Creating and using customer personas to direct content strategy has become popular in recent years. Here are some ideas to help your organization get started with personas.
Getting in the Mind of Your Audience
Touching the heart (or nerve depending on your goals) of your intended reader is not rocket science but does require some real thought on your part as a writer and producer of content.
\Whether you are selling ice to Eskimos or sand to Arabs you need to be able to describe that intended target in great detail before attempting to appeal to their needs/wants/egos.
Do you have a written description of your intended reader? Creating written Personas is a little like preparing for an interview.
You know the job description (i.e. your product, service or information you want conveyed) now you have to research how that will impact your buyer/reader.
The more specific you can be in describing your target market, the better your chance the content will inspire or invoke an intended reaction.
Buyer Personas
What the heck is a buyer persona, anyway? Let’s take for example, you are a real estate agent wanting to sell a new listing that is in a retirement community in Florida along the Gulf Coast area near Clearwater. That’s pretty specific.
To develop a Persona, ask yourself these questions:
- Who are your best potential buyers?
- What does he/she do all day?
- What would be that person’s favorite activities?
- Where are they currently living?
- What amenities does your neighborhood and surrounding areas offer that would appeal to them?
You may get several specific types of Personas by working through such a list of questions. Consider writing content for EACH one. Yes, you heard me correctly.
Speak to the individual and be sure your content is published in the appropriate places that line up with the answers you came up with. If you can’t answer those questions, canvas the neighborhood!
Ask a handful of actual buyers of similar products/services that you are seeking to promote. Use that information to develop even more specific questions to help really develop those Personas.
Become an Expert
Knowing your audience is most of the battle. Knowing where they frequent, who their friends are, what their favorite activities are ~ it is key to developing a trustworthy relationship with them.
If they like you and trust you, they’ll buy from you or at least take the next step along the sales funnel to your intended goal. For more content marketing resources and help with developing Buyer Personas, visit our Resource Center.
