personas blue paper
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4imprintcom
Personas
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
F ict ional prof i les of your customers to ass ist in market segmentat ion
Walking a mile in someone elsersquos shoes Clicheacute Yes Uncomfortable Yes
Someone elsersquos shoes never feel quite right But letrsquos get a little uncomfortable
to better understand your customers and why they buy Walking a mile in your
customersrsquo shoes can help you uncover what motivates them
After all how well do you really know your customers and
your users If you walked a mile in their shoes what would
you find Would you discover that you actually know a lot
about who uses your services or buys from you Or would
your findings be surprising
Enter personas Personas are visual fictional stories that
describe actual customers Using customer personas helps build a strong
understanding of who your customers are what drives them to buy from you and
what problems you can help them solve Personas can guide you to more targeted
and customer-centric businessmarketing approaches and help to
1 Shift an organizationrsquos perspective to the customerrsquos
2 Provide insight into customersrsquo and usersrsquo decision-making priorities1
3 Offer greater detail on the different messages audience segments
respond to2
Never heard of personas You might be surprised that personas have been right
in front of you for years Case in point Jared the Subwayreg guy Sixteen years
ago Subway learned of Jaredrsquos success losing 245 pounds by swapping fast food
lunches for Subway meals Jared was an exact match with one of the companyrsquos
target segments working professionals short on time that wanted to lose weight
and eat healthy3 Subway struck gold when they turned a real customer aligned
with a key persona into the franchise spokesperson Sales tripled after Jaredrsquos
ldquooversized pantsrdquo became famous growing from $31 billion in 1998 the year
before Jared was introduced to $115 billion in 20114
Personas are not new but their popularity is exploding due in part to their
multiple uses While companies donrsquot often publish their persona work because of
its highly valuable strategic and competitive nature a 2011 survey found that 65
1 Eisenberg Bryan ldquoContent Marketing Personasrdquo Bryan Eisenberg Np 7 Sept 2012 Web 16 Sept 2014 lthttp3A2F2Fwwwbryaneisenbergcom2Fcontent-marketing-personas2F)gt
2 Ibid3 Horovitz Bruce ldquoJared and Subway Whorsquos the Biggest Winnerrdquo USA Today Gannett 23 Feb 2013 Web 25
Oct 2014 lthttpwwwusatodaycomstorymoneybusiness20130223jared-fogle-subway-diet1928793gt4 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
percent of usability professionals said they were using personas in user-centered
design work5 Adoption of buyer personas has been much slower however A
2014 study found that only 44 percent of business-to-business (B2B) marketers are
currently using personas That said persona adoption is forecasted to rise
in the coming years6 In fact 29 percent of respondents to the 2014 study said
they expect to be using personas in the next 12 months7 Interest in personas
mirrors the rise of customer experience digital marketing and the ever-increasing
emphasis on content marketing as shown in the Google Trends graph below8
(Figure 1)
Figure 1 Google Trendstrade graph illustrates the rise in the number of persona
searches over time
Personas support market research and work as a piece of an overall marketing
strategy9 Putting a personality behind your data makes it come alive and aids
in market segmentation applications By giving life to business data personas
become useful across the organization They generate return on investment (ROI)
by acting as a focal point for marketing sales and operational activities and they
keep your company focused on your primary target audiencemdashyour customers
Personas also
bull Provide assistance in objective planning Using personas provides critical
audience insights needed to construct targeted marketing messages10
bull Give your team insight into how buying really takes place which enables
5 Sauro Jeff ldquoThe Methods UX Professionals Userdquo Measuring Usability Np 30 Aug 2011 Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwmeasuringusabilitycomblogux-methodsphpgt
6 Schwartz Julie ldquoIncreasing Relevance with Buyer Personas and R2I MarketingrdquoITSMA Online Survey (nd) n pag ITSMA Mar 2014 Web 23 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwitsmacomresearchpdf_freeITSMAPersonasandB2I_AbbSumpdfgt
7 Revella Adele ldquoGot Buyer Personas 44 Say Yes but 85 Arenrsquot Using Them Effectivelyrdquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer Persona Institute 6 Aug 2014 Web 23 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201408got-buyer-personas-44-say-yes-but-85-arent-using-them-effectivelyhtmlgt
8 ldquo Google Trends - Web Search Interest - Worldwide 2004 - Presentrdquo Google Trends Google 17 Sept 2014 Web 17 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwgooglecomtrendsexploreq=buyer20personas2C20marketing20personas2C20design20personasampcmpt=qgt
9 ldquoMarket Segmentation Definition | Investopediardquo Investopedia Np nd Web 22 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwinvestopediacomtermsmmarketsegmentationaspgt
10 Yang Suttida ldquoWhy Understanding Buyer Personas Is Key to Content Marketing Successrdquo LinkSmart Np 8 May 2014 Web 16 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwlinksmartcomunderstanding-buyer-personas-key-content-marketing-successgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
you to detail buyer needs and deliver tailored messaging throughout the
buying cycle11
bullCreate a uniform messaging development platform for your entire team12
As you walk with us through this Blue Paperreg we will explore how personas can
help you identify and connect with customers in an effort to be more targeted
and personalized in your marketing approach Wersquoll reference a fictional persona
Chelsie to help illustrate the building and usage of personas while also providing
you with a step-by-step guide to creating and implementing them within your
organization
Lace up your shoes Personas expla ined Personas help you get into your customersrsquo shoes to gain more insight on their
perspectives about your company And like any shoes those shoes come in
a variety of categories that have similarities gym shoes heels hiking boots
and more Your customers and potential customers naturally fall into groups
as well based on commonalities they share in other words through market
segmentation Investopediatrade explains the basic traits used to identify segments
1 Homogeneity mdashcustomer or users with common needs13
2 Distinctionmdashcommon characteristics that make groups unique
from each other14
3 Reactionmdashgroup has a similar response to the overall market15
Since we are talking shoes letrsquos look at a fictional
athletic shoe company Greater Gear Shoe Co to
better demonstrate these traits Greater Gear has
multiple market segments that include basketball
players runners (sprinters and long distance) gym
rats baseball players and even yogis These groups
have their own needs for footwear (homogeneity)
No two groups are the same due to their unique
needs (distinction) Basketball players will have a different response to the
footwear market than yogis and the sprinters will have a different reaction than
the long distance runners (reaction)
Personas are an extension of market segmentation and while they have a sole
connection the two concepts are not the same Market segmentation is a method
11 Ibid12 Ibid 13 ldquoMarket Segmentation Definition | Investopediardquo Investopedia Np nd Web 22 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwinvestopediacomtermsmmarketsegmentationaspgt14 Ibid15 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
for breaking down your large target markets into like-minded groups Personas
bring those pre-established groups to life by giving each group a potential
representative personality Market segmentation does not actually tell you what is
driving your customers but adding personality behaviors goals and motivations
to the data can
Personas are always one of two types user or buyer Both forms of personas have
separate but parallel histories A buyer persona uses both market research and
real data about existing and potential customers to create detailed descriptions
or profiles of targeted customers16 Angus Jenkinson developed buyer personas
in 1993 with the goal of going beyond typical market segmentation to grasp the
essential characteristics and needs of buyer groups17 His work created the concept
that customer segments can be seen as communities with a group identity
Customer engagement agency OglivyOne Internationalreg adopted this concept
for use with clients as ldquoday-in-the-life archetype descriptionsrdquo18 Jenkinson and
researcher Michael Jacobs teamed up to write a series of papers on persona
development methods for the OgilvyOne online knowledge base19 Jenkinson and
Jacobsrsquo research was then used in over 40 countries to build customer service and
client loyalty20
During the same time period Alan Cooper a software development pioneer was
developing the user persona concept21 Starting in 1995 Cooper began exploring
how specific users interact with software Cooperrsquos goal was to increase the
usability of computer programs and websites22 Where buyer personas focus on
buyer behaviors and motivations user personas strive
to paint a picture of user goals tasks and skill level
Personas soon received some major media attention
in an unlikely way Enter the 1995 Denver City Council
Elections and 1996 presidential elections In 1995 City
Council candidate Susan B Casey introduced the world
to the soccer mom persona when she branded herself
as ldquoA Soccer Mom for City Councilrdquo23 She realized
16 Kusinitz Sam ldquoThe Definition of a Buyer Persona [in Under 100 Words]rdquoThe Definition of a Buyer Persona [in Under 100 Words] HubSpot Inbound Hub 8 Mar 2014 Web 16 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingbuyer-persona-definition-under-100-srgt
17 ldquoAskDefine | Define Personaerdquo Define Personae AskDefinecom nd Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttppersonaeaskdefinebetacomgt
18 Jenkins Angus ldquoJournal of Direct Data and Digital Marketing Practice (2009) 112 124-139rdquo Journal of Direct Data and Digital Marketing Practice 112 (2009) 124-39 JSTOR Web 23 Sept 2014
19 ldquoAskDefine | Define Personaerdquo Define Personae AskDefinecom nd Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttppersonaeaskdefinebetacomgt
20 Ibid21 Ibid22 Cooper Alan ldquoThe Origin of Personasrdquo Cooper Journal Np 15 May 2008 Web 16 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwcoopercomjournal200805the_origin_of_personasgt23 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996
Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
that this ldquoevery neighborrdquo persona represented a large number of voters in her
district24 After Susanrsquos win using the soccer mom slogan the marketing teams
behind Bob Dole and President Clintonrsquos presidential campaigns realized their
candidates needed to appeal to this group of voters on a national level25 This
group of voters was personified as suburban middle-class working mothersmdashand
even more importantly they were swing voters
You could find these moms driving their kids to sports
practices and club meetings pacing the sidelines at every
game and dedicated to family well-being But between
work and family commitments these women were short
on time This group of voters became so important to
the electionrsquos outcome that Bob Dole even spoke directly
to the soccer moms while concluding his address at the
Republican National Convention Despite his personal
attempt at connecting President Clinton was the one to
gain favor among the soccer moms and won the election
As time passed more marketers and Web developers jumped on the persona
bandwagon when they saw the benefits of using personas (both buyer and user)
to increase customer-centricity and positive customer experiences both in on- and
offline activities Today both B2B and business to consumer (B2C) companies are
making use of personas in a variety of capacities rooted in customer-centricity and
operational efficiency Buyer personas can be helpful for marketers because they
help align decisions messages and programsmdashand therefore dollars with what
real customers actually want instead of just what we think they might want26
In other words wersquore really starting to understand what itrsquos like to walk in our
customersrsquo shoes
Are you ready to hit the trail Next wersquoll tackle the dos and donrsquots for persona
development with this step-by-step guide
Eight steps to perfect personas
What makes the perfect persona And what information should your personas
include How specific should your characters be And can they be general
personalities that represent your market segments or do you need to spell out
everything from what kind of toothpaste they use to how they take their eggs
You probably have a lot of questions about building and implementing personas
24 Ibid25 Revella Adele ldquoPower to the Soccer Mom How Just One Buyer Persona Revealed This Winning
Strategyrdquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 4 June 2014 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201406power-to-the-soccer-mom-how-just-one-buyer-persona-revealed-this-winning-strategyhtmlgt
26 Revella Adele ldquoWhat the Bleep Is a Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 8 Nov 2006 Web 19 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom200611whats_a_buyer_phtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Have no fear mdashwersquoll walk you through each of the following eight steps of
persona-building basics in detail
1 Getting started
2 Brainstorming
3 Research and interviews
4 Persona identificationprioritization
5 Write personas
6 Discuss and finalize
7 Putting personas to work
8 Persona measurement and refinement
Before we get started letrsquos introduce the sample persona for the Greater Gear
Shoe Co we referenced earlier Meet Chelsie As a 25 year-old physically fit
female who enjoys running and group fitness activities she is part of Greater
Gearrsquos target audience Chelsie will be with us as we work through each step in
the persona-building process Wersquoll use Chelsie and her persona characteristics to
help illustrate key points throughout the process
Step one Getting started
Your very first step is to look at the current market segmentation your company is
using If yoursquore not currently using any some basic segmentation will be essential
to building accurate personas Use these segmentation tips to get started
B2B companies consider segmenting your target audience by
bullWhat they do (industry sector public vs private and size)
bull How they operate (how they use your product and
the technology available)
bullBuying patterns (size and frequency) and
bullBehavior (loyalty and attitude toward risk)27
B2C companies can think about grouping their audience by
bullLocation
bullBuyer profile (demographic information)
bullLifestyles and
bullBuyer behavior28
Greater Gear Shoe Co relies heavily on B2C segmentation factors and you can see
all of these elements reflected in Chelsiersquos persona For example we know that
Chelsie is an urban-dwelling (location) twenty-something (demographic data)
with a passion for local road races (lifestyle) who is an avid social media user and
27 ldquoSegment Your Customersrdquo Quebec Info for Entrepreneurs Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal 2009 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwinfoentrepreneursorgenguidessegment-your-customersgt
28 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
online shopping enthusiast (buyer behavior)
With market segmentation in place either basic or extensive you can now
examine your existing segments Ask yourself the following questions
bullAre the current segments growing
bullAre the segments areas you can compete on
bull Is the segmented group large enough to have activities and messages
tailored to it
bullWill it be profitable to target this group
Are you answering yes to these questions If so start your persona development
here to ensure you have personas that reflect each of your core segments
Step two Brainstorming
Brainstorming is up next It is time to generate personality characteristics for
each of your data segments Conduct this brainstorm by inviting both customers
and employees from across the company to help think of traits and personality
adjectives that represent your customers and stakeholders Then lay them out
in grid format Yoursquoll want to list the brainstormed traits in a 2X2 grid with
ldquoinformation-processing stylerdquo on the horizontal axis and ldquodecision-making
stylerdquo on the vertical axis29 The grid will move horizontally from ldquoemotionalrdquo
to ldquologicalrdquo and then vertically from ldquoquick-to-deciderdquo to ldquodeliberate decision-
making30rdquo You can see what we mean in the customer characteristics grid for
Greater Gear Shoe Co below (Figure 2)
Figure 2 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics
29 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013 Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
30 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
After completing your grid review where the clusters of traits lie You can then
group these characteristics by placing colored shapes over the traits that seem
like they could or would be the same persona The illustration below (Figure 3)
demonstrates this colored bubble method of grouping similar characteristics
Figure 3 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics with colored bubbles
demonstrating similar characteristics
We start to see Chelsiersquos caring personality loosely reflected in the lower bubble
She is dedicated and confident in her career In her work place she sets goals and
works hard to meet them her sense of commitment carries through to her active
lifestyle While Chelsiersquos personality is evident in this lower bubble the other
bubbles should connect with Greater Gearrsquos other audience segments
After you complete your grid or ldquopersonality adjectives maprdquo you should have
three to seven colored circlesmdasheach of which should surround the traits that could
all belong to one persona But thatrsquos only the beginning Yoursquoll need to conduct
additional research to help crystallize and support your personality adjectives
map findings
Start by utilizing the customer data you have available Helpful records may
include general customer contact information demographics psychographics
andor transactional data This information will help either support or disprove
general assumptions you made about your customers during brainstorming
Are you finding yoursquore short on customer research and in need of answers to
additional questions about your customers before you start the interview process
Supplement the data you have with these data sourcing tools Give Googletrade
Consumer Surveys (GCS) Quoratrade or Feedback Armytrade a try31 These tools provide a
range of cost-effective options for accessing customer feedback
31 Saracino Adria ldquoBuild a Better Buyer Persona 5 Creative Data Sourcing Ideasrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 17 Sept 2013 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201309build-better-buyer-persona-data-sourcing-ideasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Before leaving this step compile all of your data to help identify potential
personalities from the personalities map that match key segments in your
customer data This information will help inform your interviews and the
following persona development steps
Step three Interviews
The research you compiled in step two will help identify potential personalities
that match key segments in your customer data making the interview stage much
easier During interview selection find buyers who match your key segments and
mapped character traits but also some who donrsquot to ensure your personas are
reflective of your buyers
With Greater Gear Shoe Co in mind letrsquos plan to interview their customers Wersquoll
want to keep the following tips in mind
bull We need to interview actual recent buyers
bull Have the buyers walk through their decision and purchasing process Did
they buy from Greater Gear online or shop at the physical location Did they
use the Greater Gear website to research the product before going to the
store to finalize fit and style Map out their purchasing process
bull Interview a variety of people who purchased different Greater Gear products
to provide the best and most accurate perspective
bullAnd make sure to ask why they chose to buy from your company32
And finally prep for your interviews by formulating a list of questions for the
customers you are interviewing33 The focus of your interviews will vary based on
your companyrsquos needs and the type of personas you are writing but herersquos a list
of potential interview questions to consider for both buyer and user personas
Buyer persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Details about their professional career (What job do they have Where do
they work and how long have they been there What
are their professional goals)
bull What does their typical day look like (How far from
