How to use user persona information in marketing
Marketing communications are aimed primarily at market consumers – the company’s target audience. And if the business correctly identifies the user personality, then it will be able to find the best mechanisms of interaction with its audience.
The development of a promotion strategy starts with an analysis of the target audience. In the process, experts learn about the problems of their consumers, and the triggers that will help to sell the product or services in the future. This approach is called the persona method, which was developed by Alan Cooper in 1995. He conducted a survey of users, and as a result, he divided them into three groups, uniting people by similar preferences, buying behavior, and other characteristics.
There is another theory – Job to be Done, according to which when purchasing goods consumers do not want to get the product itself, but something that will allow them to solve problems. Accordingly, there are certain limitations to doing such a “job”. And if a specialist correctly understands how to motivate consumers to buy goods, then the company will be able to actively develop.
You can find out exactly what a person wants to get out of a purchase by conducting an interview with him or her, or job stories. In this case, the buyer talks about the reasons for purchasing the product, and expectations from its use. This reveals not only the customer personality but also his needs and problems. At the same time, it should be taken into account that with this approach the group can include very different people, but who share the same tasks. To understand the common features of consumers, it is necessary to conduct surveys, and on the basis of the analysis to make a hypothesis. If it works, the approach can be scaled up.
When applying the Job to be Done theory, user segmentation is also possible, but the focus here should not be on the personal characteristics of people, but on their needs.
Understanding the customer personality allows you to search for new consumers, to push to purchase those who are still in doubt. The portrait gives an opportunity to sift out people who are not interested in your product and focus attention on the target audience. In addition, marketers will be able to compose personalized offers that will perfectly meet the needs and objectives of consumers.
Identifying the types of users helps to choose the best channel for promotion. Knowing the psychology of your customer, it is possible to find the ideal levers of influence on him, to put forward those characteristics of the product which will be of interest to the target audience.
The user personality is one of the key tools for marketers. It works not only to promote the product, but also the brand as a whole.