In this article we will aim to explain how your company can align its business objectives and offers with the needs of Buyer Personas, i.e. the target audience. This is often referred to as “zen marketing”, and is made possible through clear and effective communication. This study goes beyond merely presenting ideas, by acting as a guiding light for our future marketing efforts.
Marketing layers
Think of clear and effective communication as the sum of layered strata, similar to clear light, which add up to a spectrum of colors: each component has its own purpose, characteristics and importance, and just needs the right balance.
The sequence below outlines the key components of our methodological approach to understanding and creating marketing communications for companies aligned with Buyer Personas:
Theme
The context of each message, based on trends or other factors.
USP / Offer
Unique sales offers, incentives or other distinguishing factors for your brand.
Niche / Audience
The people with whom you wish to communicate, and the factors which set their needs apart.
Channels
The methods at our disposal to reach our target audience.
Core identity
Who you are as a brand, why it matters, and how you can take advantage of it.
Buyer Personas
In the tables below we present an overview of several different buyer personas, with varying needs and objectives:
Persona: Steve O’Neill
Age: 40
Occupation: Manager
Location: Miami
Decision role: Influencer
Needs and objectives
Steve has worked in the same non-profit organization for over 20 years and is in charge of logistics and planning for his organization’s global team, focused on eyeglasses in India.
He typically checks out relevant websites for general industry updates, and during one of his visits, saw a banner advertising Website Development. He thought this would be a good idea for his company, and made a note to discuss the upgrading of the site at a management meeting later that year.
Persona: Liz Henley
Age: 33
Occupation : Marketing Consultant
Location: New York
Decision role: Follower
Needs and Objectives
Liz works at a multinational NGO, headquartered in New York City. She helps managers to purchase and launch new campaigns. Due to its size, the NGO is constantly launching new micro sites to promote sales. And after a few years of instability, the company currently has a high turnover of employees.
Liz has been tasked with identifying cost-effective web design companies, focused on improving the quality of these sales. She needs source citations which she can submit for review and approval by the board.
Persona: John Derby
Age: 50
Occupation: Owner
Location: Portland
Decision Role: Decision-maker
Needs and Objectives
John owns a mid-sized nonprofit organization in Portland, focused on child nutrition. He has a secretary, but as the company’s founder and owner, he adopts a practical approach. John’s nonprofit has grown steadily over the past ten years, and has received extra government subsidies, making it possible to increase marketing spend. John is looking to build an elegant, simple and reasonably-priced website to showcase his nonprofit. He has limited technical knowledge, and wants a low-cost website that will be easy for him to maintain.
Understanding the needs of each Buyer Persona allows you to create campaigns, products, and services specifically tailored to meet their demands. That’s why it’s important to get to know them, weighing up the themes that interest them, the colors which are most likely to attract their attention, and the channels which they most identify with. Businesses which are focused on their target audiences have the greatest chance of success.