home do they work What media do they consume
throughout the day What does their workday look
like What community organizations are they involved
in What people matter most to them How do they
prefer to spend their time What do they do for fun)
32 Ibid33 Eridon Corey ldquo9 Questions You Need to Ask When Developing Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing
HubSpot Inbound Hub 19 Jan 2012 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcomblogtabid6307bid309079-Questions-You-Need-to-Ask-When-Developing-Buyer-Personasaspxgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
bull What process do your target customers use to explore
and select a product service or solution34
bull What are the pain points experienced in using your
product or service (If you have a customer journey
map pull it out during this step35)
bull What are three to five problems the target customer
may dedicate time budget or political capital to36
bull Are their tangible or intangible metricsrewards that
the customer associates with success Examples may
include ldquogrow revenue by Xrdquo or a discountother promotion37
bull Uncover unseen factors like competing interests politics (internal
or governmental) or history with your company by asking about
perceived barriers38
User persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Computer and Internet skills
bull Preferred Internet browser
bull Goals for completing processes relevant to your website or design project
bull Perceived barriers to successful use of projects (product or Web design)
similar to yours
bull What are their pain points in using your product service or website
bull What factors determine the usersrsquo perceived successes when using your
website product or service design
Step four Persona identificationprioritization
Yoursquoll want to sort through the customer research and personality adjectives map
to identify and prioritize potential personas Try and prioritize between three to
seven personas per business line Too many personas can be confusing however
we also caution you from trying to roll traits into an average user as doing so will
not be effective Bryan Eisenberg digital marketing and personas guru offers up
some helpful advice for determining the number of personas needed ldquoUltimately
the number of personas should reflect the number of primary motivations to
purchase your productservice that exist within your customer base Sometimes
personas have identical motivations but dramatically different needs39rdquo
34 Ibid35 ldquoWhy Buyer Personas Can Fuel Your Companyrsquos Success - BoldThinkrdquoIndianapolis Inbound Marketing
Branding Website Design BoldThink 10 May 2013 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpboldthinkcreativecombuyerpersonasfuelgt
36 Revella Adele ldquoHow to Avoid 4 Buyer Persona Mistakesrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 23 Aug 2012 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom2012084-common-persona-mistakes-to-avoidgt
37 Ibid38 Ibid 39 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013
Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
F ict ional prof i les of your customers to ass ist in market segmentat ion
Walking a mile in someone elsersquos shoes Clicheacute Yes Uncomfortable Yes
Someone elsersquos shoes never feel quite right But letrsquos get a little uncomfortable
to better understand your customers and why they buy Walking a mile in your
customersrsquo shoes can help you uncover what motivates them
After all how well do you really know your customers and
your users If you walked a mile in their shoes what would
you find Would you discover that you actually know a lot
about who uses your services or buys from you Or would
your findings be surprising
Enter personas Personas are visual fictional stories that
describe actual customers Using customer personas helps build a strong
understanding of who your customers are what drives them to buy from you and
what problems you can help them solve Personas can guide you to more targeted
and customer-centric businessmarketing approaches and help to
1 Shift an organizationrsquos perspective to the customerrsquos
2 Provide insight into customersrsquo and usersrsquo decision-making priorities1
3 Offer greater detail on the different messages audience segments
respond to2
Never heard of personas You might be surprised that personas have been right
in front of you for years Case in point Jared the Subwayreg guy Sixteen years
ago Subway learned of Jaredrsquos success losing 245 pounds by swapping fast food
lunches for Subway meals Jared was an exact match with one of the companyrsquos
target segments working professionals short on time that wanted to lose weight
and eat healthy3 Subway struck gold when they turned a real customer aligned
with a key persona into the franchise spokesperson Sales tripled after Jaredrsquos
ldquooversized pantsrdquo became famous growing from $31 billion in 1998 the year
before Jared was introduced to $115 billion in 20114
Personas are not new but their popularity is exploding due in part to their
multiple uses While companies donrsquot often publish their persona work because of
its highly valuable strategic and competitive nature a 2011 survey found that 65
1 Eisenberg Bryan ldquoContent Marketing Personasrdquo Bryan Eisenberg Np 7 Sept 2012 Web 16 Sept 2014 lthttp3A2F2Fwwwbryaneisenbergcom2Fcontent-marketing-personas2F)gt
2 Ibid3 Horovitz Bruce ldquoJared and Subway Whorsquos the Biggest Winnerrdquo USA Today Gannett 23 Feb 2013 Web 25
Oct 2014 lthttpwwwusatodaycomstorymoneybusiness20130223jared-fogle-subway-diet1928793gt4 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
percent of usability professionals said they were using personas in user-centered
design work5 Adoption of buyer personas has been much slower however A
2014 study found that only 44 percent of business-to-business (B2B) marketers are
currently using personas That said persona adoption is forecasted to rise
in the coming years6 In fact 29 percent of respondents to the 2014 study said
they expect to be using personas in the next 12 months7 Interest in personas
mirrors the rise of customer experience digital marketing and the ever-increasing
emphasis on content marketing as shown in the Google Trends graph below8
(Figure 1)
Figure 1 Google Trendstrade graph illustrates the rise in the number of persona
searches over time
Personas support market research and work as a piece of an overall marketing
strategy9 Putting a personality behind your data makes it come alive and aids
in market segmentation applications By giving life to business data personas
become useful across the organization They generate return on investment (ROI)
by acting as a focal point for marketing sales and operational activities and they
keep your company focused on your primary target audiencemdashyour customers
Personas also
bull Provide assistance in objective planning Using personas provides critical
audience insights needed to construct targeted marketing messages10
bull Give your team insight into how buying really takes place which enables
5 Sauro Jeff ldquoThe Methods UX Professionals Userdquo Measuring Usability Np 30 Aug 2011 Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwmeasuringusabilitycomblogux-methodsphpgt
6 Schwartz Julie ldquoIncreasing Relevance with Buyer Personas and R2I MarketingrdquoITSMA Online Survey (nd) n pag ITSMA Mar 2014 Web 23 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwitsmacomresearchpdf_freeITSMAPersonasandB2I_AbbSumpdfgt
7 Revella Adele ldquoGot Buyer Personas 44 Say Yes but 85 Arenrsquot Using Them Effectivelyrdquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer Persona Institute 6 Aug 2014 Web 23 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201408got-buyer-personas-44-say-yes-but-85-arent-using-them-effectivelyhtmlgt
8 ldquo Google Trends - Web Search Interest - Worldwide 2004 - Presentrdquo Google Trends Google 17 Sept 2014 Web 17 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwgooglecomtrendsexploreq=buyer20personas2C20marketing20personas2C20design20personasampcmpt=qgt
9 ldquoMarket Segmentation Definition | Investopediardquo Investopedia Np nd Web 22 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwinvestopediacomtermsmmarketsegmentationaspgt
10 Yang Suttida ldquoWhy Understanding Buyer Personas Is Key to Content Marketing Successrdquo LinkSmart Np 8 May 2014 Web 16 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwlinksmartcomunderstanding-buyer-personas-key-content-marketing-successgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
you to detail buyer needs and deliver tailored messaging throughout the
buying cycle11
bullCreate a uniform messaging development platform for your entire team12
As you walk with us through this Blue Paperreg we will explore how personas can
help you identify and connect with customers in an effort to be more targeted
and personalized in your marketing approach Wersquoll reference a fictional persona
Chelsie to help illustrate the building and usage of personas while also providing
you with a step-by-step guide to creating and implementing them within your
organization
Lace up your shoes Personas expla ined Personas help you get into your customersrsquo shoes to gain more insight on their
perspectives about your company And like any shoes those shoes come in
a variety of categories that have similarities gym shoes heels hiking boots
and more Your customers and potential customers naturally fall into groups
as well based on commonalities they share in other words through market
segmentation Investopediatrade explains the basic traits used to identify segments
1 Homogeneity mdashcustomer or users with common needs13
2 Distinctionmdashcommon characteristics that make groups unique
from each other14
3 Reactionmdashgroup has a similar response to the overall market15
Since we are talking shoes letrsquos look at a fictional
athletic shoe company Greater Gear Shoe Co to
better demonstrate these traits Greater Gear has
multiple market segments that include basketball
players runners (sprinters and long distance) gym
rats baseball players and even yogis These groups
have their own needs for footwear (homogeneity)
No two groups are the same due to their unique
needs (distinction) Basketball players will have a different response to the
footwear market than yogis and the sprinters will have a different reaction than
the long distance runners (reaction)
Personas are an extension of market segmentation and while they have a sole
connection the two concepts are not the same Market segmentation is a method
11 Ibid12 Ibid 13 ldquoMarket Segmentation Definition | Investopediardquo Investopedia Np nd Web 22 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwinvestopediacomtermsmmarketsegmentationaspgt14 Ibid15 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
for breaking down your large target markets into like-minded groups Personas
bring those pre-established groups to life by giving each group a potential
representative personality Market segmentation does not actually tell you what is
driving your customers but adding personality behaviors goals and motivations
to the data can
Personas are always one of two types user or buyer Both forms of personas have
separate but parallel histories A buyer persona uses both market research and
real data about existing and potential customers to create detailed descriptions
or profiles of targeted customers16 Angus Jenkinson developed buyer personas
in 1993 with the goal of going beyond typical market segmentation to grasp the
essential characteristics and needs of buyer groups17 His work created the concept
that customer segments can be seen as communities with a group identity
Customer engagement agency OglivyOne Internationalreg adopted this concept
for use with clients as ldquoday-in-the-life archetype descriptionsrdquo18 Jenkinson and
researcher Michael Jacobs teamed up to write a series of papers on persona
development methods for the OgilvyOne online knowledge base19 Jenkinson and
Jacobsrsquo research was then used in over 40 countries to build customer service and
client loyalty20
During the same time period Alan Cooper a software development pioneer was
developing the user persona concept21 Starting in 1995 Cooper began exploring
how specific users interact with software Cooperrsquos goal was to increase the
usability of computer programs and websites22 Where buyer personas focus on
buyer behaviors and motivations user personas strive
to paint a picture of user goals tasks and skill level
Personas soon received some major media attention
in an unlikely way Enter the 1995 Denver City Council
Elections and 1996 presidential elections In 1995 City
Council candidate Susan B Casey introduced the world
to the soccer mom persona when she branded herself
as ldquoA Soccer Mom for City Councilrdquo23 She realized
16 Kusinitz Sam ldquoThe Definition of a Buyer Persona [in Under 100 Words]rdquoThe Definition of a Buyer Persona [in Under 100 Words] HubSpot Inbound Hub 8 Mar 2014 Web 16 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingbuyer-persona-definition-under-100-srgt
17 ldquoAskDefine | Define Personaerdquo Define Personae AskDefinecom nd Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttppersonaeaskdefinebetacomgt
18 Jenkins Angus ldquoJournal of Direct Data and Digital Marketing Practice (2009) 112 124-139rdquo Journal of Direct Data and Digital Marketing Practice 112 (2009) 124-39 JSTOR Web 23 Sept 2014
19 ldquoAskDefine | Define Personaerdquo Define Personae AskDefinecom nd Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttppersonaeaskdefinebetacomgt
20 Ibid21 Ibid22 Cooper Alan ldquoThe Origin of Personasrdquo Cooper Journal Np 15 May 2008 Web 16 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwcoopercomjournal200805the_origin_of_personasgt23 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996
Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
that this ldquoevery neighborrdquo persona represented a large number of voters in her
district24 After Susanrsquos win using the soccer mom slogan the marketing teams
behind Bob Dole and President Clintonrsquos presidential campaigns realized their
candidates needed to appeal to this group of voters on a national level25 This
group of voters was personified as suburban middle-class working mothersmdashand
even more importantly they were swing voters
You could find these moms driving their kids to sports
practices and club meetings pacing the sidelines at every
game and dedicated to family well-being But between
work and family commitments these women were short
on time This group of voters became so important to
the electionrsquos outcome that Bob Dole even spoke directly
to the soccer moms while concluding his address at the
Republican National Convention Despite his personal
attempt at connecting President Clinton was the one to
gain favor among the soccer moms and won the election
As time passed more marketers and Web developers jumped on the persona
bandwagon when they saw the benefits of using personas (both buyer and user)
to increase customer-centricity and positive customer experiences both in on- and
offline activities Today both B2B and business to consumer (B2C) companies are
making use of personas in a variety of capacities rooted in customer-centricity and
operational efficiency Buyer personas can be helpful for marketers because they
help align decisions messages and programsmdashand therefore dollars with what
real customers actually want instead of just what we think they might want26
In other words wersquore really starting to understand what itrsquos like to walk in our
customersrsquo shoes
Are you ready to hit the trail Next wersquoll tackle the dos and donrsquots for persona
development with this step-by-step guide
Eight steps to perfect personas
What makes the perfect persona And what information should your personas
include How specific should your characters be And can they be general
personalities that represent your market segments or do you need to spell out
everything from what kind of toothpaste they use to how they take their eggs
You probably have a lot of questions about building and implementing personas
24 Ibid25 Revella Adele ldquoPower to the Soccer Mom How Just One Buyer Persona Revealed This Winning
Strategyrdquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 4 June 2014 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201406power-to-the-soccer-mom-how-just-one-buyer-persona-revealed-this-winning-strategyhtmlgt
26 Revella Adele ldquoWhat the Bleep Is a Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 8 Nov 2006 Web 19 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom200611whats_a_buyer_phtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Have no fear mdashwersquoll walk you through each of the following eight steps of
persona-building basics in detail
1 Getting started
2 Brainstorming
3 Research and interviews
4 Persona identificationprioritization
5 Write personas
6 Discuss and finalize
7 Putting personas to work
8 Persona measurement and refinement
Before we get started letrsquos introduce the sample persona for the Greater Gear
Shoe Co we referenced earlier Meet Chelsie As a 25 year-old physically fit
female who enjoys running and group fitness activities she is part of Greater
Gearrsquos target audience Chelsie will be with us as we work through each step in
the persona-building process Wersquoll use Chelsie and her persona characteristics to
help illustrate key points throughout the process
Step one Getting started
Your very first step is to look at the current market segmentation your company is
using If yoursquore not currently using any some basic segmentation will be essential
to building accurate personas Use these segmentation tips to get started
B2B companies consider segmenting your target audience by
bullWhat they do (industry sector public vs private and size)
bull How they operate (how they use your product and
the technology available)
bullBuying patterns (size and frequency) and
bullBehavior (loyalty and attitude toward risk)27
B2C companies can think about grouping their audience by
bullLocation
bullBuyer profile (demographic information)
bullLifestyles and
bullBuyer behavior28
Greater Gear Shoe Co relies heavily on B2C segmentation factors and you can see
all of these elements reflected in Chelsiersquos persona For example we know that
Chelsie is an urban-dwelling (location) twenty-something (demographic data)
with a passion for local road races (lifestyle) who is an avid social media user and
27 ldquoSegment Your Customersrdquo Quebec Info for Entrepreneurs Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal 2009 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwinfoentrepreneursorgenguidessegment-your-customersgt
28 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
online shopping enthusiast (buyer behavior)
With market segmentation in place either basic or extensive you can now
examine your existing segments Ask yourself the following questions
bullAre the current segments growing
bullAre the segments areas you can compete on
bull Is the segmented group large enough to have activities and messages
tailored to it
bullWill it be profitable to target this group
Are you answering yes to these questions If so start your persona development
here to ensure you have personas that reflect each of your core segments
Step two Brainstorming
Brainstorming is up next It is time to generate personality characteristics for
each of your data segments Conduct this brainstorm by inviting both customers
and employees from across the company to help think of traits and personality
adjectives that represent your customers and stakeholders Then lay them out
in grid format Yoursquoll want to list the brainstormed traits in a 2X2 grid with
ldquoinformation-processing stylerdquo on the horizontal axis and ldquodecision-making
stylerdquo on the vertical axis29 The grid will move horizontally from ldquoemotionalrdquo
to ldquologicalrdquo and then vertically from ldquoquick-to-deciderdquo to ldquodeliberate decision-
making30rdquo You can see what we mean in the customer characteristics grid for
Greater Gear Shoe Co below (Figure 2)
Figure 2 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics
29 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013 Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
30 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
After completing your grid review where the clusters of traits lie You can then
group these characteristics by placing colored shapes over the traits that seem
like they could or would be the same persona The illustration below (Figure 3)
demonstrates this colored bubble method of grouping similar characteristics
Figure 3 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics with colored bubbles
demonstrating similar characteristics
We start to see Chelsiersquos caring personality loosely reflected in the lower bubble
She is dedicated and confident in her career In her work place she sets goals and
works hard to meet them her sense of commitment carries through to her active
lifestyle While Chelsiersquos personality is evident in this lower bubble the other
bubbles should connect with Greater Gearrsquos other audience segments
After you complete your grid or ldquopersonality adjectives maprdquo you should have
three to seven colored circlesmdasheach of which should surround the traits that could
all belong to one persona But thatrsquos only the beginning Yoursquoll need to conduct
