This article explores how to create a buyer persona in content marketing. Trying to sell to everyone means selling to no one. So if you’ve been finding it difficult to picture your ideal customer and create suitable content for them based on the buyer journey, then this blog article is for you.
When I started digital marketing, I didn’t have any idea of what I was doing. Perhaps, I was money-driven, I just wanted to make money online. So I started blogging because I thought I could make a fortune from it just like that. But sadly, I failed. But I learned that for me to make money from blogging, there are things I needed to learn, and practice.
The moment I realized that things turned around for good. And I knew I was heading in the right direction. Why did I bring this story? I realized that digital marketing has a lot of areas I can specialize in. So, if you don’t know how to go about it, then I recommend that you check out other articles on this website, and also feel free to ask questions in the comment section, I will try to answer those.
Also Read: 6 Reasons Most Nigerians Fail In Online Marketing and How To Overcome.
In other to sell to people, you need to know who you want to sell to. This can be the picture that always comes to your mind when you want to describe your customer, or maybe you have a pictorial representation of him/her on your wall, or in your notebook. So, I’ll explain to you all you need to know about buyers person, and how to create yours.
What Is A Buyer Persona?
This is a detailed pictorial representation of your ideal customers to better understand their needs, preferences, and challenges.
Let’s consider the example of a digital marketing agency targeting small businesses in the hospitality industry. In this context, a buyer persona refers to a detailed and semi-fictional representation of an ideal client within the hospitality sector.
This persona, let’s call them “Sarah,” encompasses various characteristics such as age, job role, challenges, goals, and interests. Creating this persona helps the agency understand Sarah’s needs and tailor their marketing strategies effectively, ensuring they resonate with similar potential clients in the hospitality sector.
Who Is A Buyer?
A buyer here refers to individuals or businesses within your niche. Using our previous example of a digital marketing agency, a buyer here refers to individuals or businesses in the hospitality industry, like restaurant owners or hotel managers, who are interested in purchasing digital marketing services from the agency.
“Sarah,” our buyer persona, represents a symbolic individual within this industry whom the digital marketing agency aims to attract and serve with their services. If you are still confused about this, just continue you will have more understanding as we proceed.
Why Is Creating A Buyer Persona Important?
Creating a buyer persona, such as “Sarah” in our example, is crucial for the digital marketing agency or individual marketer to target its customers.
- Targeted Marketing: By understanding the specific needs, challenges, and preferences of Sarah and others like her, the agency and individual can create targeted marketing campaigns. These campaigns can address Sarah’s pain points directly, making the marketing content more relevant and engaging.
- Personalized Communication: Knowing Sarah’s interests and communication preferences allows the agency and individual to personalize its messages. Personalization creates a stronger connection and increases the likelihood of capturing her attention amidst the noise of online marketing.
- Product Development: Insights from the buyer persona can guide the agency and individual in developing services tailored to meet the unique requirements of clients like Sarah. This ensures that the agency’s offerings align closely with what their target audience needs.
- Improved Customer Experience: Understanding Sarah’s journey, from researching digital marketing services to making a decision, enables the agency and individual to enhance her customer experience. They can streamline processes, provide relevant information, and offer support where she needs it most.
- Optimized Marketing ROI: Targeting marketing efforts towards a specific persona reduces the wastage of resources. The agency and individual can focus its budget and energy on channels and strategies that are more likely to resonate with Sarah and similar potential clients, leading to a higher return on investment.
A digital marketing agency or individual can tailor their strategies effectively, leading to better engagement, increased conversions, and ultimately, business growth within their targeted niche or industry just by creating a buyer persona.
Steps On How To Create A Buyer Persona?
Certainly, here are the steps to create a buyer persona for the digital marketing agency targeting the hospitality industry, using our example of “Sarah”:
- Conduct Research: Gather data from existing clients, surveys, and interviews to understand their backgrounds, challenges, and goals.
- Identify Demographic Information: Determine age, job role, income level, and other relevant demographic details of individuals.
- Explore Goals and Challenges: Investigate the professional objectives and obstacles faced by your targeted industry professionals, aligning them with the agency’s services.
- Identify Personal Characteristics: Understand their interests, hobbies, and online behavior. Determine which social media platforms and online communities they frequently use.
- Map the Buyer’s Journey: Identify the stages they go through while considering digital marketing services, from awareness to decision-making.
- Determine Communication Preferences: Discover how they prefer to receive information. Do they prefer emails, social media updates, or phone calls?
- Create a Persona Profile: Compile all gathered information into a detailed persona profile, including a name ( like “Sarah” I’ve used in my illustration), a photo (stock image representing Sarah), and a concise summary of her traits, goals, and challenges.
- Validate and Refine: Validate the persona by comparing it with real clients. Make adjustments based on feedback and new insights to ensure accuracy.
- Implement Persona Across Marketing Strategies: Use the persona profile to guide content creation, marketing messages, and service offerings. Ensure all marketing efforts are aligned with addressing Sarah’s needs and interests.
- Continuously Update and Evolve: Regularly update the buyer persona as market trends and client preferences change. Stay adaptable to ensure the agency’s strategies remain effective.
