Woo Me: Using Customer Personas To Attract Your Ideal Customers

When many of us are asked who our ideal customer is, our immediate response is ‘everybody.’  As small business owners, we don’t have the luxury of being picky, right?

Wrong.

It’s not about being picky, it’s about being specific.  And taking the time to get to know who your ideal customer is, not only benefits you, but them.  That’s where customer personas come in.

A customer persona is an ‘archetype.’  It’s a mental picture of the person you had in mind when you created your product or service.  This imaginary person has a name, backstory, and a lifestyle. It has needs, wants, and experiences.

And your goal is to see how your product or service will benefit them through their eyes – not yours.

But, creating customer personas aren’t easy. It’s not based on what you think or how you feel customers will respond. Personas that work are based on observation and research into your customer’s buying behavior. You can then use the information you gather to build a more accurate profile of the person most likely to buy your product or service.

Benefits?  Less time and money wasted on trying to market your business to the wrong people and a better experience for and commitment from the right people.

To learn how to create your first customer persona, let’s read the short tale of Persona & The Hero…

[slideshare id=30954644&sc=no]Pursue the right people and they will follow, like and share. The right people will buy, recommend, and refer.

If you’re ready to create your first customer persona but find yourself staring at a blank whiteboard, let me answer a few questions for you to get you started.