additional research to help crystallize and support your personality adjectives
map findings
Start by utilizing the customer data you have available Helpful records may
include general customer contact information demographics psychographics
andor transactional data This information will help either support or disprove
general assumptions you made about your customers during brainstorming
Are you finding yoursquore short on customer research and in need of answers to
additional questions about your customers before you start the interview process
Supplement the data you have with these data sourcing tools Give Googletrade
Consumer Surveys (GCS) Quoratrade or Feedback Armytrade a try31 These tools provide a
range of cost-effective options for accessing customer feedback
31 Saracino Adria ldquoBuild a Better Buyer Persona 5 Creative Data Sourcing Ideasrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 17 Sept 2013 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201309build-better-buyer-persona-data-sourcing-ideasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Before leaving this step compile all of your data to help identify potential
personalities from the personalities map that match key segments in your
customer data This information will help inform your interviews and the
following persona development steps
Step three Interviews
The research you compiled in step two will help identify potential personalities
that match key segments in your customer data making the interview stage much
easier During interview selection find buyers who match your key segments and
mapped character traits but also some who donrsquot to ensure your personas are
reflective of your buyers
With Greater Gear Shoe Co in mind letrsquos plan to interview their customers Wersquoll
want to keep the following tips in mind
bull We need to interview actual recent buyers
bull Have the buyers walk through their decision and purchasing process Did
they buy from Greater Gear online or shop at the physical location Did they
use the Greater Gear website to research the product before going to the
store to finalize fit and style Map out their purchasing process
bull Interview a variety of people who purchased different Greater Gear products
to provide the best and most accurate perspective
bullAnd make sure to ask why they chose to buy from your company32
And finally prep for your interviews by formulating a list of questions for the
customers you are interviewing33 The focus of your interviews will vary based on
your companyrsquos needs and the type of personas you are writing but herersquos a list
of potential interview questions to consider for both buyer and user personas
Buyer persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Details about their professional career (What job do they have Where do
they work and how long have they been there What
are their professional goals)
bull What does their typical day look like (How far from
home do they work What media do they consume
throughout the day What does their workday look
like What community organizations are they involved
in What people matter most to them How do they
prefer to spend their time What do they do for fun)
32 Ibid33 Eridon Corey ldquo9 Questions You Need to Ask When Developing Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing
HubSpot Inbound Hub 19 Jan 2012 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcomblogtabid6307bid309079-Questions-You-Need-to-Ask-When-Developing-Buyer-Personasaspxgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
bull What process do your target customers use to explore
and select a product service or solution34
bull What are the pain points experienced in using your
product or service (If you have a customer journey
map pull it out during this step35)
bull What are three to five problems the target customer
may dedicate time budget or political capital to36
bull Are their tangible or intangible metricsrewards that
the customer associates with success Examples may
include ldquogrow revenue by Xrdquo or a discountother promotion37
bull Uncover unseen factors like competing interests politics (internal
or governmental) or history with your company by asking about
perceived barriers38
User persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Computer and Internet skills
bull Preferred Internet browser
bull Goals for completing processes relevant to your website or design project
bull Perceived barriers to successful use of projects (product or Web design)
similar to yours
bull What are their pain points in using your product service or website
bull What factors determine the usersrsquo perceived successes when using your
website product or service design
Step four Persona identificationprioritization
Yoursquoll want to sort through the customer research and personality adjectives map
to identify and prioritize potential personas Try and prioritize between three to
seven personas per business line Too many personas can be confusing however
we also caution you from trying to roll traits into an average user as doing so will
not be effective Bryan Eisenberg digital marketing and personas guru offers up
some helpful advice for determining the number of personas needed ldquoUltimately
the number of personas should reflect the number of primary motivations to
purchase your productservice that exist within your customer base Sometimes
personas have identical motivations but dramatically different needs39rdquo
34 Ibid35 ldquoWhy Buyer Personas Can Fuel Your Companyrsquos Success - BoldThinkrdquoIndianapolis Inbound Marketing
Branding Website Design BoldThink 10 May 2013 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpboldthinkcreativecombuyerpersonasfuelgt
36 Revella Adele ldquoHow to Avoid 4 Buyer Persona Mistakesrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 23 Aug 2012 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom2012084-common-persona-mistakes-to-avoidgt
37 Ibid38 Ibid 39 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013
Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
percent of usability professionals said they were using personas in user-centered
design work5 Adoption of buyer personas has been much slower however A
2014 study found that only 44 percent of business-to-business (B2B) marketers are
currently using personas That said persona adoption is forecasted to rise
in the coming years6 In fact 29 percent of respondents to the 2014 study said
they expect to be using personas in the next 12 months7 Interest in personas
mirrors the rise of customer experience digital marketing and the ever-increasing
emphasis on content marketing as shown in the Google Trends graph below8
(Figure 1)
Figure 1 Google Trendstrade graph illustrates the rise in the number of persona
searches over time
Personas support market research and work as a piece of an overall marketing
strategy9 Putting a personality behind your data makes it come alive and aids
in market segmentation applications By giving life to business data personas
become useful across the organization They generate return on investment (ROI)
by acting as a focal point for marketing sales and operational activities and they
keep your company focused on your primary target audiencemdashyour customers
Personas also
bull Provide assistance in objective planning Using personas provides critical
audience insights needed to construct targeted marketing messages10
bull Give your team insight into how buying really takes place which enables
5 Sauro Jeff ldquoThe Methods UX Professionals Userdquo Measuring Usability Np 30 Aug 2011 Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwmeasuringusabilitycomblogux-methodsphpgt
6 Schwartz Julie ldquoIncreasing Relevance with Buyer Personas and R2I MarketingrdquoITSMA Online Survey (nd) n pag ITSMA Mar 2014 Web 23 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwitsmacomresearchpdf_freeITSMAPersonasandB2I_AbbSumpdfgt
7 Revella Adele ldquoGot Buyer Personas 44 Say Yes but 85 Arenrsquot Using Them Effectivelyrdquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer Persona Institute 6 Aug 2014 Web 23 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201408got-buyer-personas-44-say-yes-but-85-arent-using-them-effectivelyhtmlgt
8 ldquo Google Trends - Web Search Interest - Worldwide 2004 - Presentrdquo Google Trends Google 17 Sept 2014 Web 17 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwgooglecomtrendsexploreq=buyer20personas2C20marketing20personas2C20design20personasampcmpt=qgt
9 ldquoMarket Segmentation Definition | Investopediardquo Investopedia Np nd Web 22 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwinvestopediacomtermsmmarketsegmentationaspgt
10 Yang Suttida ldquoWhy Understanding Buyer Personas Is Key to Content Marketing Successrdquo LinkSmart Np 8 May 2014 Web 16 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwlinksmartcomunderstanding-buyer-personas-key-content-marketing-successgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
you to detail buyer needs and deliver tailored messaging throughout the
buying cycle11
bullCreate a uniform messaging development platform for your entire team12
As you walk with us through this Blue Paperreg we will explore how personas can
help you identify and connect with customers in an effort to be more targeted
and personalized in your marketing approach Wersquoll reference a fictional persona
Chelsie to help illustrate the building and usage of personas while also providing
you with a step-by-step guide to creating and implementing them within your
organization
Lace up your shoes Personas expla ined Personas help you get into your customersrsquo shoes to gain more insight on their
perspectives about your company And like any shoes those shoes come in
a variety of categories that have similarities gym shoes heels hiking boots
and more Your customers and potential customers naturally fall into groups
as well based on commonalities they share in other words through market
segmentation Investopediatrade explains the basic traits used to identify segments
1 Homogeneity mdashcustomer or users with common needs13
2 Distinctionmdashcommon characteristics that make groups unique
from each other14
3 Reactionmdashgroup has a similar response to the overall market15
Since we are talking shoes letrsquos look at a fictional
athletic shoe company Greater Gear Shoe Co to
better demonstrate these traits Greater Gear has
multiple market segments that include basketball
players runners (sprinters and long distance) gym
rats baseball players and even yogis These groups
have their own needs for footwear (homogeneity)
No two groups are the same due to their unique
needs (distinction) Basketball players will have a different response to the
footwear market than yogis and the sprinters will have a different reaction than
the long distance runners (reaction)
Personas are an extension of market segmentation and while they have a sole
connection the two concepts are not the same Market segmentation is a method
11 Ibid12 Ibid 13 ldquoMarket Segmentation Definition | Investopediardquo Investopedia Np nd Web 22 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwinvestopediacomtermsmmarketsegmentationaspgt14 Ibid15 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
for breaking down your large target markets into like-minded groups Personas
bring those pre-established groups to life by giving each group a potential
representative personality Market segmentation does not actually tell you what is
driving your customers but adding personality behaviors goals and motivations
to the data can
Personas are always one of two types user or buyer Both forms of personas have
separate but parallel histories A buyer persona uses both market research and
real data about existing and potential customers to create detailed descriptions
or profiles of targeted customers16 Angus Jenkinson developed buyer personas
in 1993 with the goal of going beyond typical market segmentation to grasp the
essential characteristics and needs of buyer groups17 His work created the concept
that customer segments can be seen as communities with a group identity
Customer engagement agency OglivyOne Internationalreg adopted this concept
for use with clients as ldquoday-in-the-life archetype descriptionsrdquo18 Jenkinson and
researcher Michael Jacobs teamed up to write a series of papers on persona
development methods for the OgilvyOne online knowledge base19 Jenkinson and
Jacobsrsquo research was then used in over 40 countries to build customer service and
client loyalty20
During the same time period Alan Cooper a software development pioneer was
developing the user persona concept21 Starting in 1995 Cooper began exploring
how specific users interact with software Cooperrsquos goal was to increase the
usability of computer programs and websites22 Where buyer personas focus on
buyer behaviors and motivations user personas strive
to paint a picture of user goals tasks and skill level
Personas soon received some major media attention
in an unlikely way Enter the 1995 Denver City Council
Elections and 1996 presidential elections In 1995 City
Council candidate Susan B Casey introduced the world
to the soccer mom persona when she branded herself
as ldquoA Soccer Mom for City Councilrdquo23 She realized
16 Kusinitz Sam ldquoThe Definition of a Buyer Persona [in Under 100 Words]rdquoThe Definition of a Buyer Persona [in Under 100 Words] HubSpot Inbound Hub 8 Mar 2014 Web 16 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingbuyer-persona-definition-under-100-srgt
17 ldquoAskDefine | Define Personaerdquo Define Personae AskDefinecom nd Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttppersonaeaskdefinebetacomgt
18 Jenkins Angus ldquoJournal of Direct Data and Digital Marketing Practice (2009) 112 124-139rdquo Journal of Direct Data and Digital Marketing Practice 112 (2009) 124-39 JSTOR Web 23 Sept 2014
19 ldquoAskDefine | Define Personaerdquo Define Personae AskDefinecom nd Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttppersonaeaskdefinebetacomgt
20 Ibid21 Ibid22 Cooper Alan ldquoThe Origin of Personasrdquo Cooper Journal Np 15 May 2008 Web 16 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwcoopercomjournal200805the_origin_of_personasgt23 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996
Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
that this ldquoevery neighborrdquo persona represented a large number of voters in her
district24 After Susanrsquos win using the soccer mom slogan the marketing teams
behind Bob Dole and President Clintonrsquos presidential campaigns realized their
candidates needed to appeal to this group of voters on a national level25 This
group of voters was personified as suburban middle-class working mothersmdashand
even more importantly they were swing voters
You could find these moms driving their kids to sports
practices and club meetings pacing the sidelines at every
game and dedicated to family well-being But between
work and family commitments these women were short
on time This group of voters became so important to
the electionrsquos outcome that Bob Dole even spoke directly
to the soccer moms while concluding his address at the
Republican National Convention Despite his personal
attempt at connecting President Clinton was the one to
gain favor among the soccer moms and won the election
As time passed more marketers and Web developers jumped on the persona
bandwagon when they saw the benefits of using personas (both buyer and user)
to increase customer-centricity and positive customer experiences both in on- and
offline activities Today both B2B and business to consumer (B2C) companies are
making use of personas in a variety of capacities rooted in customer-centricity and
operational efficiency Buyer personas can be helpful for marketers because they
help align decisions messages and programsmdashand therefore dollars with what
real customers actually want instead of just what we think they might want26
In other words wersquore really starting to understand what itrsquos like to walk in our
customersrsquo shoes
Are you ready to hit the trail Next wersquoll tackle the dos and donrsquots for persona
development with this step-by-step guide
Eight steps to perfect personas
What makes the perfect persona And what information should your personas
include How specific should your characters be And can they be general
personalities that represent your market segments or do you need to spell out
everything from what kind of toothpaste they use to how they take their eggs
You probably have a lot of questions about building and implementing personas
24 Ibid25 Revella Adele ldquoPower to the Soccer Mom How Just One Buyer Persona Revealed This Winning
Strategyrdquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 4 June 2014 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201406power-to-the-soccer-mom-how-just-one-buyer-persona-revealed-this-winning-strategyhtmlgt
26 Revella Adele ldquoWhat the Bleep Is a Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 8 Nov 2006 Web 19 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom200611whats_a_buyer_phtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Have no fear mdashwersquoll walk you through each of the following eight steps of
persona-building basics in detail
1 Getting started
2 Brainstorming
3 Research and interviews
4 Persona identificationprioritization
5 Write personas
6 Discuss and finalize
7 Putting personas to work
8 Persona measurement and refinement
Before we get started letrsquos introduce the sample persona for the Greater Gear
Shoe Co we referenced earlier Meet Chelsie As a 25 year-old physically fit
female who enjoys running and group fitness activities she is part of Greater
Gearrsquos target audience Chelsie will be with us as we work through each step in
the persona-building process Wersquoll use Chelsie and her persona characteristics to
help illustrate key points throughout the process
Step one Getting started
Your very first step is to look at the current market segmentation your company is
using If yoursquore not currently using any some basic segmentation will be essential
to building accurate personas Use these segmentation tips to get started
B2B companies consider segmenting your target audience by
bullWhat they do (industry sector public vs private and size)
bull How they operate (how they use your product and
the technology available)
bullBuying patterns (size and frequency) and
bullBehavior (loyalty and attitude toward risk)27
B2C companies can think about grouping their audience by
bullLocation
bullBuyer profile (demographic information)
bullLifestyles and
bullBuyer behavior28
Greater Gear Shoe Co relies heavily on B2C segmentation factors and you can see
all of these elements reflected in Chelsiersquos persona For example we know that
Chelsie is an urban-dwelling (location) twenty-something (demographic data)
with a passion for local road races (lifestyle) who is an avid social media user and
27 ldquoSegment Your Customersrdquo Quebec Info for Entrepreneurs Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal 2009 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwinfoentrepreneursorgenguidessegment-your-customersgt
28 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
online shopping enthusiast (buyer behavior)
With market segmentation in place either basic or extensive you can now
examine your existing segments Ask yourself the following questions
bullAre the current segments growing
bullAre the segments areas you can compete on
bull Is the segmented group large enough to have activities and messages
tailored to it
bullWill it be profitable to target this group
Are you answering yes to these questions If so start your persona development
here to ensure you have personas that reflect each of your core segments
Step two Brainstorming
Brainstorming is up next It is time to generate personality characteristics for
each of your data segments Conduct this brainstorm by inviting both customers
and employees from across the company to help think of traits and personality
adjectives that represent your customers and stakeholders Then lay them out
in grid format Yoursquoll want to list the brainstormed traits in a 2X2 grid with
ldquoinformation-processing stylerdquo on the horizontal axis and ldquodecision-making
stylerdquo on the vertical axis29 The grid will move horizontally from ldquoemotionalrdquo
to ldquologicalrdquo and then vertically from ldquoquick-to-deciderdquo to ldquodeliberate decision-
making30rdquo You can see what we mean in the customer characteristics grid for
Greater Gear Shoe Co below (Figure 2)
Figure 2 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics
29 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013 Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
30 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
After completing your grid review where the clusters of traits lie You can then
group these characteristics by placing colored shapes over the traits that seem
like they could or would be the same persona The illustration below (Figure 3)
demonstrates this colored bubble method of grouping similar characteristics
Figure 3 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics with colored bubbles
demonstrating similar characteristics
We start to see Chelsiersquos caring personality loosely reflected in the lower bubble
She is dedicated and confident in her career In her work place she sets goals and
works hard to meet them her sense of commitment carries through to her active
