Do you ever write a blog post on a topic you think is fascinating, assuming that if you think it is fascinating, all your customers will think it is fascinating, too? (Color me guilty.) How can you be sure you are writing effective content? By effective, I mean content that resonates with your ideal customers and moves them to action.
Identifying your perfect target customer segments would allow you to focus your content marketing effort on reaching the right customers with the right messages. That’s what buyer persona research is all about.
You don’t need to hire some fancy Ph.D. to do this for you, either. If you have a little patience and some curiosity, you can do your own buyer persona research. Here is a list of basic questions to ask a sample of your customers. If you feel adventurous, add your own to this list.
The answers to these questions will give you crystal-clear clarity about who your customers really are and what they really want.
Demographic questions
- What is your education?
- What is your gender?
- What is your age?
- What is your marital status?
- Do you have children under 18 living with you?
- What is your race/ethnicity?
- What is your annual household income?
- What is your zip code?
- What is your religious affiliation?
- What is your political affiliation?
Behavioral questions
- Do you use social media? Which channels?
- Do you watch TV? Which shows?
- Do you listen to the radio? Which stations?
- Do you read? What do you read?
- What are your hobbies?
Psychographic questions
- What is your tolerance toward risk?
- What words describe your philosophy or approach to life?
- What are your personal goals?
- What are the challenges to your personal goals?
Industry questions
- What industry are you in?
- Where is your company’s headquarters located?
- What is your company’s annual revenue?
- How many employees work at your company?
Professional role
- What is your title or role?
- What are your responsibilities?
- How are you evaluated?
- What are your professional goals?
- What are the challenges to your professional goals?
- Are you a recommender or purchaser of [product/service]?
- Who else is involved in the decision making process?
- Where do you get your information?
- How do you access information about your industry? (Online, print)
Need recognition, barriers, and solutions
- What business conditions trigger a decision to look for [product/service]?
- What concerns (objections) might prevent you from recommending/purchasing [product/service]?
- What results or outcomes would indicate success?
Decision criteria/features
- What features of [product/service] do you consider most important in your decision making process?
- What benefits do you receive from each feature?
You can ask these questions informally or formally, in-person or via an online survey. After talking to 10 or 15 people, you will start to hear some similarities. Categorize the responses into groups (personas), based on their commonalities.
Some marketers recommend giving these personas unique names and portraits to help you focus your message toward a “real” person, rather than at the nameless faceless crowd. One thing for certain, after conducting a little buyer persona research, you will feel closer to your customers than ever before. And they will feel closer to you.
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