buyer personas: the key to strategic b2b marketing

Buyer Personas: The Key to Strategic B2B Marketing

Delivering the RIGHT INFORMATION to the RIGHT PEOPLE at the RIGHT TIME in the B2B buying process is critical for persuading buyers to purchase your solution.

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But what if your marketing and sales efforts are built on

about what’s important to buyers and how they make their purchasing decision?

FALSE ASSUMPTIONS

What if you discovered that 70% of your marketing budgetand 40% of your sales efforts were NOT being spent in placesthat actually influence the buyer’s decision?

SALES EFFORTS

No Influence

Influence

MARKETING BUDGET

No Influence

Influence

DON’T think that’s very likely?

Well that’s EXACTLY what one company discovered after interviewing their customers. - McKinsey & Company, “The B2B Customer Decision Journey:

The Route to Increased Sales”, Forbes Magazine, April 24, 2013

DON’T think that’s very likely?

GENERIC, DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

The problem with many marketing andsales strategies is that they’re built on

about B2B buyers, like their age, gender, roles, responsibilities, key priorities and biggest challenges.

So you understand WHO your buyers are and whatkeeps them up at night.

So you understand WHO your buyers are and whatkeeps them up at night.

But you don’t know WHATthey do to make a buying decision with regards to

YOUR SOLUTION CATEGORYand why some choose to do nothing at all.

Need MORE convincing?

Test how well you know your buyers

Q1 Do you know what TRIGGERS some buyersto do something about their pain pointsand needs and look for a solution like yours,and why some buyers are happy with thestatus quo?

YES NO

Q2 Do you know what buyers expect to CHANGEwithin their organization once they implementa solution like yours, and how they define a successful implementation?

YES NO

Q3

YES NO

Do you know what real or perceived BARRIERS could potentially prevent buyers from choosingyour solution, or force the buying process to grind to a halt?

Q4

YES NO

Do you know what STEPS buyers take to search for, short-list and evaluate solutions like yours, and which stakeholders have the biggest influence at key stages in the buying cycle?

Q5

YES NO

Do you know what precise CRITERIA buyers useto evaluate a solution like yours, and which arethe most important when making their final purchasing decision?

If you’re like most companies, you probably answered “YES” to only 1 or 2 out of 5 questions.

But there’s HOPE on the horizon.

But there’s HOPE on the horizon.

And BUYER PERSONAS are key.

BUYERS

“A buyer persona is an example of the real person who buys, or might buy, products like the ones you market based on what you learn from direct interviews with them.” - Adele Revella, Buyer Persona Institute

Gathered from analysts, quantitative studies and online observation

Information is the same for all buying decisions, regardless of the product

There are 2 PARTS to a buyer persona

1. Demographic Data

2. Connection to Your Product

Gathered by interviewing customers that you’ve won AND lost

Information is specific to buying decisionsin your product category Source of competitive advantage

The connection to your product contains

5 KEY INSIGHTSPriority

InitiativeSuccessFactors

PerceivedBarriers

BuyerJourney

DecisionCriteria

Source: 5 Rings of Buying Insights™ , Buyer Persona Institute

What the Insight RevealsReveals what has changed within the organization that triggered them to do something about their pain points and needs, and search for your type of product.

Target “status quo” buyers with content thatprovides a provocative insight as to why theyshould make your product category a strategicpriority for their organization.

How it Can Be Used

1. PRIORITY INITIATIVE

2. SUCCESS FACTORSWhat the Insight RevealsLinks the buyer’s priority initiative with the need foryour product and reveals the specific changes your buyer expects to see as a result of implementing your product.

Produce relevant messages that capture theattention of actual buyers of your product andcommunicate the value using language thatwon’t annoy the buyer.

How it Can Be Used

3. PERCEIVED BARRIERSWhat the Insight RevealsReveals why buyers would not perceive your productor company as their best option and why they wouldchoose your competitor - or do nothing at all and return to the status quo.

Proactively address topics and issues in your salesand marketing assets that might cause the buying process to grind to a halt or lead the buyer to disqualify your company or product.

How it Can Be Used

4. BUYER JOURNEYWhat the Insight RevealsReveals what steps the buyer takes to search for,short-list and evaluate solution options, and whichstakeholders get involved and have an influence atspecific stages in the buying process.

Create a buying process map that outlines what information stakeholders need at each stage in the buying process, how to reach them, and the key messages needed to persuade them.

How it Can Be Used

What the Insight RevealsReveals which product and company attributes arethe most important to the organization and how thebuyer concluded which solution was their best option and would ensure a successful outcome.

Identify what stakeholders need to effectively evaluate and compare your solution with your competitors. Provide buyers with the tools they need and answers to all their questions.

How it Can Be Used

5. DECISION CRITERIA

Together, these five insights provide a

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

BUILD and DEFEND

and will give you more confidence to

your marketing strategy.

What’s more, you’ll create POWERFUL MESSAGES that truly resonate with buyers and have a greater chance at persuading buyers to choose your product over the competition’s.

The is you don’t need to interview nearly as many buyers as you mightthink.

GOOD NEWS

BUYERS

You’ll start seeing trends in as few as 6 INTERVIEWS.

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

You’ll start seeing trends in as few as 6 INTERVIEWS.

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

However, you’ll want to interview up to 12 BUYERS to validate the results.

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

BUYERS

- Ann Handley, author of ‘Content Rules’

The bottom line.

that will CLARIFY ALL DECISIONS. By channeling the buyer’s voice - clearly,accurately and persuasively - the buyerpersona gives marketing the confidenceto say, “This is what really matters to our buyers. So here’s the plan.” - Adele Revella, President, Buyer Persona Institute

“Your buyers are the source of the insights

Make buyer personas the foundation of your marketing strategy today.

Gordana StokB2B Content Marketing Consultant,and Buyer Persona Institute Certified Practitionerwww.contentbridge.ca

twitter.com/ContentBridge_

Thank you.

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