lifestyle While Chelsiersquos personality is evident in this lower bubble the other
bubbles should connect with Greater Gearrsquos other audience segments
After you complete your grid or ldquopersonality adjectives maprdquo you should have
three to seven colored circlesmdasheach of which should surround the traits that could
all belong to one persona But thatrsquos only the beginning Yoursquoll need to conduct
additional research to help crystallize and support your personality adjectives
map findings
Start by utilizing the customer data you have available Helpful records may
include general customer contact information demographics psychographics
andor transactional data This information will help either support or disprove
general assumptions you made about your customers during brainstorming
Are you finding yoursquore short on customer research and in need of answers to
additional questions about your customers before you start the interview process
Supplement the data you have with these data sourcing tools Give Googletrade
Consumer Surveys (GCS) Quoratrade or Feedback Armytrade a try31 These tools provide a
range of cost-effective options for accessing customer feedback
31 Saracino Adria ldquoBuild a Better Buyer Persona 5 Creative Data Sourcing Ideasrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 17 Sept 2013 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201309build-better-buyer-persona-data-sourcing-ideasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Before leaving this step compile all of your data to help identify potential
personalities from the personalities map that match key segments in your
customer data This information will help inform your interviews and the
following persona development steps
Step three Interviews
The research you compiled in step two will help identify potential personalities
that match key segments in your customer data making the interview stage much
easier During interview selection find buyers who match your key segments and
mapped character traits but also some who donrsquot to ensure your personas are
reflective of your buyers
With Greater Gear Shoe Co in mind letrsquos plan to interview their customers Wersquoll
want to keep the following tips in mind
bull We need to interview actual recent buyers
bull Have the buyers walk through their decision and purchasing process Did
they buy from Greater Gear online or shop at the physical location Did they
use the Greater Gear website to research the product before going to the
store to finalize fit and style Map out their purchasing process
bull Interview a variety of people who purchased different Greater Gear products
to provide the best and most accurate perspective
bullAnd make sure to ask why they chose to buy from your company32
And finally prep for your interviews by formulating a list of questions for the
customers you are interviewing33 The focus of your interviews will vary based on
your companyrsquos needs and the type of personas you are writing but herersquos a list
of potential interview questions to consider for both buyer and user personas
Buyer persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Details about their professional career (What job do they have Where do
they work and how long have they been there What
are their professional goals)
bull What does their typical day look like (How far from
home do they work What media do they consume
throughout the day What does their workday look
like What community organizations are they involved
in What people matter most to them How do they
prefer to spend their time What do they do for fun)
32 Ibid33 Eridon Corey ldquo9 Questions You Need to Ask When Developing Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing
HubSpot Inbound Hub 19 Jan 2012 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcomblogtabid6307bid309079-Questions-You-Need-to-Ask-When-Developing-Buyer-Personasaspxgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
bull What process do your target customers use to explore
and select a product service or solution34
bull What are the pain points experienced in using your
product or service (If you have a customer journey
map pull it out during this step35)
bull What are three to five problems the target customer
may dedicate time budget or political capital to36
bull Are their tangible or intangible metricsrewards that
the customer associates with success Examples may
include ldquogrow revenue by Xrdquo or a discountother promotion37
bull Uncover unseen factors like competing interests politics (internal
or governmental) or history with your company by asking about
perceived barriers38
User persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Computer and Internet skills
bull Preferred Internet browser
bull Goals for completing processes relevant to your website or design project
bull Perceived barriers to successful use of projects (product or Web design)
similar to yours
bull What are their pain points in using your product service or website
bull What factors determine the usersrsquo perceived successes when using your
website product or service design
Step four Persona identificationprioritization
Yoursquoll want to sort through the customer research and personality adjectives map
to identify and prioritize potential personas Try and prioritize between three to
seven personas per business line Too many personas can be confusing however
we also caution you from trying to roll traits into an average user as doing so will
not be effective Bryan Eisenberg digital marketing and personas guru offers up
some helpful advice for determining the number of personas needed ldquoUltimately
the number of personas should reflect the number of primary motivations to
purchase your productservice that exist within your customer base Sometimes
personas have identical motivations but dramatically different needs39rdquo
34 Ibid35 ldquoWhy Buyer Personas Can Fuel Your Companyrsquos Success - BoldThinkrdquoIndianapolis Inbound Marketing
Branding Website Design BoldThink 10 May 2013 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpboldthinkcreativecombuyerpersonasfuelgt
36 Revella Adele ldquoHow to Avoid 4 Buyer Persona Mistakesrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 23 Aug 2012 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom2012084-common-persona-mistakes-to-avoidgt
37 Ibid38 Ibid 39 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013
Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
you to detail buyer needs and deliver tailored messaging throughout the
buying cycle11
bullCreate a uniform messaging development platform for your entire team12
As you walk with us through this Blue Paperreg we will explore how personas can
help you identify and connect with customers in an effort to be more targeted
and personalized in your marketing approach Wersquoll reference a fictional persona
Chelsie to help illustrate the building and usage of personas while also providing
you with a step-by-step guide to creating and implementing them within your
organization
Lace up your shoes Personas expla ined Personas help you get into your customersrsquo shoes to gain more insight on their
perspectives about your company And like any shoes those shoes come in
a variety of categories that have similarities gym shoes heels hiking boots
and more Your customers and potential customers naturally fall into groups
as well based on commonalities they share in other words through market
segmentation Investopediatrade explains the basic traits used to identify segments
1 Homogeneity mdashcustomer or users with common needs13
2 Distinctionmdashcommon characteristics that make groups unique
from each other14
3 Reactionmdashgroup has a similar response to the overall market15
Since we are talking shoes letrsquos look at a fictional
athletic shoe company Greater Gear Shoe Co to
better demonstrate these traits Greater Gear has
multiple market segments that include basketball
players runners (sprinters and long distance) gym
rats baseball players and even yogis These groups
have their own needs for footwear (homogeneity)
No two groups are the same due to their unique
needs (distinction) Basketball players will have a different response to the
footwear market than yogis and the sprinters will have a different reaction than
the long distance runners (reaction)
Personas are an extension of market segmentation and while they have a sole
connection the two concepts are not the same Market segmentation is a method
11 Ibid12 Ibid 13 ldquoMarket Segmentation Definition | Investopediardquo Investopedia Np nd Web 22 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwinvestopediacomtermsmmarketsegmentationaspgt14 Ibid15 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
for breaking down your large target markets into like-minded groups Personas
bring those pre-established groups to life by giving each group a potential
representative personality Market segmentation does not actually tell you what is
driving your customers but adding personality behaviors goals and motivations
to the data can
Personas are always one of two types user or buyer Both forms of personas have
separate but parallel histories A buyer persona uses both market research and
real data about existing and potential customers to create detailed descriptions
or profiles of targeted customers16 Angus Jenkinson developed buyer personas
in 1993 with the goal of going beyond typical market segmentation to grasp the
essential characteristics and needs of buyer groups17 His work created the concept
that customer segments can be seen as communities with a group identity
Customer engagement agency OglivyOne Internationalreg adopted this concept
for use with clients as ldquoday-in-the-life archetype descriptionsrdquo18 Jenkinson and
researcher Michael Jacobs teamed up to write a series of papers on persona
development methods for the OgilvyOne online knowledge base19 Jenkinson and
Jacobsrsquo research was then used in over 40 countries to build customer service and
client loyalty20
During the same time period Alan Cooper a software development pioneer was
developing the user persona concept21 Starting in 1995 Cooper began exploring
how specific users interact with software Cooperrsquos goal was to increase the
usability of computer programs and websites22 Where buyer personas focus on
buyer behaviors and motivations user personas strive
to paint a picture of user goals tasks and skill level
Personas soon received some major media attention
in an unlikely way Enter the 1995 Denver City Council
Elections and 1996 presidential elections In 1995 City
Council candidate Susan B Casey introduced the world
to the soccer mom persona when she branded herself
as ldquoA Soccer Mom for City Councilrdquo23 She realized
16 Kusinitz Sam ldquoThe Definition of a Buyer Persona [in Under 100 Words]rdquoThe Definition of a Buyer Persona [in Under 100 Words] HubSpot Inbound Hub 8 Mar 2014 Web 16 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingbuyer-persona-definition-under-100-srgt
17 ldquoAskDefine | Define Personaerdquo Define Personae AskDefinecom nd Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttppersonaeaskdefinebetacomgt
18 Jenkins Angus ldquoJournal of Direct Data and Digital Marketing Practice (2009) 112 124-139rdquo Journal of Direct Data and Digital Marketing Practice 112 (2009) 124-39 JSTOR Web 23 Sept 2014
19 ldquoAskDefine | Define Personaerdquo Define Personae AskDefinecom nd Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttppersonaeaskdefinebetacomgt
20 Ibid21 Ibid22 Cooper Alan ldquoThe Origin of Personasrdquo Cooper Journal Np 15 May 2008 Web 16 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwcoopercomjournal200805the_origin_of_personasgt23 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996
Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
that this ldquoevery neighborrdquo persona represented a large number of voters in her
district24 After Susanrsquos win using the soccer mom slogan the marketing teams
behind Bob Dole and President Clintonrsquos presidential campaigns realized their
candidates needed to appeal to this group of voters on a national level25 This
group of voters was personified as suburban middle-class working mothersmdashand
even more importantly they were swing voters
You could find these moms driving their kids to sports
practices and club meetings pacing the sidelines at every
game and dedicated to family well-being But between
work and family commitments these women were short
on time This group of voters became so important to
the electionrsquos outcome that Bob Dole even spoke directly
to the soccer moms while concluding his address at the
Republican National Convention Despite his personal
attempt at connecting President Clinton was the one to
gain favor among the soccer moms and won the election
As time passed more marketers and Web developers jumped on the persona
bandwagon when they saw the benefits of using personas (both buyer and user)
to increase customer-centricity and positive customer experiences both in on- and
offline activities Today both B2B and business to consumer (B2C) companies are
making use of personas in a variety of capacities rooted in customer-centricity and
operational efficiency Buyer personas can be helpful for marketers because they
help align decisions messages and programsmdashand therefore dollars with what
real customers actually want instead of just what we think they might want26
In other words wersquore really starting to understand what itrsquos like to walk in our
customersrsquo shoes
Are you ready to hit the trail Next wersquoll tackle the dos and donrsquots for persona
development with this step-by-step guide
Eight steps to perfect personas
What makes the perfect persona And what information should your personas
include How specific should your characters be And can they be general
personalities that represent your market segments or do you need to spell out
everything from what kind of toothpaste they use to how they take their eggs
You probably have a lot of questions about building and implementing personas
24 Ibid25 Revella Adele ldquoPower to the Soccer Mom How Just One Buyer Persona Revealed This Winning
Strategyrdquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 4 June 2014 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201406power-to-the-soccer-mom-how-just-one-buyer-persona-revealed-this-winning-strategyhtmlgt
26 Revella Adele ldquoWhat the Bleep Is a Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 8 Nov 2006 Web 19 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom200611whats_a_buyer_phtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Have no fear mdashwersquoll walk you through each of the following eight steps of
persona-building basics in detail
1 Getting started
2 Brainstorming
3 Research and interviews
4 Persona identificationprioritization
5 Write personas
6 Discuss and finalize
7 Putting personas to work
8 Persona measurement and refinement
Before we get started letrsquos introduce the sample persona for the Greater Gear
Shoe Co we referenced earlier Meet Chelsie As a 25 year-old physically fit
female who enjoys running and group fitness activities she is part of Greater
Gearrsquos target audience Chelsie will be with us as we work through each step in
the persona-building process Wersquoll use Chelsie and her persona characteristics to
help illustrate key points throughout the process
Step one Getting started
Your very first step is to look at the current market segmentation your company is
using If yoursquore not currently using any some basic segmentation will be essential
to building accurate personas Use these segmentation tips to get started
B2B companies consider segmenting your target audience by
bullWhat they do (industry sector public vs private and size)
bull How they operate (how they use your product and
the technology available)
bullBuying patterns (size and frequency) and
bullBehavior (loyalty and attitude toward risk)27
B2C companies can think about grouping their audience by
bullLocation
bullBuyer profile (demographic information)
bullLifestyles and
bullBuyer behavior28
Greater Gear Shoe Co relies heavily on B2C segmentation factors and you can see
all of these elements reflected in Chelsiersquos persona For example we know that
Chelsie is an urban-dwelling (location) twenty-something (demographic data)
with a passion for local road races (lifestyle) who is an avid social media user and
27 ldquoSegment Your Customersrdquo Quebec Info for Entrepreneurs Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal 2009 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwinfoentrepreneursorgenguidessegment-your-customersgt
28 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
online shopping enthusiast (buyer behavior)
With market segmentation in place either basic or extensive you can now
examine your existing segments Ask yourself the following questions
bullAre the current segments growing
bullAre the segments areas you can compete on
bull Is the segmented group large enough to have activities and messages
tailored to it
bullWill it be profitable to target this group
Are you answering yes to these questions If so start your persona development
here to ensure you have personas that reflect each of your core segments
Step two Brainstorming
Brainstorming is up next It is time to generate personality characteristics for
each of your data segments Conduct this brainstorm by inviting both customers
and employees from across the company to help think of traits and personality
adjectives that represent your customers and stakeholders Then lay them out
in grid format Yoursquoll want to list the brainstormed traits in a 2X2 grid with
ldquoinformation-processing stylerdquo on the horizontal axis and ldquodecision-making
stylerdquo on the vertical axis29 The grid will move horizontally from ldquoemotionalrdquo
to ldquologicalrdquo and then vertically from ldquoquick-to-deciderdquo to ldquodeliberate decision-
making30rdquo You can see what we mean in the customer characteristics grid for
Greater Gear Shoe Co below (Figure 2)
Figure 2 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics
29 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013 Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
30 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
After completing your grid review where the clusters of traits lie You can then
group these characteristics by placing colored shapes over the traits that seem
like they could or would be the same persona The illustration below (Figure 3)
demonstrates this colored bubble method of grouping similar characteristics
Figure 3 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics with colored bubbles
demonstrating similar characteristics
We start to see Chelsiersquos caring personality loosely reflected in the lower bubble
She is dedicated and confident in her career In her work place she sets goals and
works hard to meet them her sense of commitment carries through to her active
lifestyle While Chelsiersquos personality is evident in this lower bubble the other
bubbles should connect with Greater Gearrsquos other audience segments
After you complete your grid or ldquopersonality adjectives maprdquo you should have
three to seven colored circlesmdasheach of which should surround the traits that could
all belong to one persona But thatrsquos only the beginning Yoursquoll need to conduct
additional research to help crystallize and support your personality adjectives
map findings
Start by utilizing the customer data you have available Helpful records may
include general customer contact information demographics psychographics
andor transactional data This information will help either support or disprove
general assumptions you made about your customers during brainstorming
Are you finding yoursquore short on customer research and in need of answers to
additional questions about your customers before you start the interview process
Supplement the data you have with these data sourcing tools Give Googletrade
Consumer Surveys (GCS) Quoratrade or Feedback Armytrade a try31 These tools provide a
range of cost-effective options for accessing customer feedback
31 Saracino Adria ldquoBuild a Better Buyer Persona 5 Creative Data Sourcing Ideasrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 17 Sept 2013 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201309build-better-buyer-persona-data-sourcing-ideasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Before leaving this step compile all of your data to help identify potential
personalities from the personalities map that match key segments in your
customer data This information will help inform your interviews and the
following persona development steps
Step three Interviews
The research you compiled in step two will help identify potential personalities
that match key segments in your customer data making the interview stage much
easier During interview selection find buyers who match your key segments and
mapped character traits but also some who donrsquot to ensure your personas are
reflective of your buyers
With Greater Gear Shoe Co in mind letrsquos plan to interview their customers Wersquoll
want to keep the following tips in mind
bull We need to interview actual recent buyers
bull Have the buyers walk through their decision and purchasing process Did
they buy from Greater Gear online or shop at the physical location Did they
use the Greater Gear website to research the product before going to the
