For the Austrian consultant Peter Drucker, “the aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well, that the product or service offered is made for him and sold alone. A customer persona is what you need to achieve this goal. Indeed, specifying the customer persona is the first step towards success in the sales, marketing, or product department, but creating a persona is not as easy as it may seem.
A customer persona is a detailed, fictional representation of an ideal customer. A detailed understanding of a consumer’s behavior, demographics, and other details of interest is necessary in order to create this representation.
The marketing team is not the only beneficiary of the customer persona. Knowing precisely the target customer of a brand is an invaluable advantage for all professionals involved in product development and the whole business. Below you will discover how to create a customer persona in a clear step-by-step way:
Step 1: Collect data and information of interest
In the process of creating the customer persona, the first step would be to collect information of interest to define the main features of the consumer. In this sense, one of the key points is to determine the priorities of the target customer, in order to avoid the human resources department focusing on gathering unnecessary data that generate confusion. The best way to create a customer persona is to select the right and necessary information, without accessory data.
Step 2: Ask the right questions
Asking the right questions is crucial. It is true that Einstein stated that “the important thing is not to stop asking questions”, but we should not underestimate the importance of asking the right questions.
In order to gather accurate and valuable information about an objective client, we must develop a questionnaire that allows us to know the objectives, challenges, and needs of these people. If the question is appropriate, those responsible for creating a customer persona will only have to listen, because the client will give them what they need to know.
Step 3: Include the demographic data of the target client
The next step in how to create a concrete customer persona is to discover the age range, income level, education, or any other useful demographic information. Although it may seem indiscreet, knowing your marital status (single or married), if you have children and other details is essential for the customer to be complete. While not all traditional marketing methods are as effective today, these and other customer data remain essential to sales teams.
Step 4: Use the best channels to connect with the customer
Determining customer behavior is also relevant in the creation of a customer persona. Asking the right questions and being in possession of the right data does not guarantee success, being important to spend some time studying the behavior of target customers. Do you use social networks in your day to day, and what do you use, daily check the inbox of your mail, respond to phone calls, etc.
These questions seek to discover, in short, which is the most effective channel to contact (and connect) with the target customer. What is the point of launching a mailing campaign if the consumer in question rarely consults your email? The result will be low opening rates and a poor return on investment.
Step 5: Select the most appropriate type of advertising
Once we have known the personal and demographic data of the target client and we understand which are the most appropriate channels to communicate with him, it is time to select what type of advertising will be used.
At this point, the possibilities are very wide: from classic email marketing, the publication of press releases or PPC ads on search engines such as Google, to social selling, content marketing, and other more modern methodologies.
It is also worth mentioning that ideal advertising changes over time, as consumer behavior and habits evolve rapidly. Let’s think about the so-called faxing or advertising via fax. Needless to say, today is far from being the best way to attract the attention of consumers.
After knowing in detail step-by-step to know how to create a customer persona, it is time to get started and start developing it. The sooner you get to know your customers in-depth, the sooner you will be able to correct the imperfections of your products and satisfy their needs more and better.
