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How Buyer Personas Power Sustainable Stories that

Turn Prospects into CustomersArdath AlbeeCEO & B2B Marketing StrategistMarketing Interactions, Inc.

@ardath421

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Improving the customer experience is seen as the top opportunity for marketers to differentiate their companies.

2017 Digital Intelligence Briefing | eConsultancy & Adobe

Problem? Perception is Skewed

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Campaigns Halt Momentum

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Campaign vs. Continuum

T1 T2 T3 T1 T2 T3Theme 1: Productivity Theme 2: Efficiency

Dead Air

Why should I care?

What happens if we do nothing?

What are our

competitors

doing?

What do I need to know?

What are best

practices?

What are my

choices?

How do we get

everyone to agree?

What else does

it impact?

@ardath421

A compelling persona-driven story motivates your buyer to take action. Again and again.

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When a story speaks to buyer’s aspirations; it’s meaningful.

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“A story is the only way to activate parts in the brain so that a listener turns the story into their own idea and experience.”Uri Hasson, Princeton neuroscientist

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Buyer Personas

• Day in the Life• Objectives / Problems• Professional Attributes• Questions• Obstacles• Content/Channel

Preferences• Relationships with

Stakeholders

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• Context for the objective / problem• Relationships with stakeholders• What’s getting in the way• What’s important to them

professionally

A Day in the Life of Your Persona

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Professional Attributes• Time in career• Personality Traits (mentor, detail oriented, creative)• Background – where did they start? Did they change jobs a lot?• Influencers – Boss, Peers, Ego• Frustrations• How their peers view them & How they view their peers• Where do they want to go with their career? (climb the ladder,

leave a legacy)

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Questions & Obstacles

Why should I care?

How will this affect IT?Best

Practices?

Security?

Will users adopt it?

What’s the TCO?Value?

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Build Your Buyer’s Story

Hero

Mentor (Company)Villain (Problem, Naysayers)Subplots (Buying Committee)

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Hero (Buyer)

Has Problem (Aspiration)

Seeks Solution

(Decides to Take Action)

Lacks Expertise

(Questions)

Encounters Obstacles (What if…?)

Learns from Mentor (You)

Gains Consensus (Climax)

Achieves Resolution

(Buys)

Develop a Sustainable Storyline

Villain Sub Plot

Sub Plot

Sub Plot

Villain

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Building the Story

• What does the buyer need to know to rattle his security in the status quo?

• Why should he care?

Trigger

• Given his status quo and what rattled it, what else does he need to know?

Seek Knowledge • What can you help

make happen that will provide value – from his perspective?

• What evidence do you have?

Lacks Expertise

• Who needs to get on board?

• How will he overcome obstacles?

Needs Consensus

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Orchestrating the OverlaysHow can our product design teams shorten

time to market?

Here’s how a global collaboration platform helps designers iterate

faster.

Okay, that’s got possibilities, but my IT

guy is sticky about security, given the growth

in data breaches.

Here’s what you need to know about security for

global collaboration solutions.

Got it, thanks. But I’m going to get pushback on

how easy it is to drive adoption from HR.

We’re hosting a webinar about how to fast track user adoption with our gamification features…

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Help Your Buyers Binge

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2016 Content Preferences Survey | DGR

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Most Websites Impede BingeingProduct

s

A

B

Solutions

X

Y

ResourcesWhite Papers

Videos

Infographics

Webinars

Blog About

History

Team

Customers

Case Studies

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Content Hubs Invite Bingeing & Sharing

Products

A

B

Solutions

X

Y

Industries

Finance

Technology

Retail

Healthcare

Business Value

Speed Time to MarketDrive

Growth with

Collaboration

Increase User

Adoption

By Role

Product Manager

Human Resources

IT

Resources

White Papers

Videos

Infographics

Webinars

Blog About

History

Team

Customers

Case Studies

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Content Hubs: Built for Bingeing

@ardath421 | #MuraCon

Problem-to-Solution HubChallen

ge Status Quo and

Validate the

Problem

Set the Vision

for Future State

Educate the BuyerAnswer Questio

nsShare Best

Practices

Consensus ContentFor Persona B For Persona C

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Think Evergreen, Not Reinvention

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• Note patterns of engagement• Fill any gaps• Update any statistics or research• Freshen calls to action – links to new / different

content• Embrace the continuum

“It is frequent repetition that produces a natural tendency”

Aristotle

You are AWESOME! Ardath Albee, CEOMarketing Interactions

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