store to finalize fit and style Map out their purchasing process
bull Interview a variety of people who purchased different Greater Gear products
to provide the best and most accurate perspective
bullAnd make sure to ask why they chose to buy from your company32
And finally prep for your interviews by formulating a list of questions for the
customers you are interviewing33 The focus of your interviews will vary based on
your companyrsquos needs and the type of personas you are writing but herersquos a list
of potential interview questions to consider for both buyer and user personas
Buyer persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Details about their professional career (What job do they have Where do
they work and how long have they been there What
are their professional goals)
bull What does their typical day look like (How far from
home do they work What media do they consume
throughout the day What does their workday look
like What community organizations are they involved
in What people matter most to them How do they
prefer to spend their time What do they do for fun)
32 Ibid33 Eridon Corey ldquo9 Questions You Need to Ask When Developing Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing
HubSpot Inbound Hub 19 Jan 2012 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcomblogtabid6307bid309079-Questions-You-Need-to-Ask-When-Developing-Buyer-Personasaspxgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
bull What process do your target customers use to explore
and select a product service or solution34
bull What are the pain points experienced in using your
product or service (If you have a customer journey
map pull it out during this step35)
bull What are three to five problems the target customer
may dedicate time budget or political capital to36
bull Are their tangible or intangible metricsrewards that
the customer associates with success Examples may
include ldquogrow revenue by Xrdquo or a discountother promotion37
bull Uncover unseen factors like competing interests politics (internal
or governmental) or history with your company by asking about
perceived barriers38
User persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Computer and Internet skills
bull Preferred Internet browser
bull Goals for completing processes relevant to your website or design project
bull Perceived barriers to successful use of projects (product or Web design)
similar to yours
bull What are their pain points in using your product service or website
bull What factors determine the usersrsquo perceived successes when using your
website product or service design
Step four Persona identificationprioritization
Yoursquoll want to sort through the customer research and personality adjectives map
to identify and prioritize potential personas Try and prioritize between three to
seven personas per business line Too many personas can be confusing however
we also caution you from trying to roll traits into an average user as doing so will
not be effective Bryan Eisenberg digital marketing and personas guru offers up
some helpful advice for determining the number of personas needed ldquoUltimately
the number of personas should reflect the number of primary motivations to
purchase your productservice that exist within your customer base Sometimes
personas have identical motivations but dramatically different needs39rdquo
34 Ibid35 ldquoWhy Buyer Personas Can Fuel Your Companyrsquos Success - BoldThinkrdquoIndianapolis Inbound Marketing
Branding Website Design BoldThink 10 May 2013 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpboldthinkcreativecombuyerpersonasfuelgt
36 Revella Adele ldquoHow to Avoid 4 Buyer Persona Mistakesrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 23 Aug 2012 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom2012084-common-persona-mistakes-to-avoidgt
37 Ibid38 Ibid 39 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013
Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
for breaking down your large target markets into like-minded groups Personas
bring those pre-established groups to life by giving each group a potential
representative personality Market segmentation does not actually tell you what is
driving your customers but adding personality behaviors goals and motivations
to the data can
Personas are always one of two types user or buyer Both forms of personas have
separate but parallel histories A buyer persona uses both market research and
real data about existing and potential customers to create detailed descriptions
or profiles of targeted customers16 Angus Jenkinson developed buyer personas
in 1993 with the goal of going beyond typical market segmentation to grasp the
essential characteristics and needs of buyer groups17 His work created the concept
that customer segments can be seen as communities with a group identity
Customer engagement agency OglivyOne Internationalreg adopted this concept
for use with clients as ldquoday-in-the-life archetype descriptionsrdquo18 Jenkinson and
researcher Michael Jacobs teamed up to write a series of papers on persona
development methods for the OgilvyOne online knowledge base19 Jenkinson and
Jacobsrsquo research was then used in over 40 countries to build customer service and
client loyalty20
During the same time period Alan Cooper a software development pioneer was
developing the user persona concept21 Starting in 1995 Cooper began exploring
how specific users interact with software Cooperrsquos goal was to increase the
usability of computer programs and websites22 Where buyer personas focus on
buyer behaviors and motivations user personas strive
to paint a picture of user goals tasks and skill level
Personas soon received some major media attention
in an unlikely way Enter the 1995 Denver City Council
Elections and 1996 presidential elections In 1995 City
Council candidate Susan B Casey introduced the world
to the soccer mom persona when she branded herself
as ldquoA Soccer Mom for City Councilrdquo23 She realized
16 Kusinitz Sam ldquoThe Definition of a Buyer Persona [in Under 100 Words]rdquoThe Definition of a Buyer Persona [in Under 100 Words] HubSpot Inbound Hub 8 Mar 2014 Web 16 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingbuyer-persona-definition-under-100-srgt
17 ldquoAskDefine | Define Personaerdquo Define Personae AskDefinecom nd Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttppersonaeaskdefinebetacomgt
18 Jenkins Angus ldquoJournal of Direct Data and Digital Marketing Practice (2009) 112 124-139rdquo Journal of Direct Data and Digital Marketing Practice 112 (2009) 124-39 JSTOR Web 23 Sept 2014
19 ldquoAskDefine | Define Personaerdquo Define Personae AskDefinecom nd Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttppersonaeaskdefinebetacomgt
20 Ibid21 Ibid22 Cooper Alan ldquoThe Origin of Personasrdquo Cooper Journal Np 15 May 2008 Web 16 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwcoopercomjournal200805the_origin_of_personasgt23 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996
Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
that this ldquoevery neighborrdquo persona represented a large number of voters in her
district24 After Susanrsquos win using the soccer mom slogan the marketing teams
behind Bob Dole and President Clintonrsquos presidential campaigns realized their
candidates needed to appeal to this group of voters on a national level25 This
group of voters was personified as suburban middle-class working mothersmdashand
even more importantly they were swing voters
You could find these moms driving their kids to sports
practices and club meetings pacing the sidelines at every
game and dedicated to family well-being But between
work and family commitments these women were short
on time This group of voters became so important to
the electionrsquos outcome that Bob Dole even spoke directly
to the soccer moms while concluding his address at the
Republican National Convention Despite his personal
attempt at connecting President Clinton was the one to
gain favor among the soccer moms and won the election
As time passed more marketers and Web developers jumped on the persona
bandwagon when they saw the benefits of using personas (both buyer and user)
to increase customer-centricity and positive customer experiences both in on- and
offline activities Today both B2B and business to consumer (B2C) companies are
making use of personas in a variety of capacities rooted in customer-centricity and
operational efficiency Buyer personas can be helpful for marketers because they
help align decisions messages and programsmdashand therefore dollars with what
real customers actually want instead of just what we think they might want26
In other words wersquore really starting to understand what itrsquos like to walk in our
customersrsquo shoes
Are you ready to hit the trail Next wersquoll tackle the dos and donrsquots for persona
development with this step-by-step guide
Eight steps to perfect personas
What makes the perfect persona And what information should your personas
include How specific should your characters be And can they be general
personalities that represent your market segments or do you need to spell out
everything from what kind of toothpaste they use to how they take their eggs
You probably have a lot of questions about building and implementing personas
24 Ibid25 Revella Adele ldquoPower to the Soccer Mom How Just One Buyer Persona Revealed This Winning
Strategyrdquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 4 June 2014 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201406power-to-the-soccer-mom-how-just-one-buyer-persona-revealed-this-winning-strategyhtmlgt
26 Revella Adele ldquoWhat the Bleep Is a Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 8 Nov 2006 Web 19 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom200611whats_a_buyer_phtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Have no fear mdashwersquoll walk you through each of the following eight steps of
persona-building basics in detail
1 Getting started
2 Brainstorming
3 Research and interviews
4 Persona identificationprioritization
5 Write personas
6 Discuss and finalize
7 Putting personas to work
8 Persona measurement and refinement
Before we get started letrsquos introduce the sample persona for the Greater Gear
Shoe Co we referenced earlier Meet Chelsie As a 25 year-old physically fit
female who enjoys running and group fitness activities she is part of Greater
Gearrsquos target audience Chelsie will be with us as we work through each step in
the persona-building process Wersquoll use Chelsie and her persona characteristics to
help illustrate key points throughout the process
Step one Getting started
Your very first step is to look at the current market segmentation your company is
using If yoursquore not currently using any some basic segmentation will be essential
to building accurate personas Use these segmentation tips to get started
B2B companies consider segmenting your target audience by
bullWhat they do (industry sector public vs private and size)
bull How they operate (how they use your product and
the technology available)
bullBuying patterns (size and frequency) and
bullBehavior (loyalty and attitude toward risk)27
B2C companies can think about grouping their audience by
bullLocation
bullBuyer profile (demographic information)
bullLifestyles and
bullBuyer behavior28
Greater Gear Shoe Co relies heavily on B2C segmentation factors and you can see
all of these elements reflected in Chelsiersquos persona For example we know that
Chelsie is an urban-dwelling (location) twenty-something (demographic data)
with a passion for local road races (lifestyle) who is an avid social media user and
27 ldquoSegment Your Customersrdquo Quebec Info for Entrepreneurs Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal 2009 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwinfoentrepreneursorgenguidessegment-your-customersgt
28 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
online shopping enthusiast (buyer behavior)
With market segmentation in place either basic or extensive you can now
examine your existing segments Ask yourself the following questions
bullAre the current segments growing
bullAre the segments areas you can compete on
bull Is the segmented group large enough to have activities and messages
tailored to it
bullWill it be profitable to target this group
Are you answering yes to these questions If so start your persona development
here to ensure you have personas that reflect each of your core segments
Step two Brainstorming
Brainstorming is up next It is time to generate personality characteristics for
each of your data segments Conduct this brainstorm by inviting both customers
and employees from across the company to help think of traits and personality
adjectives that represent your customers and stakeholders Then lay them out
in grid format Yoursquoll want to list the brainstormed traits in a 2X2 grid with
ldquoinformation-processing stylerdquo on the horizontal axis and ldquodecision-making
stylerdquo on the vertical axis29 The grid will move horizontally from ldquoemotionalrdquo
to ldquologicalrdquo and then vertically from ldquoquick-to-deciderdquo to ldquodeliberate decision-
making30rdquo You can see what we mean in the customer characteristics grid for
Greater Gear Shoe Co below (Figure 2)
Figure 2 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics
29 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013 Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
30 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
After completing your grid review where the clusters of traits lie You can then
group these characteristics by placing colored shapes over the traits that seem
like they could or would be the same persona The illustration below (Figure 3)
demonstrates this colored bubble method of grouping similar characteristics
Figure 3 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics with colored bubbles
demonstrating similar characteristics
We start to see Chelsiersquos caring personality loosely reflected in the lower bubble
She is dedicated and confident in her career In her work place she sets goals and
works hard to meet them her sense of commitment carries through to her active
lifestyle While Chelsiersquos personality is evident in this lower bubble the other
bubbles should connect with Greater Gearrsquos other audience segments
After you complete your grid or ldquopersonality adjectives maprdquo you should have
three to seven colored circlesmdasheach of which should surround the traits that could
all belong to one persona But thatrsquos only the beginning Yoursquoll need to conduct
additional research to help crystallize and support your personality adjectives
map findings
Start by utilizing the customer data you have available Helpful records may
include general customer contact information demographics psychographics
andor transactional data This information will help either support or disprove
general assumptions you made about your customers during brainstorming
Are you finding yoursquore short on customer research and in need of answers to
additional questions about your customers before you start the interview process
Supplement the data you have with these data sourcing tools Give Googletrade
Consumer Surveys (GCS) Quoratrade or Feedback Armytrade a try31 These tools provide a
range of cost-effective options for accessing customer feedback
31 Saracino Adria ldquoBuild a Better Buyer Persona 5 Creative Data Sourcing Ideasrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 17 Sept 2013 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201309build-better-buyer-persona-data-sourcing-ideasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Before leaving this step compile all of your data to help identify potential
personalities from the personalities map that match key segments in your
customer data This information will help inform your interviews and the
following persona development steps
Step three Interviews
The research you compiled in step two will help identify potential personalities
that match key segments in your customer data making the interview stage much
easier During interview selection find buyers who match your key segments and
mapped character traits but also some who donrsquot to ensure your personas are
reflective of your buyers
With Greater Gear Shoe Co in mind letrsquos plan to interview their customers Wersquoll
want to keep the following tips in mind
bull We need to interview actual recent buyers
bull Have the buyers walk through their decision and purchasing process Did
they buy from Greater Gear online or shop at the physical location Did they
use the Greater Gear website to research the product before going to the
store to finalize fit and style Map out their purchasing process
bull Interview a variety of people who purchased different Greater Gear products
to provide the best and most accurate perspective
bullAnd make sure to ask why they chose to buy from your company32
And finally prep for your interviews by formulating a list of questions for the
customers you are interviewing33 The focus of your interviews will vary based on
your companyrsquos needs and the type of personas you are writing but herersquos a list
of potential interview questions to consider for both buyer and user personas
Buyer persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Details about their professional career (What job do they have Where do
they work and how long have they been there What
are their professional goals)
bull What does their typical day look like (How far from
home do they work What media do they consume
throughout the day What does their workday look
like What community organizations are they involved
in What people matter most to them How do they
prefer to spend their time What do they do for fun)
32 Ibid33 Eridon Corey ldquo9 Questions You Need to Ask When Developing Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing
HubSpot Inbound Hub 19 Jan 2012 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcomblogtabid6307bid309079-Questions-You-Need-to-Ask-When-Developing-Buyer-Personasaspxgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
bull What process do your target customers use to explore
and select a product service or solution34
bull What are the pain points experienced in using your
product or service (If you have a customer journey
map pull it out during this step35)
bull What are three to five problems the target customer
may dedicate time budget or political capital to36
bull Are their tangible or intangible metricsrewards that
the customer associates with success Examples may
include ldquogrow revenue by Xrdquo or a discountother promotion37
bull Uncover unseen factors like competing interests politics (internal
or governmental) or history with your company by asking about
perceived barriers38
User persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Computer and Internet skills
bull Preferred Internet browser
bull Goals for completing processes relevant to your website or design project
bull Perceived barriers to successful use of projects (product or Web design)
similar to yours
bull What are their pain points in using your product service or website
bull What factors determine the usersrsquo perceived successes when using your
website product or service design
Step four Persona identificationprioritization
Yoursquoll want to sort through the customer research and personality adjectives map
to identify and prioritize potential personas Try and prioritize between three to
seven personas per business line Too many personas can be confusing however
we also caution you from trying to roll traits into an average user as doing so will
not be effective Bryan Eisenberg digital marketing and personas guru offers up
some helpful advice for determining the number of personas needed ldquoUltimately
the number of personas should reflect the number of primary motivations to
purchase your productservice that exist within your customer base Sometimes
personas have identical motivations but dramatically different needs39rdquo
34 Ibid35 ldquoWhy Buyer Personas Can Fuel Your Companyrsquos Success - BoldThinkrdquoIndianapolis Inbound Marketing
Branding Website Design BoldThink 10 May 2013 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpboldthinkcreativecombuyerpersonasfuelgt
36 Revella Adele ldquoHow to Avoid 4 Buyer Persona Mistakesrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 23 Aug 2012 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom2012084-common-persona-mistakes-to-avoidgt
37 Ibid38 Ibid 39 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013
Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
that this ldquoevery neighborrdquo persona represented a large number of voters in her
district24 After Susanrsquos win using the soccer mom slogan the marketing teams
behind Bob Dole and President Clintonrsquos presidential campaigns realized their
candidates needed to appeal to this group of voters on a national level25 This
group of voters was personified as suburban middle-class working mothersmdashand
even more importantly they were swing voters
You could find these moms driving their kids to sports
practices and club meetings pacing the sidelines at every
game and dedicated to family well-being But between
work and family commitments these women were short
on time This group of voters became so important to
the electionrsquos outcome that Bob Dole even spoke directly
