constant is the concept of ‘know your customer’, and the role it plays in developing successful marketing strategies.
In true marketing style however, the concept we once knew as ‘know your customer’ has evolved to suit our modern marketing needs. Today we seek to understand our buyers, (a process known as ‘buyer personas’), because as a marketer and business owner it’s important you understand who is looking to buy from you.
What is a buyer persona?
A buyer persona is the process of delving into the attitudes and behaviours of your buyers, knowing their pain points, the nature of their jobs and the solutions they need to work better.
It’s a systematic approach to understanding people who are likely to buy from you, what motivates them to start researching and what information helps them ultimately decide to buy from you, or one of your competitors. This insight will help you align your content marketing to what’s important to your buyers.
Why do I need to know my buyer’s persona?
Today people are overwhelmed with content and information. You need to stand out from competition and find a way to resonate with your buyer at a deeper level.Buyer personas allow you to understand the deeper motivations that are important to customers along the buying process. Buyer personas become the foundation for creating content that connects with people. As we know, people who feel as though you understand them and can provide what they need will be more likely to choose your company and its products and services over your competitors.
Successful businesses are already developing buyer personas, and it's helping them paint a detailed picture of the people who are likely to buy from them. By doing so, they are able to market their products to the specific needs of their prospective customers.
It's also helping them create content that is truly connecting with their buyers. Not only are they generating new leads and converting more customers, businesses are now creating long term ambassadors that are deeply engaged with their brand.
How do I develop a buyer persona?
Understanding what is motivating people to buy, knowing their purchasing criteria and connecting with their individual goals is a complex challenge. More businesses are rising to meet that challenge, and are seeing enormous benefits.
To start, focus on one persona. Describe one person who is likely to buy from you. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your product or service is suited to everyone, and trying to market to everyone. If you take this approach you run the risk that your marketing won’t resonate with anyone. A costly waste of time, money and resources.
How can I find out more?
Download our free guide to find out how you can build your own buyer personas and create content that your customers will love.
