Do you talk to your grandmother the same way you talk to your best friend? Would you talk to a sibling the same way you talk to a romantic partner? I hope not! Enter: buyer personas.
A crucial element of any successful marketing campaign – be it an ad, a publication, a speaking engagement, or a website – is knowing who you’re actually marketing to. Because if you know who you’re marketing to, you can craft your words and visuals accordingly to create the most compelling experience for them.
Think about your favorite customer. The perfect customer, your ideal customer. You most likely have several types of ideal customers. These are called buyer personas. And they’re the key to a truly outstanding and high-converting website.
Here’s how to figure out who they are and what to give them:
How to Profile your Buyer Personas
To profile your buyer personas, paint a vivid picture of each one them that includes the following information:
1. Gender – Different things appeal widely between genders
2. Age – This tells you a lot about how they view the world and what they prioritize
3. Profession – This can help to tell you how well your customer understands your product/service
4. Education – This can help tell you how your customer processes information
5. Financial situation – Not just how much money they have but how much they’re willing to spend
6. Free time – Hobbies, interests, and passions can help you connect deeply with your customers
7. Shopping habits – This can help you network and market where your customers already feel comfortable spending
8. Purpose – Why does your customer buy your products/services? This taps into deeper fears and/or desires
9. Buying decision – What do they take into account when buying: price, features, customer service, ease of use, resale value?
What to Do with Your Buyer Personas
Now that you have a clear picture of your buyer personas, you can more effectively address them and convey your value in a way that really speaks to them. So let’s put that to use in your marketing through your website. Here are three techniques you can use that utilize your deep understanding of your ideal customers:
1. Create Tailored Paths
Different buyer personas have different fears, needs, and desires and it’s your job to help each buyer persona find a solution to their problem. The home page is the perfect starting point to do just that.
Use your home page as a launch pad of sorts. Think of it as a springboard to set each buyer persona down the right path. Rather than cluttering your home page up with broad, general information, use a different section of it to target each buyer persona. Then link each of those sections to a different page targeted to that specific buyer persona.
You have now created a path that is designed specifically for the ideal customer you’re targeting. Watch your conversion rates soar.
2. Adapt Your Messaging and Tone
Now that your buyer personas have a path to take, tailor it for them in every way including your messaging and tone. Imagine talking to your buyer person as you write your web copy. Use the words he/she would use. Use their jargon and expressions. Address them personally and directly.
Now think about their unique problems. Show that you understand the emotions they experience because of these problems. Then demonstrate how you can help them solve those problems. This will make the user experience infinitely more compelling.
3. Provide Relevant Content
When you know your buyer personas, you can address their interest and needs and you can answer their burning questions. Strategically craft your website content in such a way that you address their sales objections.
When producing web content, choose the media and delivery of your content based on how your buyer personas prefer to consume it. Do they want to see videos or read text? Do they digest information best in the form of visuals or audio? Do your buyer personas like to be informed or entertained? Give your buyer personas the content they want and your website will become a conversion machine.