to the soccer moms while concluding his address at the
Republican National Convention Despite his personal
attempt at connecting President Clinton was the one to
gain favor among the soccer moms and won the election
As time passed more marketers and Web developers jumped on the persona
bandwagon when they saw the benefits of using personas (both buyer and user)
to increase customer-centricity and positive customer experiences both in on- and
offline activities Today both B2B and business to consumer (B2C) companies are
making use of personas in a variety of capacities rooted in customer-centricity and
operational efficiency Buyer personas can be helpful for marketers because they
help align decisions messages and programsmdashand therefore dollars with what
real customers actually want instead of just what we think they might want26
In other words wersquore really starting to understand what itrsquos like to walk in our
customersrsquo shoes
Are you ready to hit the trail Next wersquoll tackle the dos and donrsquots for persona
development with this step-by-step guide
Eight steps to perfect personas
What makes the perfect persona And what information should your personas
include How specific should your characters be And can they be general
personalities that represent your market segments or do you need to spell out
everything from what kind of toothpaste they use to how they take their eggs
You probably have a lot of questions about building and implementing personas
24 Ibid25 Revella Adele ldquoPower to the Soccer Mom How Just One Buyer Persona Revealed This Winning
Strategyrdquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 4 June 2014 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201406power-to-the-soccer-mom-how-just-one-buyer-persona-revealed-this-winning-strategyhtmlgt
26 Revella Adele ldquoWhat the Bleep Is a Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Np 8 Nov 2006 Web 19 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom200611whats_a_buyer_phtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Have no fear mdashwersquoll walk you through each of the following eight steps of
persona-building basics in detail
1 Getting started
2 Brainstorming
3 Research and interviews
4 Persona identificationprioritization
5 Write personas
6 Discuss and finalize
7 Putting personas to work
8 Persona measurement and refinement
Before we get started letrsquos introduce the sample persona for the Greater Gear
Shoe Co we referenced earlier Meet Chelsie As a 25 year-old physically fit
female who enjoys running and group fitness activities she is part of Greater
Gearrsquos target audience Chelsie will be with us as we work through each step in
the persona-building process Wersquoll use Chelsie and her persona characteristics to
help illustrate key points throughout the process
Step one Getting started
Your very first step is to look at the current market segmentation your company is
using If yoursquore not currently using any some basic segmentation will be essential
to building accurate personas Use these segmentation tips to get started
B2B companies consider segmenting your target audience by
bullWhat they do (industry sector public vs private and size)
bull How they operate (how they use your product and
the technology available)
bullBuying patterns (size and frequency) and
bullBehavior (loyalty and attitude toward risk)27
B2C companies can think about grouping their audience by
bullLocation
bullBuyer profile (demographic information)
bullLifestyles and
bullBuyer behavior28
Greater Gear Shoe Co relies heavily on B2C segmentation factors and you can see
all of these elements reflected in Chelsiersquos persona For example we know that
Chelsie is an urban-dwelling (location) twenty-something (demographic data)
with a passion for local road races (lifestyle) who is an avid social media user and
27 ldquoSegment Your Customersrdquo Quebec Info for Entrepreneurs Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal 2009 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwinfoentrepreneursorgenguidessegment-your-customersgt
28 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
online shopping enthusiast (buyer behavior)
With market segmentation in place either basic or extensive you can now
examine your existing segments Ask yourself the following questions
bullAre the current segments growing
bullAre the segments areas you can compete on
bull Is the segmented group large enough to have activities and messages
tailored to it
bullWill it be profitable to target this group
Are you answering yes to these questions If so start your persona development
here to ensure you have personas that reflect each of your core segments
Step two Brainstorming
Brainstorming is up next It is time to generate personality characteristics for
each of your data segments Conduct this brainstorm by inviting both customers
and employees from across the company to help think of traits and personality
adjectives that represent your customers and stakeholders Then lay them out
in grid format Yoursquoll want to list the brainstormed traits in a 2X2 grid with
ldquoinformation-processing stylerdquo on the horizontal axis and ldquodecision-making
stylerdquo on the vertical axis29 The grid will move horizontally from ldquoemotionalrdquo
to ldquologicalrdquo and then vertically from ldquoquick-to-deciderdquo to ldquodeliberate decision-
making30rdquo You can see what we mean in the customer characteristics grid for
Greater Gear Shoe Co below (Figure 2)
Figure 2 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics
29 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013 Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
30 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
After completing your grid review where the clusters of traits lie You can then
group these characteristics by placing colored shapes over the traits that seem
like they could or would be the same persona The illustration below (Figure 3)
demonstrates this colored bubble method of grouping similar characteristics
Figure 3 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics with colored bubbles
demonstrating similar characteristics
We start to see Chelsiersquos caring personality loosely reflected in the lower bubble
She is dedicated and confident in her career In her work place she sets goals and
works hard to meet them her sense of commitment carries through to her active
lifestyle While Chelsiersquos personality is evident in this lower bubble the other
bubbles should connect with Greater Gearrsquos other audience segments
After you complete your grid or ldquopersonality adjectives maprdquo you should have
three to seven colored circlesmdasheach of which should surround the traits that could
all belong to one persona But thatrsquos only the beginning Yoursquoll need to conduct
additional research to help crystallize and support your personality adjectives
map findings
Start by utilizing the customer data you have available Helpful records may
include general customer contact information demographics psychographics
andor transactional data This information will help either support or disprove
general assumptions you made about your customers during brainstorming
Are you finding yoursquore short on customer research and in need of answers to
additional questions about your customers before you start the interview process
Supplement the data you have with these data sourcing tools Give Googletrade
Consumer Surveys (GCS) Quoratrade or Feedback Armytrade a try31 These tools provide a
range of cost-effective options for accessing customer feedback
31 Saracino Adria ldquoBuild a Better Buyer Persona 5 Creative Data Sourcing Ideasrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 17 Sept 2013 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201309build-better-buyer-persona-data-sourcing-ideasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Before leaving this step compile all of your data to help identify potential
personalities from the personalities map that match key segments in your
customer data This information will help inform your interviews and the
following persona development steps
Step three Interviews
The research you compiled in step two will help identify potential personalities
that match key segments in your customer data making the interview stage much
easier During interview selection find buyers who match your key segments and
mapped character traits but also some who donrsquot to ensure your personas are
reflective of your buyers
With Greater Gear Shoe Co in mind letrsquos plan to interview their customers Wersquoll
want to keep the following tips in mind
bull We need to interview actual recent buyers
bull Have the buyers walk through their decision and purchasing process Did
they buy from Greater Gear online or shop at the physical location Did they
use the Greater Gear website to research the product before going to the
store to finalize fit and style Map out their purchasing process
bull Interview a variety of people who purchased different Greater Gear products
to provide the best and most accurate perspective
bullAnd make sure to ask why they chose to buy from your company32
And finally prep for your interviews by formulating a list of questions for the
customers you are interviewing33 The focus of your interviews will vary based on
your companyrsquos needs and the type of personas you are writing but herersquos a list
of potential interview questions to consider for both buyer and user personas
Buyer persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Details about their professional career (What job do they have Where do
they work and how long have they been there What
are their professional goals)
bull What does their typical day look like (How far from
home do they work What media do they consume
throughout the day What does their workday look
like What community organizations are they involved
in What people matter most to them How do they
prefer to spend their time What do they do for fun)
32 Ibid33 Eridon Corey ldquo9 Questions You Need to Ask When Developing Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing
HubSpot Inbound Hub 19 Jan 2012 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcomblogtabid6307bid309079-Questions-You-Need-to-Ask-When-Developing-Buyer-Personasaspxgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
bull What process do your target customers use to explore
and select a product service or solution34
bull What are the pain points experienced in using your
product or service (If you have a customer journey
map pull it out during this step35)
bull What are three to five problems the target customer
may dedicate time budget or political capital to36
bull Are their tangible or intangible metricsrewards that
the customer associates with success Examples may
include ldquogrow revenue by Xrdquo or a discountother promotion37
bull Uncover unseen factors like competing interests politics (internal
or governmental) or history with your company by asking about
perceived barriers38
User persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Computer and Internet skills
bull Preferred Internet browser
bull Goals for completing processes relevant to your website or design project
bull Perceived barriers to successful use of projects (product or Web design)
similar to yours
bull What are their pain points in using your product service or website
bull What factors determine the usersrsquo perceived successes when using your
website product or service design
Step four Persona identificationprioritization
Yoursquoll want to sort through the customer research and personality adjectives map
to identify and prioritize potential personas Try and prioritize between three to
seven personas per business line Too many personas can be confusing however
we also caution you from trying to roll traits into an average user as doing so will
not be effective Bryan Eisenberg digital marketing and personas guru offers up
some helpful advice for determining the number of personas needed ldquoUltimately
the number of personas should reflect the number of primary motivations to
purchase your productservice that exist within your customer base Sometimes
personas have identical motivations but dramatically different needs39rdquo
34 Ibid35 ldquoWhy Buyer Personas Can Fuel Your Companyrsquos Success - BoldThinkrdquoIndianapolis Inbound Marketing
Branding Website Design BoldThink 10 May 2013 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpboldthinkcreativecombuyerpersonasfuelgt
36 Revella Adele ldquoHow to Avoid 4 Buyer Persona Mistakesrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 23 Aug 2012 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom2012084-common-persona-mistakes-to-avoidgt
37 Ibid38 Ibid 39 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013
Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Have no fear mdashwersquoll walk you through each of the following eight steps of
persona-building basics in detail
1 Getting started
2 Brainstorming
3 Research and interviews
4 Persona identificationprioritization
5 Write personas
6 Discuss and finalize
7 Putting personas to work
8 Persona measurement and refinement
Before we get started letrsquos introduce the sample persona for the Greater Gear
Shoe Co we referenced earlier Meet Chelsie As a 25 year-old physically fit
female who enjoys running and group fitness activities she is part of Greater
Gearrsquos target audience Chelsie will be with us as we work through each step in
the persona-building process Wersquoll use Chelsie and her persona characteristics to
help illustrate key points throughout the process
Step one Getting started
Your very first step is to look at the current market segmentation your company is
using If yoursquore not currently using any some basic segmentation will be essential
to building accurate personas Use these segmentation tips to get started
B2B companies consider segmenting your target audience by
bullWhat they do (industry sector public vs private and size)
bull How they operate (how they use your product and
the technology available)
bullBuying patterns (size and frequency) and
bullBehavior (loyalty and attitude toward risk)27
B2C companies can think about grouping their audience by
bullLocation
bullBuyer profile (demographic information)
bullLifestyles and
bullBuyer behavior28
Greater Gear Shoe Co relies heavily on B2C segmentation factors and you can see
all of these elements reflected in Chelsiersquos persona For example we know that
Chelsie is an urban-dwelling (location) twenty-something (demographic data)
with a passion for local road races (lifestyle) who is an avid social media user and
27 ldquoSegment Your Customersrdquo Quebec Info for Entrepreneurs Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal 2009 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwinfoentrepreneursorgenguidessegment-your-customersgt
28 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
online shopping enthusiast (buyer behavior)
With market segmentation in place either basic or extensive you can now
examine your existing segments Ask yourself the following questions
bullAre the current segments growing
bullAre the segments areas you can compete on
bull Is the segmented group large enough to have activities and messages
tailored to it
bullWill it be profitable to target this group
Are you answering yes to these questions If so start your persona development
here to ensure you have personas that reflect each of your core segments
Step two Brainstorming
Brainstorming is up next It is time to generate personality characteristics for
each of your data segments Conduct this brainstorm by inviting both customers
and employees from across the company to help think of traits and personality
adjectives that represent your customers and stakeholders Then lay them out
in grid format Yoursquoll want to list the brainstormed traits in a 2X2 grid with
ldquoinformation-processing stylerdquo on the horizontal axis and ldquodecision-making
stylerdquo on the vertical axis29 The grid will move horizontally from ldquoemotionalrdquo
to ldquologicalrdquo and then vertically from ldquoquick-to-deciderdquo to ldquodeliberate decision-
making30rdquo You can see what we mean in the customer characteristics grid for
Greater Gear Shoe Co below (Figure 2)
Figure 2 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics
29 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013 Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
30 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
After completing your grid review where the clusters of traits lie You can then
group these characteristics by placing colored shapes over the traits that seem
like they could or would be the same persona The illustration below (Figure 3)
demonstrates this colored bubble method of grouping similar characteristics
Figure 3 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics with colored bubbles
demonstrating similar characteristics
We start to see Chelsiersquos caring personality loosely reflected in the lower bubble
She is dedicated and confident in her career In her work place she sets goals and
works hard to meet them her sense of commitment carries through to her active
lifestyle While Chelsiersquos personality is evident in this lower bubble the other
bubbles should connect with Greater Gearrsquos other audience segments
After you complete your grid or ldquopersonality adjectives maprdquo you should have
three to seven colored circlesmdasheach of which should surround the traits that could
all belong to one persona But thatrsquos only the beginning Yoursquoll need to conduct
additional research to help crystallize and support your personality adjectives
map findings
Start by utilizing the customer data you have available Helpful records may
include general customer contact information demographics psychographics
andor transactional data This information will help either support or disprove
general assumptions you made about your customers during brainstorming
Are you finding yoursquore short on customer research and in need of answers to
additional questions about your customers before you start the interview process
Supplement the data you have with these data sourcing tools Give Googletrade
Consumer Surveys (GCS) Quoratrade or Feedback Armytrade a try31 These tools provide a
range of cost-effective options for accessing customer feedback
31 Saracino Adria ldquoBuild a Better Buyer Persona 5 Creative Data Sourcing Ideasrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 17 Sept 2013 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201309build-better-buyer-persona-data-sourcing-ideasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Before leaving this step compile all of your data to help identify potential
personalities from the personalities map that match key segments in your
customer data This information will help inform your interviews and the
following persona development steps
Step three Interviews
The research you compiled in step two will help identify potential personalities
that match key segments in your customer data making the interview stage much
easier During interview selection find buyers who match your key segments and
mapped character traits but also some who donrsquot to ensure your personas are
reflective of your buyers
With Greater Gear Shoe Co in mind letrsquos plan to interview their customers Wersquoll
want to keep the following tips in mind
bull We need to interview actual recent buyers
bull Have the buyers walk through their decision and purchasing process Did
they buy from Greater Gear online or shop at the physical location Did they
use the Greater Gear website to research the product before going to the
store to finalize fit and style Map out their purchasing process
bull Interview a variety of people who purchased different Greater Gear products
to provide the best and most accurate perspective
bullAnd make sure to ask why they chose to buy from your company32
And finally prep for your interviews by formulating a list of questions for the
customers you are interviewing33 The focus of your interviews will vary based on
your companyrsquos needs and the type of personas you are writing but herersquos a list
of potential interview questions to consider for both buyer and user personas
Buyer persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Details about their professional career (What job do they have Where do
they work and how long have they been there What
are their professional goals)
bull What does their typical day look like (How far from
home do they work What media do they consume
throughout the day What does their workday look
like What community organizations are they involved
in What people matter most to them How do they
prefer to spend their time What do they do for fun)
32 Ibid33 Eridon Corey ldquo9 Questions You Need to Ask When Developing Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing
HubSpot Inbound Hub 19 Jan 2012 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcomblogtabid6307bid309079-Questions-You-Need-to-Ask-When-Developing-Buyer-Personasaspxgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
bull What process do your target customers use to explore
and select a product service or solution34
bull What are the pain points experienced in using your
product or service (If you have a customer journey
map pull it out during this step35)
bull What are three to five problems the target customer
may dedicate time budget or political capital to36
