27 May Buyer Persona and Why They’re Important

You’ve probably seen it before: a frustrated entrepreneur with a great product who actively market their products, have a great website, but are frustrated by their lack of success. At that point it is natural to assume that perhaps there is no room or a lack of interest in the market.

Before they get frustrated though, there is an important element they should evaluate. Did they define the buyer persona of whom they would ideally sell their product or service to?  Did they define what problem their products or service would be solving? It seems over simplistic perhaps, but no business can succeed if they are not meeting their customers’ need consistently and efficiently. Anyone who has read Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs may recognize this idea.

What Is A Buyer Persona?

On a superficial level, these businesses can probably tell you who they would like to sell their product to. For example, a Graphic Designer might say they want to provide freelance design to companies, or a Web Developer might say they want to build websites for companies. That really is not a detailed enough picture of who the buyer is because it does not really define their needs or problems.

A great buyer persona is at it’s heart a document that tells you in one glance:

• the problem needs solving
• their preferred media and channels for information are
• what they find value in
• how to best connect with them
• why they should choose you over your competitors.

Below is an example of a complete buyer.

As you can see, the things that motivate and challenge, the interests and passions, the age and location, the social media and online habits, and the family and lifestyle factors of the buyer persona are all described.

Why Do You Need A Buyer Persona?

Now, I can imagine you thinking that it seems like a lot of information you might never use. However, that buyer persona becomes the basis of all communications, media, and content strategies. Think of it as knowing your buyer persona as well as you know your bestfriend. You won’t have any doubts about what you need to do to successfully connect with them, and understand and solve their problems.
Armed with this knowledge, a business owner can evaluate whether the business is offering something that is actually of value to the buyer persona.  They can also make sure they are on the same platforms as their buyer persona. Using this information a struggling business can adjust their business practices to meet their business goals.

There are of course other tools for planning for business success that are also important. These will be discussed in future blog posts.