How to conduct effective buyer persona research

How to conduct effective buyer persona research

You've heard the term buyer persona bandied around in digital marketing. When clearly defined, it contributes significantly to the success of your digital marketing efforts. But it needs to be thoroughly researched to do so. Unfortunately, it's a step often missed when businesses conduct market analysis to develop their marketing strategies. If you're keen to learn how buyer persona research should be done, read on.

1. Define their demographics and psychographics

Relying on instincts or hearsay about your target audience is risky. You may overshoot by a mile. Developing an up-close-and-personal understanding of your target audience is easier today than it was in the past. In fact, you may have the data already! They may have left behind some details about themselves when they completed a contact form, answered a few questions on your landing page or left behind their digital footprint to be analysed. All these can be complemented by primary research to unearth more about their demographic and psychographic details. Alternatively, there are official sources you can purchase.

2. Define their problem

Knowing who they are is just the first step. The next is to define the problem they are faced with or, as it is sometimes referred to, their pain point. You can arrive at this by doing primary research, using social listening tools or social media sentiment analysis. With the insights gained, you'll have a more acute appreciation of their needs. This is critical in developing your positioning and communication strategies.

3. Define the transformation they are seeking

With the deep understanding you have of their problem, the next step is to define the transformation they are seeking. In simple terms, what is the outcome they seek to experience with your solution? Be forewarned - this may not seem to be as obvious as we make it out to be. You now have a 3-D approach to conduct an effective buyer persona approach. It's a framework to get you started. As you dig deeper, you'll be discovering more about your target audience. To get started on your buyer persona research, book a consultation session today.