A marketing persona provides insight into your audience. They are used to make demographic information more “real.” Marketing persona’s personify your customers, making it easier for you to speak their language and build campaigns that resonate with them. As with other marketing initiatives, consider developing marketing persona’s for your social media projects.
Let’s say that your company sells Eco-friendly cosmetics that appeal to several types of women, each with different characteristics and concerns. In order to segment these women into their respective categories, you could create a different persona such as:
- Daisy – A 20-something college grad with liberal political views and a modest income of less than $40,000 per year. Daisy is concerned about animal cruelty, the environment, and chemicals. She is not overly
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concerned about glamor but does use organic, cruelty-free facial cleansers, moisturizers, and lip balm. Despite having little disposable income, Daisy is willing to pay a premium for organic products that reflect her values and lifestyle.
concerned about glamor but does use organic, cruelty-free facial cleansers, moisturizers, and lip balm. Despite having little disposable income, Daisy is willing to pay a premium for organic products that reflect her values and lifestyle.- Cynthia – A 40-to-50 year-old woman who earns $75,000 to $130,000 each year. Cynthia is at the peak of her career and wants to age gracefully. She is concerned about sun damage that has begun manifesting into sunspots and wrinkles. She is also a health enthusiast who takes pride in eating healthy foods and exercising regularly. Cynthia is concerned about what she puts in her body, and this concern extends to what she puts ON her body including skin care products, cosmetics, and shampoos.
As you can see, Daisy and Cynthia have different characteristics, problems, and concerns. Thus, you’d likely approach each of them differently. While you may have always had their demographic details available, giving these two categories of customers a persona can help you get to know your customers better and can guide you when creating social media promotions.
For example, if you’re planning on running a special on sunscreen, who are you going to target – Daisy or Cynthia? If you intend on targeting Daisy, you might include an activist story line and promote the fact that your sunscreen has never been tested on animals and never will be. If you plan on targeting Cynthia, the emphasis might be on using sunscreen as part of a healthy lifestyle or for preventing further sun damage.
When creating marketing persona’s, think of each segment of your audience as a person. Give each segment a name, age, and gender and then fill in the blanks with additional information such as income, marital status, education, occupation, religious or political affiliation, and even favorite television shows if it makes sense. For example, shows like The Big Bang Theory and NCIS attract different demographics. If it helps you to better visualize your audience, use it to your advantage.
To make your persona’s even more realistic, use royalty-free photos of men and women to represent them. From there, create persona cards for each audience segment. On the front of the card, put the persona’s name and photo; on the back, fill in the details. Make copies, laminate, and share with your entire marketing team.
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