Crafting the Persona
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Transcript of Crafting the Persona
Because whoever understands the customer best, wins!
Mike GospeKickStart Alliance
www.kickstartall.comhttp://marketinghighground.wordpress.com
Crafting the Persona
2011 © KickStart Alliancehttp://marketinghighground.wordpress.com
Question: who are we targeting?
Common answer: Everyone!
Unfortunately, selling to everyone is like selling to no one because:• The messaging will be watered down to the most generic level
• Multiple messages will compete with each other
• Confusion will result internally and externally
• You won’t know where to prioritize your marketing investments
“We can’t say no to anyone”“Our product can address any market”“But there are so many ways our product can be used”“The sales team needs us to be everywhere”
Everyone
2011 © KickStart Alliancehttp://marketinghighground.wordpress.com
The right question
Where should we prioritize our proactive marketing investment?
Don’t try to be all things to all people
You will only confuse the market
You’ll happily accept money from anyone who wants to buy your product. But where should you proactively invest your limited marketing resources? Answer: It depends.
• Which market segments are easiest to win?• What segments are you most at risk of losing to competitors?• Which segments represent the future for your company?
You’ll happily accept money from anyone who wants to buy your product. But where should you proactively invest your limited marketing resources? Answer: It depends.
• Which market segments are easiest to win?• What segments are you most at risk of losing to competitors?• Which segments represent the future for your company?
2011 © KickStart Alliancehttp://marketinghighground.wordpress.com
Many marketing programs fail because . . .
Marketers don’t fully understand the persona they are selling to
Marketers fail to empathize with the target audience Marketers struggle to establish relevance between the
prospect and their products
A clear and focused persona is required BEFORE . . .
• a positioning statement can be created
• effective messaging can be drafted
A clear and focused persona is required BEFORE . . .
• a positioning statement can be created
• effective messaging can be drafted
(To do otherwise will just waste your time and money because your marketing programs won’t work and you won’t know why.)
2011 © KickStart Alliancehttp://marketinghighground.wordpress.com
What is a Persona?
A Persona is a detailed fictional representation of an example user that represents the needs, desires, skills, and environment of one or more classes of real users.
While a Persona isn’t a real person, he or she must feel like a real person.
2011 © KickStart Alliancehttp://marketinghighground.wordpress.com
Why Personas are powerful
By looking at the product from the Persona’s point of view, communications become more straightforward because:• Superfluous information and over-specifications can be eliminated
• Features are prioritized according to the persona’s values
• Product messaging can directed to the buyer persona
Empathy with the Persona helps development teams:• Understand requirements with less detail
• Make good, reasonable implementation decisions
• Raise valid concerns and opportunities
• Stay focused on the real requirements
2011 © KickStart Alliancehttp://marketinghighground.wordpress.com
Table of Contents
The Marketing High Ground A Short-cut to Traditional Segmentation Illustrating the Persona (templates & examples) Tips for Leading the Bull’s Eye Exercise Tips for Leading the Persona Exercise
2011 © KickStart Alliancehttp://marketinghighground.wordpress.com
Click on these other books for B2B marketers
Mike Gospe
KickStart Alliance
http://www.kickstartall.com
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Positioning Lead Generation Sales Readiness
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