What is a target audience? Simply put, it’s the side of us we know and understand best. Those involved in digital marketing understand the significance of a well-defined target audience. But identifying the target audience isn’t as challenging as it seems. How can we best understand our audience? Through personas!
What is a Persona?
A persona is a fictional representation of a customer. Without truly understanding a customer, building effective communication becomes difficult. However, knowing them well allows you to predict their needs, dislikes, and reactions with ease. In Turkish, personas are often referred to as “personality cards.” They are an essential concept for successful marketing efforts, requiring thorough research and analysis. By creating personas, you can tailor videos, content, social media posts, and ads that resonate with your ideal customer profile.
In essence, a persona is an imaginary character with specific traits that represent your ideal customer. During the persona creation process, you need to collect data about potential customers and make informed guesses where data is missing. Sometimes, obtaining sufficient data can be challenging, and in such cases, logical assumptions and empathy play a critical role. Tools for audience analysis on social media can also provide valuable insights.
Gathering data through employees who directly interact with customers or by directly communicating with customers and asking questions can also be effective. It’s crucial to avoid steering them toward a fixed answer to ensure you understand their genuine thoughts.
How to Create a Persona Profile
Creating a persona profile is akin to setting up a Facebook account. You enter specific details and information, such as location, age, language, gender, profession, hobbies, and interests.
Steps to Creating a Persona
- Name Your Persona
The first and most important step in creating a persona is giving it a name. Naming an imaginary character may feel odd, but it can be surprisingly enjoyable. Choose any name you like—it’s all part of the fun. - Define Basic Characteristics
Start with fundamental traits of your customers:- Gender: Male or Female?
- Marital Status: Single or Married?
- Age, Monthly Income, Location, and Education Level.
- Understand Their Motivation
Why is your customer shopping? Do they truly need the product, or are they buying just for the sake of it? - Determine Their Online Behavior
Which websites does your persona spend the most time on? Knowing this will help you create targeted strategies. - Identify Their Social Media Habits
On which social media platform does your persona spend the most time? Answering this question helps you better understand and reach them. - Recognize Your Competitive Advantage
What makes your brand stand out? Why would your persona choose you over competitors?
Key Questions to Understand a Persona
Job Role
- What is your role at the company?
- How is your performance measured?
- What does a typical day at work look like?
- What skills are necessary for your job?
- What tools do you use in your role?
- Who do you report to? Who reports to you?
Company
- In which industry does your company operate?
- What is the size of your company (revenue, number of employees)?
Goals
- What are your responsibilities?
- What does success look like in your role?
- What are your biggest challenges?
- What publications or blogs do you read?
- Which associations or social networks do you belong to?
Personal Background
- What are your demographic details (age, marital status, children)?
- Where did you study, and what did you major in?
- Describe your career path.
Shopping Preferences
- How do you prefer to interact with sellers (e.g., email, phone, in-person)?
- Do you use the internet to research products before purchasing?
- What was the last product you purchased? Why did you buy it, and what was your evaluation process?
By answering these questions, you’ll better understand your customer and start creating products or services that meet their expectations. Good luck! 😊