The most successful marketing campaigns come from a fundamental and in-depth understanding of who it is you’re marketing to. Without this knowledge, it’s impossible to go into a marketing campaign with any guarantee of success. The solution? Developing a detailed marketing persona that encapsulates the characteristics of the ideal customer who would respond positively to your campaign.

This persona (or avatar) is an example of the person most likely to respond to your campaign efforts. Creating a persona gives you an opportunity to fully understand who your marketing efforts are designed to target. Here are a few key elements to consider when creating your own marketing persona:

Understand your demographics

At the most basic level, your persona is a collection of demographic information. This is information such as gender, geographic location, age, income level, and occupation. Do you need to figure out each demographic detail? No, only that which is most relevant to your brand. For example, if you’re selling designer dresses, you likely have a female market with an income level that supports high end clothing. This demographic data allows you to target the right audience when running ads and use the right language when creating and sending content.

Don’t forget psychographics

One step deeper than demographics is psychographics. This goes beyond simple demographics and includes information based on intent and desire. What does a member of your audience desire most? What is their biggest point of frustration? What do they value? Fear? Hope for?

These questions are more complex, and so are their answers. When you dig into psychographics, you’re stepping into the mind of your potential client, and this allows you to think about what they might say, how they might search, and what might drive them to buy.

Combine demographics and psychographics for a powerful marketing persona

When you take both demographic information and psychographic information into account, you are creating a persona that directs all of your marketing. Because it is so powerful, it’s important to give your persona some thought and revisit it periodically.

It’s also worth making sure your persona isn’t too restrictive. It should guide you towards your potential customer, but the persona should be realistic. Make sure you’re taking market research into account, so your persona can be a reflection of reality. And when it comes time to run a marketing campaign, use the marketing persona you’ve created to design a campaign that speaks directly to those who need your product or service most.

For more information about creating an effective marketing persona or running an effective marketing campaign, contact us.