How to Create Your Buyer Personas

Your prospects really ARE different!

Larry LevensonChief Inbound OfficerSigma Web Marketinglarry@sigmawebmarketing.com480.359.5501HubSpot Partner Agency

How to Create Your Buyer Personas

Archetype

• Archetype; not a person, not a customer profile!

• Describes goals and observed behavior patterns

• Applies to potential customers, customers, and referral partners

• A fictional character that represents your ideal prospect.

A user or buyer persona is a representation of the goals and behavior of a hypothesized group of users.

In most cases, personas are synthesized from data collected from interviews with users. 

They are captured in 1–2 page descriptions that include behavior patterns, goals, skills, attitudes, and environment, with a few fictional personal details to make the persona a realistic character.

Wikipedia

“Wouldn’t it be better to jump into inbound marketing and start getting those leads I’ve heard about?”

“Why do I need buyer personas?”

How Many Personas?

Gather your dataUse your own knowledge

and extend your knowledgewith interviews.

Focus on behaviors, challenges and motivations.

What to ask?

Their job (B2B)

Their goals and challenges

Their personal background

Their company (B2B)

Their watering holes

Their shopping preferences (B2C)

• What is your job title?• How is your job measured?• What does a typical day look

like?• What skills are required for

your job?• What knowledge and tools do

you use in your job?• Who do you report to? Who

reports to you?

Their Job

• What industry or industries?

• How big is the company (revenue? employees?)

• What other locations do you have?

• Local? Regional? National?

• What’s your company really good at?

Their Company

• What are you responsible for?

• How do you measure progress or success towards your goals?

• What does it mean to be successful in your role?

• What are your biggest challenges?

Their Goals and Challenges

• How do you learn about new information on your job?

• What publications or blogs do you read?

• What associations do you belong to?

• What social networks do you use?

Their Watering Holes

• Describe your personal demographics.

• Describe your educational background.

• Describe your career path. How did you end up here?

Their personal background

• How do you prefer to interact with vendors (phone, email, in-person?)

• How do you search for information on a product or service?

• Describe a recent purchase. Why did you consider it? What was your evaluation and decision process?

Their shopping preferences

Now the FUN Starts!• Compile data into a

persona.• Tell the persona’s story.

Then them “real.”• Use photos, drawing or

cartoons to illustrate behaviors and characteristics.

• Make a poster and place them at people’s desks.

Remember. . . They are archetypes, not real people!

Use Personas in Your Content

Web page contentEmail marketingBlog posts Landing pages Lead nurturingPhone callsEvery point of

interaction!

Two Worksheets to Help You

B2B B2C

Emailed out to youwith this slide deck.

“Developing Effective Buyer Personas” ebook (pre-release) available next week.

Questions???

Questions???

Questions???