As social media marketers, we must grasp a crucial reality: we are not our target audience. What we do on social media for work is not necessarily aimed at people like us. While we may be passionate about social media and have a deep understanding of how it all works, our thoughts and usage patterns are unlikely to match those of the people we want to communicate with. To reach and engage with our target audience, we must step into their shoes and understand their preferences, motivations and behaviours.
A customer persona, also known as a buyer persona or ideal customer portrait, is a reflection of your ideal target customer based on research and data. It is a detailed profile that includes your customer’s demographic information, motivations, preferences and behaviours.
Customer personas help organisations to better understand and empathise with their target audience, allowing them to tailor their product development, customer experiences and marketing activities to meet their needs and preferences. By creating customer personas, you can make informed decisions about activities within your organisation, including social media marketing, based on a deep understanding of target audience characteristics and desires.
To access the FREE customer persona template featured in my book, Planning for Success: A practical guide to setting and achieving your social media marketing goals, visit: https://www.luanwise.co.uk/books/planning-for-success/persona-generator
There are several approaches to preparing personas. Starting with industry research and published reports is useful. In the UK, the Office for National Statistics is a good resource for reports related to the economy, population and society at national, regional and local levels. For similar data for non-UK countries, you can find resources via the United Nations statistics division.
Industry reports can be found via market research organisations such as Mintel or Keynote. These publicly available reports often share information on market size and trends, market segmentation, competitor insights, market forecasts and more. They can be purchased online but are usually available to view via public libraries and through professional association membership services. Sparktoro is a useful audience research tool that helps you discover where your customers spend their time online and what they talk about most.
Combining desk research with your own data is essential to help you build the best understanding of your target audience. Don’t restrict your research to reading, though. Ethnography is the practice of observing people in their own environment to understand their experiences, perspectives and everyday practices, and I’ve used this approach on many client projects. You should also consider speaking to existing and prospective customers one-to-one or via focus group interviews. Existing customers have already been through the buying decision process and can share their experiences with you, and you can dive deeper into their responses by asking additional questions, such as:
Personal Details
- Age Group: What is your age group? (e.g., 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, etc.)
- Family Life: Do you have a partner? Children? Siblings?
- Generation: Which generation do you belong to? (e.g., Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers)
- Education: What is your highest level of education? (e.g., High School, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, PhD)
- Location: Where do you live? (City, State, Country)
- Family Status: What is your family status? (e.g., Single, Married, with children, without children)
Employment Details
- Industry: In which industry do you work?
- Role: What is your job title or role?
- Experience Level: How many years of experience do you have in your field?
- Workday: What does a typical workday look like for you? Do you work from home or an office (or hybrid?)
- Company: How large is the company you work for? What is the organisational structure?
- Buying Process: Who is involved in decision-making?
- Industry Competitors: Who are the major competitors in your industry?
- Product/Service Competitors: Which companies offer similar products or services to yours?
Interests
- Hobbies: What are your favourite hobbies?
- Entertainment: What types of entertainment do you enjoy? (e.g., movies, TV shows, books, music)
- Sports/Physical Activities: Do you participate in any sports or physical activities? If so, which ones?
- Social Activities: What social activities do you enjoy? (e.g., dining out, attending events, travelling)
Pain Points
- Challenges: What are the biggest challenges you face in your personal life?
- Work Problems: What are the biggest challenges you face in your professional life?
- Goals: What are your primary goals and objectives, both personally and professionally?
- Barriers: What barriers or obstacles prevent you from achieving your goals?
Topics That Might Cause Concern
- Issues: What social, economic, or environmental issues concern you the most?
- Fears: What are your biggest fears or worries related to your personal or professional life?
- Skepticism: What makes you skeptical or doubtful about products or services in our industry?
Communication Preferences
- Platforms: Which social media platforms do you use most frequently? (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter)
- Content: What type of content do you prefer consuming on social media? (e.g., videos, articles, infographics, memes)
- Email: Do you prefer receiving information and updates via email? If so, what type of email content do you find most valuable? (e.g., newsletters, promotional offers, updates)
- Messaging Apps: Do you use messaging apps for communication? If so, which ones? (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS)
- Phone Calls: Are you open to receiving phone calls for important information or customer support?
- In-Person Communication: Do you prefer in-person meetings or interactions for certain types of communication?
Communities
- Groups: Which social media groups are you a member of? (e.g., Facebook Groups, LinkedIn Groups)
- Forums: Do you participate in any online forums or communities? If so, which ones? (e.g., Reddit, specialised forums)
- Local Communities: Are you involved in any local or offline communities or clubs? If so, which ones?
- Memberships: Are you a member of any professional associations or organisations? If so, which ones?
- Events: What types of events do you regularly attend? (e.g., conferences, workshops, meetups, trade shows)
Influencers
- Role Models: Who are your role models or people you look up to?
- Industry Experts: Which industry experts or thought leaders do you follow?
- Celebrities: Are there any celebrities or public figures whose opinions you trust?
- Social Media Influencers: Which social media influencers do you follow and trust?
- Media Sources: Which media sources or publications do you trust for information and news?
As you build your customer personas, hang out in the communities they have shared with you. Follow their influencers and read their media choices. Look for conversations and discussions related to your industry, products or services. Pay attention to the topics covered, and the problems people are discussing.
How many customer personas will you need for your organisation?
By immersing yourself in industry reports and engaging with customers directly, you will gain valuable insights that will help you to identify distinct groups of individuals based on their characteristics. You are looking for similarities, not differences. Depending on the nature of your business, you may find that one or two personas suffice, or you may discover the need for ten or even more.
Take, for example, the various audiences a University needs to consider. The illustration below does not even include all the different subjects on offer, the level of study (eg undergraduate, postgraduate) or type of student (eg home or overseas). I highly recommend that you start your persona creation by mapping something similar; include current customers, potential customers, media, suppliers and influencers. Keep in mind that personas are not set in stone; they can, and will, evolve over time. As you gather more information you can add new personas, or merge existing ones if you find more commonalities. I recommend conducting a comprehensive review of your customer personas at least once a year to ensure they reflect the evolving characteristics of your target audience.
The multiple target audiences of a university (Source: Relax! It’s Only Social Media, (c) Luan Wise)
Customer personas are also valuable for identifying relevant targeting criteria when setting up social media ads on platforms like LinkedIn or Meta. By examining personas’ attributes such as job titles, industries, interests, and demographics, advertisers can determine which audience segments to focus on. For instance, if a persona indicates a need to reach senior managers in the finance sector, LinkedIn’s targeting options can be used to select job titles and industries that match these criteria. On Meta, persona data helps in targeting interests that align with the target audience, ensuring that ads are shown to users who are most likely to be interested in the product or service.
If you find this task daunting, don’t worry. You should not create customer personas alone! You should involve your colleagues in the research and preparation. You can even outsource the development work if you have the budget available. If you would like support with developing your customer personas, get in touch.