How to create a customer persona

Hello there! Now that you know what customer personas are and why they're important, let's discuss
how to create one. When crafting a customer persona, you'll need information about your ideal
customers. You shouldn't just guess. You need actual data. The thing is you'll likely need to do research
to collect this information. Here are a few ways to do the research.

The first is to review customer data. It's possible the business already has existing data about its
customers. Review this for information for details such as demographics, location, sales history, and
customer service notes.

A second way is to conduct customer interviews. Like, consider interviewing customers directly about
their experience with the product or service. Ask questions such as what brought them to the product,
how did it solve their problem, and if appropriate, consider collecting information on their other
interests as well to form a more detailed persona. Now, another way is to analyze web data. If the
business is active on social media, review any demographic data about people who follow your business
account. Additionally, website analytics, such as Google Analytics, provide data about elements like the
age and gender of website visitors. Now, if you're wondering what Google Analytics is, we'll be covering
that in a later course. If available, research online reviews and comments, as well. They can be a great
opportunity for persona data.

A fourth way is to send out surveys. A simple method to collect information is to email a survey out to
current customers. You may find that participation is low on this particular type of strategy. So instead
encourage survey participation by giving away something for free to one of the customers who fills out
the survey.

Now, once you've done your research, the first part of creating a persona is defining who your customer
is. This includes defining your persona's interests, traits, and demographics. Demographics are
information specific to the customer, such as age, gender identity, income, family size, occupation,
education, and location. For example, a persona for a pet business could be: A man in his 30s with two
children who loves the outdoors and lives in the suburbs. They may even get more specific with their
personas and detail-out a 32-year- old man with two children who owns a large dog and likes to go
hiking. Now, the more detailed your personas, typically the more personas you will create. This aligns
your advertising language to many members of your audience.

Now, once you determine the persona's interests, traits, and demographics, it's time to get specific
about their goals and barriers. To create the goals and barriers, you should primarily rely on the data
you collect about customers, such as surveys and interviews. For the customer persona goal, get specific
about the customer and what they want to achieve. This goal needs to be related to the product or
service. For example, if it's a landscaping business, the customer wants great looking greenery.
Reviewing the data, you also identify additional goals they may want to achieve. Some of the customers
just want peace of mind that their plants and property will be taken care of. For other customers, it's
pride in the look of their landscaping. While you're relying on your data to form the goal and barrier, it's
okay to include additional details. For instance, maybe customers consistently said they want their
landscaping to look good. You can infer they want to feel pride in their home.
Now, after identifying goals, consider the barrier, or what's preventing the customer from achieving
their goal. You can also consider what's keeping the customer from hiring the company. Again, review
the customer data, including the surveys and interviews.

Can you identify any barriers? Continuing with the landscaping example, when reviewing the customer
survey, you noticed a few recurring barriers. Some customers say they don't have time to take care of
their lawn. Others state they've tried but don't believe the lawn looks any good. Another group stated
they simply just don't have the equipment. Consider a barrier related to hiring the company. One could
be that they don't trust landscaping companies because they received poor service in the past. Now that
you have the demographic information, the goals, and the barriers, combine that information to create
your personas. Following the landscaping example again, one persona could be A 55-year-old woman in
the city with a small yard and a garden. She has been taking care of her own yard for five years but
currently doesn't have the time to do it. A second persona could be a 30-year-old new homeowner.
They've never worked with landscaping before and just moved to the suburbs. And a third persona
could be a 27-year-old, budget-conscious renter in a rural area. They're trying to get basic landscaping to
keep up with their homeowners' association demands.

Now, let's imagine you've completed a few personas. Now what do you do with them? A best practice is
to keep them readily available. Whenever you work on any marketing material, consider all of your
personas. Who are you trying to reach? What visuals appeal to them? What messages appeal to them?
What online platforms do they spend their time on? That's the power of a persona. Instead of just
guessing or combining all personas together, you have specific data about who your customers are. You
know what they want to achieve and the barriers that keep them from achieving those goals.

Customer personas may seem like a lot of work, but they are well worth it. Successful marketing starts
with knowing your customers well. And now you know what steps to take to gain that knowledge and
really make that connection.

Sure, here is a summary of the content:

Creating Customer Personas
Customer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers. They are based on research and
data about your target audience. Personas help you to understand your customers' needs, wants, and
motivations. This information can be used to create more effective marketing campaigns.
How to Create a Customer Persona

1. Define your customer's demographics. This includes information such as age, gender, income,
location, and education.
2. Identify your customer's interests and traits. What are their hobbies? What are their values? What
are their pain points?
3. Determine your customer's goals and barriers. What do they want to achieve? What is preventing
them from achieving their goals?

Once you have created your customer personas, you can use them to:
  Develop targeted marketing campaigns
 Create more effective content
 Improve your customer service

Benefits of Using Customer Personas

 Increased sales: Personas can help you to identify and target your ideal customers. This can lead to
increased sales and conversions.
 Improved customer satisfaction: Personas can help you to understand your customers' needs and
wants. This can lead to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.
 Reduced marketing costs: Personas can help you to focus your marketing efforts on the most
effective channels. This can lead to reduced marketing costs.

Creating customer personas is a valuable marketing tool. By taking the time to create accurate and detailed
personas, you can gain a deep understanding of your target audience. This information can be used to
create more effective marketing campaigns and improve your overall marketing strategy.
And if you want to continue exploring this topic, try one of these follow-up questions: