Why Building Brands Starts with Building Buyer Personas

Businesses pop up; brands are cultivated.

There are plenty of important strategies that you can

implement to build your brand, but if you don’t have an

in-depth understanding of who you’re trying to reach out to,

then you will not create the kind of engagement that your

brand needs.

It’s absolutely crucial to build your buyer personas

before you start working on your strategies.

Once you identify, research, and develop your primary

personas, then you know who you are crafting your content

for and can better develop your marketing strategies.

Buyer personas help you and your marketing team create

better content, improve your SEO efforts, and gain better

quality leads.

You’ll be able to meet your customers or clients where they

are: on social media.

They might be creatives dwelling on Instagram and Pinterest

or professionals on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Wherever they are, you will start using the right tone of

voice and style in your content to speak to these buyer

personas directly.

With great personas, your buyers are going to care

about your content and brand.

First, it’s key to identify who buys your products and

services. Start with the basics, like their age, possible

professions, and lifestyle.

What would a typical day look like for this individual?

What problems do they have that your brand can solve?

What are their objectives and goals?

How can your brand help them achieve these goals?

Ask yourself:

What questions would your buyer personas need answered?

What challenges do they face on a day to day basis and what

about long-term challenges?

A common mistake that marketers make is focussing too

much on the buyer, while neglecting the process that the

buyer goes through.

When building your personas, include information on their

journey. What impacts your buyers when they make a

purchase decision – their boss, peers, a budget?

Look at their decision criteria:

What is your buyer looking for when they weigh your brand

against your competitors?

It’s also important to research your buyers. Information

such as salary ranges, background, and lifestyle habits can

help you better flesh out the identity of your target audience

and better meet (and exceed) their expectations.

Ask existing customers that fit into your identified buyer

persona description these questions and more. Look at the

data to create more accurate personas.

Once you have your personas mapped out, you can make lists

of the most relevant keyword phrases that will attract

visitors with your inbound marketing techniques and start

putting your marketing plans into action.

Now you’ve made them, don’t turn your back on them.

There’s no question that buyer personas are important for

building brands successfully, yet few companies consistently

use them.

This is where your

marketing team can gain

an edge in understanding

the positive impact that

your personas have.

A survey conducted in 2015 in the U.S found that only 8% of

marketing professionals and in-house business teams believe

that at least three-quarters of their organisation can

adequately describe their buyer personas!

It’s easy to fall into the trap of ignoring the details and just

pushing through with your marketing team's traditional

strategies.

However, consumers today expect more.

They want their brands to ‘get them.’

Savvy, modern consumers expect more personalised,

custom-tailored interaction; this is what conveys trust and

value – and garners brand loyalty.

If you can’t speak directly to them, then they are unlikely to

listen.

In fact, they will probably turn to your competitors who

have mastered the art of utilising buyer personas.

Take the time to get to know your audience and they

are more likely to respond to you.

With well-developed buyer personas, your marketing team has

the foundational information it needs to craft effective,

laser-focussed content that will engage your audience and

get the high-quality leads that you want.

Ready to build your brand with buyer personas?

Download our free guide

"Building Brand Awareness: The Ultimate Guide for 2017."