Build a Bulletproof Marketing Strategy by Creating The Perfect Buyer Persona

It’s easy to lose money in marketing.

Often, because the platforms such as Facebook and Google make Marketing look so easy.

Just push a ‘Boost button’ here and throw an ad there.

But, often a post-analysis AFTER you’ve lost your money leaves most business owners scratching their head – WHY? 

After all, you put in your best effort, everything seemed so straightforward and if your a DIY Marketing kind of person then you followed what that guy on the YouTube tutorial was saying to the tee and you even spent hours on Canva crafting the perfect message – but still lost money.

So, what went wrong?

Now there may be many reasons for this – but often there’s ONE piece of the puzzle that most business owners miss out on.

They don’t understand WHO their customer is (I mean REALLY understand them).

Therefore- they target their Campaigns to the wrong audience.

And, here’s why it’s SO easy to make this mistake.

Marketing requires us to make assumptions (that’s simply the nature of the beast).

But, making assumptions without doing the research first about who your ideal customer is can be detrimental to the faith of your campaign.

In worst-case scenarios, it can leave you so disgruntled that you may think Facebook Marketing doesn’t work OR that running Google ads may not work for your business.

But wait, my friend.

There is hope.

Not only is there light at the end of the tunnel but what’s more, is that that your ideal customer WANTs to connect with you.

And, the best part is that when you’re done – you’ll realize that they’ve been right in front of you all along.

So, how do we do this?

What’s this magic bridge that connects you to your ideal customer.

Well, it’s called a Buyer Persona. 

What is a Buyer Persona?

A buyer persona is an in-depth, one-page profile of your ideal customer. 

It is an imaginary individual that represents the person who may buy your product or service.

It’s not about demographics, but rather a personality and what motivates them in their purchase decisions.

This means that you don’t need to know anything personal about your customers such as age, income level or favourite type of milkshake but just need a broad understanding of what their pain points are and how does your product or service help solve those problems better than anyone else

Why should you create a Buyer Persona?

Buyer personas help you understand what motivates people to buy from a company and allows you to tailor your message more specifically towards those needs.

It will help you create content that meets their needs, design a more effective marketing strategy and even give you insights into the best platforms to advertise on.

A Buyer Persona can help make it easier to find new customers online by targeting the right people with advertising.

By understanding who your ideal customer is, you can tailor ads specifically for them rather than just throwing money at Facebook, Google or Linkedin Ads hoping someone clicks on them.

Buyer Personas can help you make smarter decisions.

For example, by understanding what types of products your Buyers need and want to buy from you, you’ll be able to provide a more focused selection online or in-store.

This means that when customers come into the store looking for something specific they will find it faster instead

How do you create a buyer persona?

Buyer personas require time, patience, strategy and an inquisitive mind. 

In order to construct the framework for your ‘ideal’ buyer persona, it’s best to begin your research with a look at your current customers. 

If you’re a new business, you need to ask yourself and define just who would be interested in what your business has to offer.

Here are some methods that should give you insights into your ‘ideal’ buyer. 

• Send surveys to existing customers or prospects. The survey can ask them questions about their demographics, habits and needs.
• Conduct competitor research to find out more information about your competition’s demographic and customer base
• Watch the people who come in (maybe even offer free coffee or food) to understand what they look like; when do they shop? How much time are they there?
• Search for information online. Facebook Groups and Linkedin profiles are a great source of information. Reddit’s and subreddits in your niche can also be a valuable source to understand your customer’s psyche.

Examples of Buyer Personas

• Sherry, the Small Business Owner – Sherry doesn’t have the monetary resources to hire a marketing department or agency. They are looking for best practices and inexpensive tools to improve their marketing without breaking their budget.
• Eric, the Laptop Gamer- A teen who loves to play games on his computer and spends a lot of time watching YouTube. He is looking for an inexpensive laptop that can handle technology with ease.
• James, the Outdoor Adventurer- James has been camping all his life and wants gear that will properly support his needs. He is looking for durable products that will be able to withstand the rugged outdoor elements and last over time.

These examples, of course, aren’t the detailed versions – they’re just a start. The actual persona should go much deeper in insight as to every element of the persona’s profile… industry, motivation, reporting structure, geographic location, gender, salary, education, experience, age, etc. The more refined your persona, the clearer your communication will become in speaking to your prospective buyers.

Have a look below to see what a buyer persona should look like after some research and hard work. 

Drawing a mental picture such as the one above can help you narrow down and find your ideal customer and will serve as the basis for all your marketing efforts going forward.

So, if your marketing efforts have not been paying off the way you had imagined them to. consider removing some time and start by creating a buyer persona. 

It will be time well spent in the end.