Download - Crafting the Persona

Because whoever understands the customer best, wins!

Mike GospeKickStart Alliance

www.kickstartall.comhttp://marketinghighground.wordpress.com

Crafting the Persona

http://marketinghighground.wordpress.com/

2011 © KickStart Alliancehttp://marketinghighground.wordpress.com

Question: who are we targeting?

Common answer: Everyone!

Unfortunately, selling to everyone is like selling to no one because:• The messaging will be watered down to the most generic level

• Multiple messages will compete with each other

• Confusion will result internally and externally

• You won’t know where to prioritize your marketing investments

“We can’t say no to anyone”“Our product can address any market”“But there are so many ways our product can be used”“The sales team needs us to be everywhere”

Everyone


The right question

Where should we prioritize our proactive marketing investment?

Don’t try to be all things to all people

You will only confuse the market

You’ll happily accept money from anyone who wants to buy your product. But where should you proactively invest your limited marketing resources? Answer: It depends.

• Which market segments are easiest to win?• What segments are you most at risk of losing to competitors?• Which segments represent the future for your company?

You’ll happily accept money from anyone who wants to buy your product. But where should you proactively invest your limited marketing resources? Answer: It depends.

• Which market segments are easiest to win?• What segments are you most at risk of losing to competitors?• Which segments represent the future for your company?


Many marketing programs fail because . . .

Marketers don’t fully understand the persona they are selling to

Marketers fail to empathize with the target audience Marketers struggle to establish relevance between the

prospect and their products

A clear and focused persona is required BEFORE . . .

• a positioning statement can be created

• effective messaging can be drafted

A clear and focused persona is required BEFORE . . .

• a positioning statement can be created

• effective messaging can be drafted

(To do otherwise will just waste your time and money because your marketing programs won’t work and you won’t know why.)


What is a Persona?

A Persona is a detailed fictional representation of an example user that represents the needs, desires, skills, and environment of one or more classes of real users.

While a Persona isn’t a real person, he or she must feel like a real person.


Why Personas are powerful

By looking at the product from the Persona’s point of view, communications become more straightforward because:• Superfluous information and over-specifications can be eliminated

• Features are prioritized according to the persona’s values

• Product messaging can directed to the buyer persona

Empathy with the Persona helps development teams:• Understand requirements with less detail

• Make good, reasonable implementation decisions

• Raise valid concerns and opportunities

• Stay focused on the real requirements


Table of Contents

The Marketing High Ground A Short-cut to Traditional Segmentation Illustrating the Persona (templates & examples) Tips for Leading the Bull’s Eye Exercise Tips for Leading the Persona Exercise


Click on these other books for B2B marketers

Mike Gospe

KickStart Alliance

[email protected]

http://www.kickstartall.com

Join me on LinkedIn: mikegospe

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Positioning Lead Generation Sales Readiness

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Download - Crafting the Persona

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