Knowing your customers is at the heart of every successful marketing strategy. Customer personas are one of the simplest, most useful tools for getting there – helping your whole team see your audience as real people.
What is a customer persona?
A customer persona is a fictional character that represents a group of your ideal customers. Built from research, it brings together their key characteristics, needs and behaviours, so everyone in your organisation can understand and picture who you’re talking to.
Why personas matter
- They make customers real: it’s far easier to write for ‘Priya, a career changer’ than for ‘25–45-year-olds’.
- They sharpen targeting: personas inform how you segment your audience, which channels you use and how you position yourself against competitors.
- They improve your messages: you can tailor content to the right people, on the right channels, at the right time.
- They bring better leads: when your marketing speaks to the right people, you attract more qualified enquiries.
What to include
- Demographics: age range, location and other characteristics relevant to what you offer.
- Circumstances: budget, work and life stage.
- Values and interests: what they care about, their goals and lifestyle.
- Pain points: the problems your product or service solves for them.
- Barriers: what might stop them buying.
- Motivations: what will encourage them to buy.
- Channels: where they look for information and spend time.
- Competitors: who else they’re considering, and how you’re different.
- Favourite brands: which brands they love, and why.
Where to find the information
- Your own customer data, from your CRM, website analytics and social media insights.
- Customer surveys, interviews and focus groups.
- Conversations with your sales and customer service teams.
- Sector research and industry reports.
Use personas across the customer journey
Customers think, feel and do different things at each stage of their decision. Adapt your personas for each stage – from first discovering you to becoming a loyal customer – so your messages match what they need at that moment. My guide to creating content for every buyer stage shows how.
Example: postgraduate student personas
Here’s a simplified example for a university recruiting postgraduate students, comparing two very different audiences.
| The progressor (straight from an undergraduate degree) |
The returner (back from a career or other commitments) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Demographics | Aged 21–24; lives within 100 miles of the university | Aged 25+; lives within 50 miles of the university |
| Budget | Limited | Moderate to high |
| Work | Not yet started a career | Has been, or is, in a career |
| Education | 2:1 undergraduate degree | 2:1 undergraduate degree |
| Values and outlook | Enjoyed university; wants to specialise in their subject to boost career prospects | Wants to progress or change career; lacks confidence without a specific qualification; nervous about returning to study |
| Pain points | Struggling to start a rewarding career; limited funds | Struggling to move into a more rewarding career |
| Motivations | A well-paid career; more of the student experience; may need financial support | A well-paid career; may need financial and study support, plus guidance through the application process |
| Channels | Social media, Google search, live chat, website, education events | Google search, website, live chat, social media, education events |
| Competitors | Other universities and employers | Other universities and employers |
Even this simple comparison shows how differently you’d talk to each group. The progressor might respond to messages about career prospects and student life; the returner needs reassurance, flexibility and support.
Tip: review your personas at least once a year. Audiences, markets and channels change – your personas should too.
Bringing it together
Creating customer personas takes some time, but it’s an essential investment. Once you know exactly who you’re talking to, every decision – from your key messages to your channels – becomes easier and more effective.
Want help understanding your customers? I help organisations research their audiences and build personas as part of their marketing strategy. Get in touch to find out more.