Once a company has generated leads - that is, data from interested parties - it has already taken a big step expanding its customer base. However, this data set does not give away much information about individual users. That is why businesses should create personas.
What are "Personas"?
Personas are user models with which a particular target group can be characterized. They can be generated, for example, through interviews or (online) forms. Both quantitative and qualitative data collections have to be carried out for this. The data must then be analyzed and evaluated. As a rule, the data analysis is carried out by means of segmentation and cluster analysis methods. This enables the identification of core and marginal personas to give the company an understanding of how the target group is ticking and how big it actually is.
Therefore, the main benefit is that companies become more familiar with their users. As a result, they become better at responding to their needs and initiating marketing activities tailored to their prospects. The obtained insights can go far beyond general information such as locations, device types or app activities. Personal likes and dislikes and much more create a more holistic view of individual customers.
Possible findings:
- What intention led the user to my site?
- How can the website be optimized or designed in a user-friedly way?
- Are other services and features desired?
- What content does a user expect from the website?
- What is the typical user of my website? Etc.
What are the benefits these insights provide?
Once such information has been gained, much more effective marketing campaigns can be developed to attract and retain customers as well as improve search engine rankings. Good content with added value for the user encourages the willingness of potential customers to disclose data. This closes the circle: user data → content marketing (personalized) → more prospects → customer base expansion → opportunity to gain even more data.
Personas thus form a decisive basis for important marketing measures. Accordingly, it is useful to create personas at the beginning of a project.
Another important advantage of persona marketing derives from personalization and emotionalization. Brands that positively appeal to users on an emotional level will see their sales numbers increase.
It has thus become clear that a targeted marketing campaign requires a deep understanding of prospects to address potential customers more individually by creating truly user-oriented content.
Read more: Content Marketing.