bull Are their tangible or intangible metricsrewards that
the customer associates with success Examples may
include ldquogrow revenue by Xrdquo or a discountother promotion37
bull Uncover unseen factors like competing interests politics (internal
or governmental) or history with your company by asking about
perceived barriers38
User persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Computer and Internet skills
bull Preferred Internet browser
bull Goals for completing processes relevant to your website or design project
bull Perceived barriers to successful use of projects (product or Web design)
similar to yours
bull What are their pain points in using your product service or website
bull What factors determine the usersrsquo perceived successes when using your
website product or service design
Step four Persona identificationprioritization
Yoursquoll want to sort through the customer research and personality adjectives map
to identify and prioritize potential personas Try and prioritize between three to
seven personas per business line Too many personas can be confusing however
we also caution you from trying to roll traits into an average user as doing so will
not be effective Bryan Eisenberg digital marketing and personas guru offers up
some helpful advice for determining the number of personas needed ldquoUltimately
the number of personas should reflect the number of primary motivations to
purchase your productservice that exist within your customer base Sometimes
personas have identical motivations but dramatically different needs39rdquo
34 Ibid35 ldquoWhy Buyer Personas Can Fuel Your Companyrsquos Success - BoldThinkrdquoIndianapolis Inbound Marketing
Branding Website Design BoldThink 10 May 2013 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpboldthinkcreativecombuyerpersonasfuelgt
36 Revella Adele ldquoHow to Avoid 4 Buyer Persona Mistakesrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 23 Aug 2012 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom2012084-common-persona-mistakes-to-avoidgt
37 Ibid38 Ibid 39 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013
Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
online shopping enthusiast (buyer behavior)
With market segmentation in place either basic or extensive you can now
examine your existing segments Ask yourself the following questions
bullAre the current segments growing
bullAre the segments areas you can compete on
bull Is the segmented group large enough to have activities and messages
tailored to it
bullWill it be profitable to target this group
Are you answering yes to these questions If so start your persona development
here to ensure you have personas that reflect each of your core segments
Step two Brainstorming
Brainstorming is up next It is time to generate personality characteristics for
each of your data segments Conduct this brainstorm by inviting both customers
and employees from across the company to help think of traits and personality
adjectives that represent your customers and stakeholders Then lay them out
in grid format Yoursquoll want to list the brainstormed traits in a 2X2 grid with
ldquoinformation-processing stylerdquo on the horizontal axis and ldquodecision-making
stylerdquo on the vertical axis29 The grid will move horizontally from ldquoemotionalrdquo
to ldquologicalrdquo and then vertically from ldquoquick-to-deciderdquo to ldquodeliberate decision-
making30rdquo You can see what we mean in the customer characteristics grid for
Greater Gear Shoe Co below (Figure 2)
Figure 2 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics
29 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013 Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
30 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
After completing your grid review where the clusters of traits lie You can then
group these characteristics by placing colored shapes over the traits that seem
like they could or would be the same persona The illustration below (Figure 3)
demonstrates this colored bubble method of grouping similar characteristics
Figure 3 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics with colored bubbles
demonstrating similar characteristics
We start to see Chelsiersquos caring personality loosely reflected in the lower bubble
She is dedicated and confident in her career In her work place she sets goals and
works hard to meet them her sense of commitment carries through to her active
lifestyle While Chelsiersquos personality is evident in this lower bubble the other
bubbles should connect with Greater Gearrsquos other audience segments
After you complete your grid or ldquopersonality adjectives maprdquo you should have
three to seven colored circlesmdasheach of which should surround the traits that could
all belong to one persona But thatrsquos only the beginning Yoursquoll need to conduct
additional research to help crystallize and support your personality adjectives
map findings
Start by utilizing the customer data you have available Helpful records may
include general customer contact information demographics psychographics
andor transactional data This information will help either support or disprove
general assumptions you made about your customers during brainstorming
Are you finding yoursquore short on customer research and in need of answers to
additional questions about your customers before you start the interview process
Supplement the data you have with these data sourcing tools Give Googletrade
Consumer Surveys (GCS) Quoratrade or Feedback Armytrade a try31 These tools provide a
range of cost-effective options for accessing customer feedback
31 Saracino Adria ldquoBuild a Better Buyer Persona 5 Creative Data Sourcing Ideasrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 17 Sept 2013 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201309build-better-buyer-persona-data-sourcing-ideasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Before leaving this step compile all of your data to help identify potential
personalities from the personalities map that match key segments in your
customer data This information will help inform your interviews and the
following persona development steps
Step three Interviews
The research you compiled in step two will help identify potential personalities
that match key segments in your customer data making the interview stage much
easier During interview selection find buyers who match your key segments and
mapped character traits but also some who donrsquot to ensure your personas are
reflective of your buyers
With Greater Gear Shoe Co in mind letrsquos plan to interview their customers Wersquoll
want to keep the following tips in mind
bull We need to interview actual recent buyers
bull Have the buyers walk through their decision and purchasing process Did
they buy from Greater Gear online or shop at the physical location Did they
use the Greater Gear website to research the product before going to the
store to finalize fit and style Map out their purchasing process
bull Interview a variety of people who purchased different Greater Gear products
to provide the best and most accurate perspective
bullAnd make sure to ask why they chose to buy from your company32
And finally prep for your interviews by formulating a list of questions for the
customers you are interviewing33 The focus of your interviews will vary based on
your companyrsquos needs and the type of personas you are writing but herersquos a list
of potential interview questions to consider for both buyer and user personas
Buyer persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Details about their professional career (What job do they have Where do
they work and how long have they been there What
are their professional goals)
bull What does their typical day look like (How far from
home do they work What media do they consume
throughout the day What does their workday look
like What community organizations are they involved
in What people matter most to them How do they
prefer to spend their time What do they do for fun)
32 Ibid33 Eridon Corey ldquo9 Questions You Need to Ask When Developing Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing
HubSpot Inbound Hub 19 Jan 2012 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcomblogtabid6307bid309079-Questions-You-Need-to-Ask-When-Developing-Buyer-Personasaspxgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
bull What process do your target customers use to explore
and select a product service or solution34
bull What are the pain points experienced in using your
product or service (If you have a customer journey
map pull it out during this step35)
bull What are three to five problems the target customer
may dedicate time budget or political capital to36
bull Are their tangible or intangible metricsrewards that
the customer associates with success Examples may
include ldquogrow revenue by Xrdquo or a discountother promotion37
bull Uncover unseen factors like competing interests politics (internal
or governmental) or history with your company by asking about
perceived barriers38
User persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Computer and Internet skills
bull Preferred Internet browser
bull Goals for completing processes relevant to your website or design project
bull Perceived barriers to successful use of projects (product or Web design)
similar to yours
bull What are their pain points in using your product service or website
bull What factors determine the usersrsquo perceived successes when using your
website product or service design
Step four Persona identificationprioritization
Yoursquoll want to sort through the customer research and personality adjectives map
to identify and prioritize potential personas Try and prioritize between three to
seven personas per business line Too many personas can be confusing however
we also caution you from trying to roll traits into an average user as doing so will
not be effective Bryan Eisenberg digital marketing and personas guru offers up
some helpful advice for determining the number of personas needed ldquoUltimately
the number of personas should reflect the number of primary motivations to
purchase your productservice that exist within your customer base Sometimes
personas have identical motivations but dramatically different needs39rdquo
34 Ibid35 ldquoWhy Buyer Personas Can Fuel Your Companyrsquos Success - BoldThinkrdquoIndianapolis Inbound Marketing
Branding Website Design BoldThink 10 May 2013 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpboldthinkcreativecombuyerpersonasfuelgt
36 Revella Adele ldquoHow to Avoid 4 Buyer Persona Mistakesrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 23 Aug 2012 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom2012084-common-persona-mistakes-to-avoidgt
37 Ibid38 Ibid 39 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013
Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
After completing your grid review where the clusters of traits lie You can then
group these characteristics by placing colored shapes over the traits that seem
like they could or would be the same persona The illustration below (Figure 3)
demonstrates this colored bubble method of grouping similar characteristics
Figure 3 2X2 Grid of customer characteristics with colored bubbles
demonstrating similar characteristics
We start to see Chelsiersquos caring personality loosely reflected in the lower bubble
She is dedicated and confident in her career In her work place she sets goals and
works hard to meet them her sense of commitment carries through to her active
lifestyle While Chelsiersquos personality is evident in this lower bubble the other
bubbles should connect with Greater Gearrsquos other audience segments
After you complete your grid or ldquopersonality adjectives maprdquo you should have
three to seven colored circlesmdasheach of which should surround the traits that could
all belong to one persona But thatrsquos only the beginning Yoursquoll need to conduct
additional research to help crystallize and support your personality adjectives
map findings
Start by utilizing the customer data you have available Helpful records may
include general customer contact information demographics psychographics
andor transactional data This information will help either support or disprove
general assumptions you made about your customers during brainstorming
Are you finding yoursquore short on customer research and in need of answers to
additional questions about your customers before you start the interview process
Supplement the data you have with these data sourcing tools Give Googletrade
Consumer Surveys (GCS) Quoratrade or Feedback Armytrade a try31 These tools provide a
range of cost-effective options for accessing customer feedback
31 Saracino Adria ldquoBuild a Better Buyer Persona 5 Creative Data Sourcing Ideasrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 17 Sept 2013 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201309build-better-buyer-persona-data-sourcing-ideasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Before leaving this step compile all of your data to help identify potential
personalities from the personalities map that match key segments in your
customer data This information will help inform your interviews and the
following persona development steps
Step three Interviews
The research you compiled in step two will help identify potential personalities
that match key segments in your customer data making the interview stage much
easier During interview selection find buyers who match your key segments and
mapped character traits but also some who donrsquot to ensure your personas are
reflective of your buyers
With Greater Gear Shoe Co in mind letrsquos plan to interview their customers Wersquoll
want to keep the following tips in mind
bull We need to interview actual recent buyers
bull Have the buyers walk through their decision and purchasing process Did
they buy from Greater Gear online or shop at the physical location Did they
use the Greater Gear website to research the product before going to the
store to finalize fit and style Map out their purchasing process
bull Interview a variety of people who purchased different Greater Gear products
to provide the best and most accurate perspective
bullAnd make sure to ask why they chose to buy from your company32
And finally prep for your interviews by formulating a list of questions for the
customers you are interviewing33 The focus of your interviews will vary based on
your companyrsquos needs and the type of personas you are writing but herersquos a list
of potential interview questions to consider for both buyer and user personas
Buyer persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Details about their professional career (What job do they have Where do
they work and how long have they been there What
are their professional goals)
bull What does their typical day look like (How far from
home do they work What media do they consume
throughout the day What does their workday look
like What community organizations are they involved
in What people matter most to them How do they
prefer to spend their time What do they do for fun)
32 Ibid33 Eridon Corey ldquo9 Questions You Need to Ask When Developing Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing
HubSpot Inbound Hub 19 Jan 2012 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcomblogtabid6307bid309079-Questions-You-Need-to-Ask-When-Developing-Buyer-Personasaspxgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
bull What process do your target customers use to explore
and select a product service or solution34
bull What are the pain points experienced in using your
product or service (If you have a customer journey
map pull it out during this step35)
bull What are three to five problems the target customer
may dedicate time budget or political capital to36
bull Are their tangible or intangible metricsrewards that
the customer associates with success Examples may
include ldquogrow revenue by Xrdquo or a discountother promotion37
bull Uncover unseen factors like competing interests politics (internal
or governmental) or history with your company by asking about
perceived barriers38
User persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Computer and Internet skills
bull Preferred Internet browser
bull Goals for completing processes relevant to your website or design project
bull Perceived barriers to successful use of projects (product or Web design)
similar to yours
bull What are their pain points in using your product service or website
bull What factors determine the usersrsquo perceived successes when using your
website product or service design
Step four Persona identificationprioritization
Yoursquoll want to sort through the customer research and personality adjectives map
to identify and prioritize potential personas Try and prioritize between three to
seven personas per business line Too many personas can be confusing however
we also caution you from trying to roll traits into an average user as doing so will
not be effective Bryan Eisenberg digital marketing and personas guru offers up
some helpful advice for determining the number of personas needed ldquoUltimately
the number of personas should reflect the number of primary motivations to
purchase your productservice that exist within your customer base Sometimes
personas have identical motivations but dramatically different needs39rdquo
34 Ibid35 ldquoWhy Buyer Personas Can Fuel Your Companyrsquos Success - BoldThinkrdquoIndianapolis Inbound Marketing
Branding Website Design BoldThink 10 May 2013 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpboldthinkcreativecombuyerpersonasfuelgt
36 Revella Adele ldquoHow to Avoid 4 Buyer Persona Mistakesrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 23 Aug 2012 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom2012084-common-persona-mistakes-to-avoidgt
37 Ibid38 Ibid 39 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013
Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Before leaving this step compile all of your data to help identify potential
personalities from the personalities map that match key segments in your
customer data This information will help inform your interviews and the
following persona development steps
Step three Interviews
The research you compiled in step two will help identify potential personalities
that match key segments in your customer data making the interview stage much
easier During interview selection find buyers who match your key segments and
mapped character traits but also some who donrsquot to ensure your personas are
reflective of your buyers
With Greater Gear Shoe Co in mind letrsquos plan to interview their customers Wersquoll
want to keep the following tips in mind
bull We need to interview actual recent buyers
bull Have the buyers walk through their decision and purchasing process Did
they buy from Greater Gear online or shop at the physical location Did they
use the Greater Gear website to research the product before going to the
store to finalize fit and style Map out their purchasing process
bull Interview a variety of people who purchased different Greater Gear products
to provide the best and most accurate perspective
bullAnd make sure to ask why they chose to buy from your company32
And finally prep for your interviews by formulating a list of questions for the
customers you are interviewing33 The focus of your interviews will vary based on
your companyrsquos needs and the type of personas you are writing but herersquos a list
of potential interview questions to consider for both buyer and user personas
Buyer persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Details about their professional career (What job do they have Where do
they work and how long have they been there What
are their professional goals)
bull What does their typical day look like (How far from
home do they work What media do they consume
throughout the day What does their workday look
like What community organizations are they involved
in What people matter most to them How do they
prefer to spend their time What do they do for fun)
32 Ibid33 Eridon Corey ldquo9 Questions You Need to Ask When Developing Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing
HubSpot Inbound Hub 19 Jan 2012 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcomblogtabid6307bid309079-Questions-You-Need-to-Ask-When-Developing-Buyer-Personasaspxgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
bull What process do your target customers use to explore
and select a product service or solution34
bull What are the pain points experienced in using your
product or service (If you have a customer journey
map pull it out during this step35)
bull What are three to five problems the target customer
may dedicate time budget or political capital to36
bull Are their tangible or intangible metricsrewards that
the customer associates with success Examples may
include ldquogrow revenue by Xrdquo or a discountother promotion37
bull Uncover unseen factors like competing interests politics (internal
or governmental) or history with your company by asking about
perceived barriers38
User persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Computer and Internet skills
bull Preferred Internet browser
bull Goals for completing processes relevant to your website or design project
bull Perceived barriers to successful use of projects (product or Web design)
similar to yours
bull What are their pain points in using your product service or website
