This article is the fourth chapter in our Digital Marketing Blueprint. Our series includes Identifying Your Marketing Problem (Step #1), Understanding Why Digital Marketing Is the Solution (Step #2), and Creating a Digital Marketing Budget for Your Business (Step #3). Additionally, you can download the full guide here for free!
Step #4: Outlining
Now that we have an idea of your marketing budget and how it should all break down, the first step is defining your target audience.
We highly recommend that you create buyer personas (a theorized concept of your ideal customer based on research), incorporating as much detail as possible.
Why are buyer personas important? They allow you to paint a clear picture of your target audience so that you are able to understand and relate to them on a human level. Who is the person you are selling to? What is their educational level, socioeconomic status, age, lifestyle, interests, etc.? What problems do they face—specifically when it comes to issues that your business, products, or services can solve? Create each buyer persona with as much detail as possible. Depending on your business, you may only have one or two buyer personas, or you may have several. The point is to do what makes sense for you and your business.
On the following pages are two buyer personas of Uptick Marketing, allowing you to better understand the end product of this exercise.
| Joe Smith Business Owner | “I’m constantly challenged by the need to grow, the difficulty of managing a diverse team, the task of dealing with vendor relationships, and the threat posed to my business by my competition in a tightening market.” |
| AGE Male or female (skewed male). Aged 35-60 | CHALLENGES Competing with other businesses in a tightening field Dealing with vendors and making sure they do what they say they’ll do Controlling rising costs and expenses related to the business Trying to figure out the best way to market on a limited budget Unsure of what to do to promote the business Not enough leads to keep business at max capacity, let alone growing Creating brand recognition as a startup Breaking into a new market |
| PERSONAL INTEREST Family, Traveling, College Football | |
| EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE Some college to college grad. Often worked in the industry for a number of years before starting or coming to own his/her own business. Usually the most senior person in the company. May report to a board or other partners. | ATTRIBUTES Initial contact is usually through email Has a system of gate-keepers to get through before speaking on the phone or in person Prefers face-to-face meetings Doesn’t like technical jargon outside of his/her field Time is valuable and extremely limited Values clear, concise communication Wants vendors to do what they say they’re going to do Values partners who put his/her business first |
| COMMON OBJECTIONS We don’t have a marketing budget/our marketing budget is full. We already work with someone who does that. We depend on word-of-mouth marketing. That’s what we’ve always done. We’re not interested/we’re all set Digital marketing hasn’t worked for us in the past. | |
| PROFESSIONAL GOALS Grow revenue year over year Grow profit year over year Expand into new territories and area Compete against competition for market share | HOW CAN WE HELP? Be a partner, not just a vendor Understand unique benefits and challenges of his or her business Demonstrate ROI, that money is being well-spent |
| Julie Smith Director of Marketing | “I have the responsibility of helping increase the brand’s market presence and revenue, and am challenged by adapting our marketing to a changing and complex world using the latest technology and best practices. I also feel pressure to perform well for my boss and to support the rest of our team.” |
| AGE Male or female (skewed female). Aged 30-50 | CHALLENGES Dealing with vendors and making sure they do what they say they’ll do Trying to figure out the best way to market on a limited budget Understanding the latest marketing technologies/innovations Creating brand recognition as a startup Proving ROI to his/her boss for the budget Trying something new when he/she isn’t sure it’ll work Often overworked, with minimal time for new projects Fear of being replaced by marketing partners |
| PERSONAL INTEREST Spending time with family, business networking, reading and social media | |
| EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE College grad. Often has a background in the marketing/advertising/PR industry. Can report to a Vice-President of Marketing/Chief Marketing Officer in larger organizations. Usually in charge of one or more subordinates. Has an affinity for traditional, non-digital marketing and advertising. Wants to learn digital but doesn’t have the time or the capacity. | ATTRIBUTES Usually the first person (after the gate-keeper) to get on the phone Typically doesn’t have decision-making power without consent from superiors Understands technical jargon to a great extent May prefer email/LinkedIn to phone conversations Values empathy/respect for their responsibilities Values partners who make his/her job easier |
| COMMON OBJECTIONS We’re all set/not interested. Those are my main responsibilities/that’s what I do for the company. We don’t have the budget for new projects. We already work with someone who does that. | |
| PROFESSIONAL GOALS Grow revenue year over year Grow profit year over year Expand into new territories and area Compete against competition for market share | HOW CAN WE HELP? Be a partner, not just a vendor Understand pressures and stresses of his/her role Demonstrate ROI, that money is being well-spent Take on as many day-to-day responsibilities as possible Free up his/her time |
Use the worksheet below to get started on creating your own ideal customer personas! For business-to-business (B2B) organizations, we highly recommend that you add a row for “job title” and “daily responsibilities.”
Pro tip: You can also create negative buyer personas of the customers you do not want, allowing you to ensure you are not marketing to those who are not your ideal customers. Always take time to create buyer personas. You must know who your ideal customer is before you can speak their language!
Buyer Persona Worksheet
| BACKGROUND Education? Job? Family? | |
| DEMOGRAPHICS Gender? Age? Income? | |
| ATTRIBUTES Disposition? Preferred Means of Communication? | |
| PERSONAL INTERESTS Hobbies? Values? | |
| PROFESSIONAL GOALS | |
| CHALLENGES | |
| HOW CAN WE HELP? | |
| COMMON OBJECTIONS Why wouldn’t they buy from you? |
This article is the fourth chapter in our Digital Marketing Blueprint. Download the full guide here for free!
