Creating Buyer Personas: What Every Start-Up Needs to Know 7 Steps to Creating Buyer Personas Let’s assume your start-up sells glow-in-the-dark bicycles. The following 7 steps detail the key things you need to create your buyer personas. 1: Give your buyer personas a name and a headshot As your personas take shape, it’s a good idea to give them a name and a headshot. Some may think it’s corny, but the name and picture bring the persona to life, especially for others on your team not involved in the process. Use alliteration when naming your personas . . . it makes them more memorable. Example: Carl the commuter 2: The Bare Essentials Begin by establishing a broad-brushed picture of your customers. Are they male or female? Married or single? Young or old? High net worth or middle class? Urban, suburban or rural? University or high school grad? Example: Carl is male, single, aged 25 to 35, has an undergraduate degree and lives in Vancouver. He has a household income of $85,000 and commutes 15 kilometres to work every workday, year round, by bicycle. On weekends, he spends time with his girlfriend and races road bikes competitively. 3: Goals What are Carl’s goals when shopping for your product? Is he most interested in finding a bike with the lowest price? Does he need to purchase a bike quickly? Are there specific features important to Carl for his commuting bike? Example: Carl wants a safe and utilitarian bike for commuting: one with fenders and a chain guard to protect him when it’s raining, a rack for panniers so it’s easy to carry a change of clothes, a bell, a light and so on. Price is also important. Carl only invests a lot of money in his racing bikes. 4: Common Objections What are the most common objections your personas might make about your product or service? Is your product truly unique? Can they find a similar solution for a better price? Example: In the case of the glow-in-the-dark bike, be prepared to address why your product is better than simply adding a light or reflective tape to your bike. 5: Favourite Websites If you want to sell or promote your product online, you need to understand where your personas spend their time online. Example: Carl gets cycling news and reviews from a number of sites, including: bicycling, bikemag and roadbikeaction. 6: Social Media Expertise Where do your personas hang out on social media? Are they using Facebook, Pinterest or some other platform? Example: Carl is on Facebook but also dedicates time to Instagram to share pictures of his friends and cycling team. 7: Real Quotes Include a few quotes from actual customers to help ensure your buyer personas reflect real life. The quotes should feel natural coming from your personas. Get the quotes during interviews conducted either with real customers or people who represent your target market. Example: “Public transit isn’t really an option for my commute since it’s not convenient. I prefer to cycle to work since it gives me a bit of exercise every day and is less stressful than driving. Plus, parking is expensive in downtown Vancouver, so a bike is really a better option for me right now. Cycling is better for the environment than driving.”
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 06:33:24 +0000
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