bull What factors determine the usersrsquo perceived successes when using your
website product or service design
Step four Persona identificationprioritization
Yoursquoll want to sort through the customer research and personality adjectives map
to identify and prioritize potential personas Try and prioritize between three to
seven personas per business line Too many personas can be confusing however
we also caution you from trying to roll traits into an average user as doing so will
not be effective Bryan Eisenberg digital marketing and personas guru offers up
some helpful advice for determining the number of personas needed ldquoUltimately
the number of personas should reflect the number of primary motivations to
purchase your productservice that exist within your customer base Sometimes
personas have identical motivations but dramatically different needs39rdquo
34 Ibid35 ldquoWhy Buyer Personas Can Fuel Your Companyrsquos Success - BoldThinkrdquoIndianapolis Inbound Marketing
Branding Website Design BoldThink 10 May 2013 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpboldthinkcreativecombuyerpersonasfuelgt
36 Revella Adele ldquoHow to Avoid 4 Buyer Persona Mistakesrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 23 Aug 2012 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom2012084-common-persona-mistakes-to-avoidgt
37 Ibid38 Ibid 39 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013
Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
bull What process do your target customers use to explore
and select a product service or solution34
bull What are the pain points experienced in using your
product or service (If you have a customer journey
map pull it out during this step35)
bull What are three to five problems the target customer
may dedicate time budget or political capital to36
bull Are their tangible or intangible metricsrewards that
the customer associates with success Examples may
include ldquogrow revenue by Xrdquo or a discountother promotion37
bull Uncover unseen factors like competing interests politics (internal
or governmental) or history with your company by asking about
perceived barriers38
User persona information considerations
bull Demographic information (Age address marital status number of children)
bull Computer and Internet skills
bull Preferred Internet browser
bull Goals for completing processes relevant to your website or design project
bull Perceived barriers to successful use of projects (product or Web design)
similar to yours
bull What are their pain points in using your product service or website
bull What factors determine the usersrsquo perceived successes when using your
website product or service design
Step four Persona identificationprioritization
Yoursquoll want to sort through the customer research and personality adjectives map
to identify and prioritize potential personas Try and prioritize between three to
seven personas per business line Too many personas can be confusing however
we also caution you from trying to roll traits into an average user as doing so will
not be effective Bryan Eisenberg digital marketing and personas guru offers up
some helpful advice for determining the number of personas needed ldquoUltimately
the number of personas should reflect the number of primary motivations to
purchase your productservice that exist within your customer base Sometimes
personas have identical motivations but dramatically different needs39rdquo
34 Ibid35 ldquoWhy Buyer Personas Can Fuel Your Companyrsquos Success - BoldThinkrdquoIndianapolis Inbound Marketing
Branding Website Design BoldThink 10 May 2013 Web 25 Sept 2014 lthttpboldthinkcreativecombuyerpersonasfuelgt
36 Revella Adele ldquoHow to Avoid 4 Buyer Persona Mistakesrdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 23 Aug 2012 Web 24 Sept 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom2012084-common-persona-mistakes-to-avoidgt
37 Ibid38 Ibid 39 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPersonas The Magic behind the Mirror by TheGrokrdquoBryan Eisenberg Np 4 Oct 2013
Web 23 Sept 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcompersonas-magic-behind-mirrorgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
For example within Greater Gear Corsquos running shoe product line there are
mothers looking for shoes for their student athletes there are recreational
runners like Chelsie as well as competitive sprinters All of these buyers are
shopping the same family of products but they have dramatically different
goals and motivations These differing goals often alter their paths to purchase
indicating that each audience could potentially be a unique persona
Step five Write personas
With prioritized persona characteristics in hand letrsquos get focused and start
writing Your personas really need to connect with the actual customers you
want to target You are creating fictional characters that directly mirror your
real-life customers This step is where all of your marketing data the personality
adjectives map and customer interviews really become one You will use all of
this data to develop the fictional representations of persona characters identified
and prioritized in the previous step The goal Write personas that detail real
customersrsquo needs wants and pain points40 Figure 4 outlines all of the factors that
need to be included in a complete persona41
Figure 4 Factors for building a complete persona profile
Avoid stepping into the wrong shoes with some dos and donrsquots for persona
writing Dodge the urge to stereotype your personas In other words stay away
from the techy-geek urban hipster typical teenage girl etc When we stereotype
our personas they become difficult to engage with Rather make sure to develop
a dynamic true-to-life character instead of a flat stereotype To avoid creating
flat stereotypes use the ldquocharacter diamondrdquo a tool used to give your personas
defining characteristics that anchor their personalities and add dimension42 The
character diamond simply gives depth to your character when you give him or her
40 Schwartz Nancy E ldquoCreate Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target AudiencesrdquoGetting Attention Helping Nonprofits Succeed Through Effective Marketing Nancy Schwartz amp Co 2014 Web 02 Oct 2014 lthttpgettingattentionorgarticles202audience-researchnonprofit-audience-research-personahtmlgt
41 Martin Stanley ldquoHow to Build an Epic Buyer Persona Profilerdquo Writtent Blog Np 17 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwrittentcomblogbuilding-an-epic-buyer-persona-profile-a-totally-comprehensive-guidegt
42 Eisenberg Bryan J ldquoPlease Donrsquot Stereotype Your Personasrdquo Bryan Jeffrey Eisenberg Np 3 Nov 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbryaneisenbergcomplease-dont-stereotype-personasgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
three to five defining traits or points on the diamond43 These defining character
traits work to give your personas a real personalitymdashthe spark that brings
personas to life
Letrsquos look at Chelsiersquos persona profile In the graphic below you can see how the
customer data from steps one through three is used to build Chelsiersquos personality
Segmented customer data was matched with traits from the personality
adjectives map to create a personality that matches one segment of Greater Gear
Shoersquos customers Demographic customer data was then used to fill in Chelsiersquos
most basic information like her location and income But Chelsie is not just
demographic customer data that embodies the stereotypical young physically fit
female instead she has a story hellip and that is what makes her a persona The three
following characteristics make-up Chelsiersquos character diamond As an extrovert
Chelsie enjoys her membership with a local running club she stays goal-oriented
by participating in local road races and as a tech-savvy event planner she is
now tracking all of her workouts with a mobile application From those three
traits and the basic details we were able to build out Chelsiersquos shopping habits
personal goals work day and value characteristics
Does the persona writing process seem daunting Yoursquore in luck there are tools
to aid the writing process We like the following free resources Up Close amp
Personatrade is a persona creation template that helps get you started and streamline
the process Usabilitycom also features a similar tool And Storyboardthatcomtrade
offers useful tools to help you create storyboards of the persona characters
you create
Interested in making your personas even more personable Try drafting a story
for each persona using the factors and traits you just developed Herersquos a simple
43 Ibid
Chelsie
ldquoA morning jog with myrunning club is a great way to
stay fit while socializingrdquo
Demographic InfoAge 25
Status Single
Income $56000
Occupation Non-profit
communication specialist
Education Bachelors degree
Geography Inner city
rents apartment
Social media usage Active user
shares content about interests
and activities follows health and
fitness gurus
Shopping habits Conducts impromptu research online with
smartphone likes discounts seeks out coupon codes scans
reviews shops local checks nutrition labels and balances price
with quality
Personal goals Seeks physical fitness travel and new
cultural experiences
Work day Travels to work using public transportation During
commute she connects with national news family members and
industry trends using a smartphone Enjoys the fast pace of her
work environment but seeks online tools to help stay
organized Looks forward to a group workout class or cocktails
with friends to unwind after a busy day
Values Career-driven focused on a healthy lifestyle and
committed to family and friends
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
formula for drafting your buyer persona story44 It works in the persona factors
we used to develop the original persona As a (buyer persona) hellip I wantneed to
(goal) hellip The information I need (topic) hellip and is most helpful (preference) hellip so
that I knowin order to (value)45
Herersquos Chelsiersquos persona story as an example Chelsie might say hellip I need new
running shoes that provide support for my arches (goal and preference) To
ensure that I can keep running and enjoy an active lifestyle with my friends
(value) I need information about what shoes provide lasting arch support and
cushion for the rest of my foot (topic)
Step six Discuss and finalize
Persona drafts at the ready you feel ready to sprint to the end of the trail But
not so fast hellip like any marketing process personas cannot be complete without
team and leadership review discussion and finalization Get your key stakeholders
together to review all personas and be prepared to address concerns about
implementing this new tool You may find that some teammates are concerned
that focusing too much on a particular user will limit the uses of a new product
or tool46 Other teammates may be concerned that adding personas just increases
the amount of paperwork they deal with47 Help your teammates by explaining
personasrsquo power to unite the teamrsquos vision of the customer by providing a realistic
yet fictional buyer Assure those teammates worried about new processes and
paperwork that personas are designed to improve efficiencies by helping team
members think through the userbuyers perspective with greater agility48
After your team leadership and other stakeholders have
given their stamp of approval print and distribute It
might also be helpful to feature the personas in places
your team will see them often Remember to add
finalized personas to your ongoing content audit
Step seven Putting personas to work
Make sure your persona work doesnrsquot end before it starts Creating personas
and then shoving them in a file folder essentially ends any organizational impact
personas can make Avoid that fate with these tips to help make personas work
for you
44 Zambito Tony ldquoAccelerate Content Marketing Effectiveness With The Power of Buyer Persona Storiesrdquo Tony Zambito Np 28 July 2013 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttptonyzambitocomaccelerate-content-marketing-effectiveness-power-buyer-persona-storiesgt
45 Ibid46 Rind Bonnie ldquoThe Power of the Personardquo Pragmatic Marketing nd Web 23 Sept 2014
lthttpwwwpragmaticmarketingcomresourcesthe-power-of-the-personap=2sthashG2lz0kCgdpufgt47 Ibid48 ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
First make the most of your personas by fully integrating them into your
processes If you are using buyer lists segment those lists by persona to help you
develop more personalized experiences for current and potential buyers49
Next it is a good idea to reallocate your ad spend with your personas in mind50
You now know where your personas spend their time on- and offline Use this
new knowledge to better target your ad spend
Personas can also be used to reallocate people resources51 Make sure you are
hanging out where your target audience is located If they are all on Twittertrade
have someone there to monitor questions If itrsquos Google+trade they frequent yoursquoll
want someone there to watch the conversation and chime in when it is relevant
for your company to do so Participate in conversations with your audience
membersrsquo both where they are and in the language they use In other words hellip be
relevant hellip but not creepy
After integrating personas with your buyer lists and shifting resources based
on personas audit existing content for persona alignment52 Double-check to
make sure content aligns with the newly created personas If not tweak existing
content to be a better fit Content strategy aligned with personas can have big
pay-offs but if not aligned your personas are not going to drive the traffic you
need We can all learn a thing or two about success with personas from Skytapreg
a provider of self-service cloud automation solutions They triumphed aligning
their personas with their content strategy to drive sales after launching content
marketing that included a focus on personas in May 2012 By January 2013 they
saw the following results when compared with the previous year a 55 percent
increase in organic search traffic a 210 percent increase in North American site
traffic and a 97 percent increase in leads from online marketing53
So how does Skytap incorporate one of their
three personas into each and every piece of
content Website case studies and testimonials
all feature one of the personas and their blog
can be sorted by ldquovirtual trainingrdquo ldquodevelopment and testingrdquo and ldquoproduct
developmentrdquo Those three categories mirror the roles occupied by personas
Blog posts and website copy also speak to those same specific roles Nate Odell
Skytaprsquos Marketing Director shared their constant persona focus with Marketing
49 Ibid 50 Devaney Eric ldquo14 Ways to Get More Use Out of Your Buyer Personasrdquo Inbound Marketing HubSpot Inbound
Hub 22 May 2014 Web 07 Oct 2014 lthttpbloghubspotcommarketingways-to-use-buyer-personasgt51 Ibid52 Ibid 53 Sutton Adam ldquoContent Marketing Targeted Persona Strategy Lifts Sales Leads 124rdquo Marketing Sherpa
Np 23 Jan 2013 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwmarketingsherpacomarticlecase-studytargeted-persona-content-marketing-strategygt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Sherpa He said ldquoInstead of just saying lsquoLetrsquos go understand everybodyrsquo we need
to be very methodical and say lsquoLetrsquos understand the particular use-cases and the
individuals we typically see and really understand what they are looking forrsquordquo
Take the Skytap approach and if you have content that just doesnrsquot work with
the new personas and isnrsquot generating traffic and leadsmdashget rid of it Ensure
continuous persona focus by integrating personas into every step of the content
development process And merge your personas with customer lifecycle stages to
help generate new content ideas that match where your customer is in the buying
cycle54 You are now talking to the right customers at the right time
Another Skytap lesson Tailor your website to meet persona needs55 No need to
have a generic website when you have personas Use dynamic content and display
different messages to users based on the persona assigned to them
And last but not least remember that personas can be helpful in discovering data
trends Using personas Orbitztrade discovered that buyers who fit the Macreg userrsquos
persona spent 30 percent more per night on hotel rooms56 This data let Orbitz
serve up a more customized user experience Merging personas and data to
deliver customized customer experiences thatrsquos a win for you and your customers
Step eight Persona measurement and refinement
On the trail we measure distance covered and if we get off course we take a peek
at the trail map and adjust The same is true with personas We measure their
effectiveness and then refine personas over time to always accurately depict the
target segments Whatrsquos the best way to measure persona impact That depends
on how you are using each persona
User personas that aid product designers can be
measured with in-person product tests When
user personas are developed for Web design their
effectiveness can be measured with user testing and
Googlereg Analytics funnels
In Web user testing an anonymous user is recruited
to complete tasks provided by a moderator The user
is asked to verbalize their thought process as they complete their tasks and their
voice and screen are recorded for results analysis Interested in user testing
54 Ibid 55 Ibid56 Revella Adele ldquoOrbitz Reveals Too Much About Mac Buyer Personardquo Buyer Persona Institute Blog Buyer
Persona Institute Marketing Personified 27 June 2012 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwbuyerpersonacom201206orbitz-reveals-too-much-about-mac-buyer-personahtmlgt
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
Check out our Blue Paper on AB Testing and take a look at the online resource
UserTestingreg
Google Analytics funnels are artificial goals set up to determine if website users
are able to complete desired tasks For example if you developed a user persona
aimed at lead generation you might set up a funnel to track how many actual
users filled out the contact form after visiting
the same pages your persona would visit
Buyer personas used in content marketing can
be evaluated based on website traffic lead
generation and other typical content marketing
analytics We suggest taking a look at the
content marketing Blue Paper for more on
appropriate analytics
Cautionary note If you donrsquot see results right away by adding personas donrsquot
toss them to the wind just yet Double check to make sure your persona usage is
authentic to the actual persona Also remember that the best user persona is not
always the same as the best buyer persona and vice versa If your personas are not
driving the results you want double check to make sure you didnrsquot make
this error
Personas do evolve over time Think back to the soccer moms This persona played
a huge role in the 1996 election and the 2000 election as well But after the
attacks on September 11 2001 the persona shifted to ldquosecurity momrdquo as women
became more concerned about national security and the overall safety of their
families than ever before57
And donrsquot let your personas get outdated It can be helpful to check-in with a
representative from each persona group every quarter58 Just give them a quick
phone call to find out what they need now59 Ask the same questions from your
original interview and then note any shifts in response The same concept can
be applied to social media and other ldquolistening postsrdquo Stay tuned-in to changes
in sentiment about your organization60 Use these updates to help keep your
personas updated and relevant
57 Macfarquhar Neil ldquoWhatrsquos a Soccer Mom Anywayrdquo The New York Times The New York Times 19 Oct 1996 Web 25 Oct 2014 lthttpwwwnytimescom19961020weekinreviewwhat-s-a-soccer-mom-anywayhtmlgt
58 Ritchie Anna ldquo3 Tips for Keeping Your Buyer Personas Fresh and Aliverdquo Content Marketing Institute Np 18 Apr 2013 Web 08 Oct 2014 lthttpcontentmarketinginstitutecom201304tips-keeping-buyer-personas-freshgt
59 Ibid60 Ibid
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
copy 2014 4imprint Inc All rights reserved
4imprint serves more than 100000 businesses with innovative promotional items throughout the United States
Canada United Kingdom and Ireland Its product offerings include giveaways business gifts personalized gifts
embroidered apparel promotional pens travel mugs tote bags water bottles Post-it Notes custom calendars
and many other promotional items For additional information log on to www4imprintcom
Trailrsquos end
Yoursquove navigated the trail and you learned a few things along the path You are
now equipped to begin your own persona-building process Letrsquos recap key trail
takeaways First we laced up our shoes and explored some persona basics Then
we moved down the trail and through the entire persona building process When
creating your own personas remember to use customer data the personality
adjectives map and character diamond to create personas that really feel like your
actual customers Make sure to continuously use completed personas to connect
with your audience Donrsquot forget to measure your efforts refine your personas
and keep hiking to greater marketing success
top related