Examples of Buyer Persona
Example 1 – Sarah Johnson in the hospitality industry
Buyer Persona: Sarah Johnson
Background: She Johnson is a 35-year-old entrepreneur and the owner of a boutique hotel in a bustling city. With a background in hospitality management, Sarah is passionate about providing exceptional guest experiences at her hotel.
Demographic Information:
- Age: 35 years old
- Job Role: Boutique Hotel Owner
- Income Level: Upper middle class
Goals: She aims to enhance her hotel’s online presence, attract more guests, and improve customer satisfaction. She wants to leverage digital marketing to increase direct bookings and build a loyal customer base.
Challenges: She faces challenges related to online marketing strategies, including understanding social media algorithms, managing online reviews, and keeping up with digital advertising trends.
Personal Characteristics: She is tech-savvy, enjoys exploring new local restaurants, and actively engages with travel and hospitality communities on social media platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn.
Communication Preferences: She prefers to receive information through concise and visually appealing content. She appreciates personalized emails, informative blog posts, and engaging social media visuals.
Buyer’s Journey:
- Awareness Stage: She researches online marketing strategies for hotels.
- Consideration Stage: She compares digital marketing agencies and their services.
- Decision Stage: She decided to invest in a digital marketing agency that specializes in hospitality industry services.
Example 2 – Alex Effiong in the fitness and wellness industry
Buyer Persona: Alex Effiong
Background: Alex Effiong is a 28-year-old fitness enthusiast and personal trainer. He is certified in nutrition and has a deep passion for helping others achieve their fitness goals. He currently operates a small fitness studio in a suburban area, focusing on personalized training and nutrition plans for clients.
Demographic Information:
- Age: 28 years old
- Job Role: Personal Trainer, Fitness Studio Owner
- Income Level: Middle class
Goals: He aims to expand his client base, establish his fitness studio as a community hub, and increase his online presence. He is looking for effective digital marketing strategies to attract new clients, especially those interested in personalized fitness and nutrition coaching.
Challenges: He faces challenges related to online marketing, including creating engaging social media content, managing online advertisements, and optimizing his website for conversions. He also struggles with time management due to his busy schedule.
Personal Characteristics: He is energetic, health-conscious, and enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and biking. He actively participates in fitness forums and follows industry influencers on social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
Communication Preferences: He appreciates informative and instructional content. He prefers short and visually appealing videos, educational blog posts, and interactive social media posts that showcase fitness tips, success stories, and nutrition advice.
Buyer’s Journey:
- Awareness Stage: He explores digital marketing agencies specializing in fitness and wellness industry promotion.
- Consideration Stage: He evaluates different marketing packages and social media management services.
- Decision Stage: He chooses a digital marketing agency that offers tailored solutions for fitness professionals and studios.
Example 3 – Emmanuel Turner in the e-commerce industry
Buyer Persona: Emmanuel Turner
Background: He is a 32-year-old digital entrepreneur and the owner of an online fashion boutique, specializing in sustainable and eco-friendly clothing. Emma is passionate about promoting environmental consciousness and supporting ethical fashion brands.
Demographic Information:
- Age: 32 years old
- Job Role: E-commerce Business Owner
- Income Level: Upper middle class
Goals: He aims to expand her e-commerce business, increase sales, and raise awareness about sustainable fashion. She is looking for digital marketing strategies to attract environmentally conscious shoppers and showcase her unique, eco-friendly product offerings.
Challenges: He faces challenges related to online visibility, social media engagement, and effectively communicating his brand’s values. She struggles with finding the right balance between promoting his products and educating her audience about sustainable fashion practices.
Personal Characteristics: He is creative, socially conscious, and enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and gardening. He actively participates in environmental conservation groups and follows influencers and bloggers who promote sustainable living on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.
Communication Preferences: He appreciates visually appealing and informative content. He prefers visually engaging social media posts, eco-conscious lifestyle blog articles, and interactive email newsletters that highlight sustainable fashion trends and showcases eco-friendly products.
Buyer’s Journey:
- Awareness Stage: He researches digital marketing agencies specializing in promoting sustainable and eco-friendly brands.
- Consideration Stage: He evaluates different agencies based on their expertise in eco-conscious marketing and social media management.
- Decision Stage: He selects a digital marketing agency that shares his passion for sustainability and offers creative marketing solutions tailored to eco-friendly e-commerce businesses.
Final Thoughts
Crafting a buyer persona is the cornerstone of successful content marketing. By delving deep into the needs, aspirations, and challenges of our target audience, we humanize our marketing strategies. Through a well-defined persona, businesses can tailor their content to resonate profoundly with real people, transforming casual viewers into engaged customers.
Understanding the sophistication of our buyers’ lives, preferences, and journeys empowers us to create content that truly matters. It’s not just about selling a product or service; it’s about solving problems, fulfilling dreams, and making meaningful connections. In content marketing, the buyer persona is not just a template; it’s a compass guiding us toward authentic, relevant, and impactful storytelling.
As you go into content creation, you need to remember the power of the persona. You have to keep our audience at the heart of our narratives, ensuring that every word, image, and video resonates with the unique individuals we aim to serve.
By doing so, you not only elevate our marketing strategies but also enrich the lives of those you touch, fostering lasting relationships built on trust, empathy, and understanding.
Check out the HubSpot persona generator.
