Once you have an idea of your business’s marketing budget and how it should be broken down, your next step is to define your business’s target audience.
To define your target audience, you need to get to know them. And by that, we don’t necessarily mean get to know each client or customer personally. We’re saying you need to learn what demographics you’re serving: What do the people who engage with your business have in common? What makes your ideal customer tick? What motivates them to buy, sign up, or make an appointment?
You should start by creating buyer personas (conceptual profiles of your ideal customers based on research), incorporating as much detail as possible.
How to Know Your Audience
Buyer personas are profiles of your ideal customer that you create based on research.
Why Defining Buyer Personas Is So Important:
When you paint a clear picture of your target audience, you can 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 have one, two, or several buyer personas. The point is to do what makes sense for you and your business.
Examples
The following chart shows two ideas for buyer personas for Uptick Marketing. After the examples, you’ll find the Buyer Persona Worksheet to start creating your own buyer profiles for your business.
| Joe SmithBusiness 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.” |
| AGEMale or female (skewed male).Aged 35-60 | CHALLENGESCompeting with other businesses in a tightening fieldDealing with vendors and making sure they do what they say they’ll doControlling rising costs and expenses related to the businessTrying to figure out the best way to market on a limited budgetUnsure of what to do to promote the businessNot enough leads to keep business at max capacity, let alone growingCreating brand recognition as a startupBreaking into a new market |
| PERSONAL INTERESTSFamily, Traveling, College Football | |
| EDUCATION/EXPERIENCESome college to college grad. Often worked in the industry for a number of years before starting or coming to own their own business. Usually, the most senior person in the company. May report to a board or other partners. | ATTRIBUTESInitial contact is usually through emailHas a system of gatekeepers to get through before speaking on the phone or in personPrefers face-to-face meetingsDoesn’t like technical jargon outside of their fieldTime is valuable and extremely limitedValues clear, concise communicationWants vendors to do what they say they’ll doValues partners who put their business first |
| COMMON OBJECTIONSWe 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 GOALSGrow revenue year over yearGrow profit year over yearExpand into new territories and areasCompete against competition for market share | HOW CAN WE HELP?Be a partner, not just a vendorUnderstand the unique benefits and challenges of their businessDemonstrate ROI, that money is being well-spent |
| Julie SmithDirector 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.” |
| AGEMale or female (skewed female).Aged 30-50 | CHALLENGESDealing with vendors and making sure they do what they say they’ll doTrying to figure out the best way to market on a limited budgetUnderstanding the latest marketing technologies/innovationsCreating brand recognition as a startupProving ROI to their boss for the budgetTrying something new when they aren’t sure it’ll workOften overworked, with minimal time for new projectsFear of being replaced by marketing partners |
| PERSONAL INTERESTSpending time with family, business networking, reading, and connecting with friends on social media | |
| EDUCATION/EXPERIENCECollege 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. | ATTRIBUTESUsually, the first person (after the gatekeeper) to get on the phoneTypically doesn’t have decision-making power without consent from superiorsUnderstands technical jargon to a great extentMay prefer email/LinkedIn to phone conversationsValues empathy/respect for their responsibilitiesValues partners who make their job easier |
| COMMON OBJECTIONSWe’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 GOALSGrow revenue year over yearGrow profit year over yearExpand into new territories and areasCompete against competition for market share | HOW CAN WE HELP?Be a partner, not just a vendorUnderstand the pressures and stresses of their roleDemonstrate ROI, that money is being well-spentTake on as many day-to-day responsibilities as possibleFree up their time |
Buyer Persona Worksheet
Use the worksheet below to get started on creating your own ideal customer personas. For business-to-business (B2B) organizations, we highly recommend adding “job title” and “daily responsibilities” rows.
Pro tip: You can also create negative buyer personas for customers you don’t want, helping 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.
| BACKGROUNDEducation? Job? Family? | |
| DEMOGRAPHICSGender? Age? Income? | |
| ATTRIBUTESDisposition? Preferred Means of Communication? | |
| PERSONAL INTERESTSHobbies? Values? | |
| PROFESSIONAL GOALS | |
| CHALLENGES | |
| HOW CAN WE HELP? | |
| COMMON OBJECTIONSWhy wouldn’t they buy from you? |
Tell Us How We Can Help
Still have questions about identifying or understanding your ideal customer base, or need help determining your marketing budget first? Our expert marketing consultants are here to help. Reach out anytime.
