What image do you see when someone says “fast food?”
What pops into your head when you think “body spray?”
How about “search engine?” Or “smartphone?”
The most iconic brands have unforgettable imagery that people can instantly recall. These are memorable, whether it’s an earworm of a jingle, a catchy phrase, a logo, or a popular actor/comedian doing some shenanigans.
How did these brands hypnotize us and plant these ideas or images in our heads?
This is achieved through clever marketing done by pros who think about the customers first, going beyond dry demographic statistics by conceptualizing their marks as personas. They conduct thorough studies on actual customers, ranging from one on one interviews to mass surveys. Then they collate the data, both the personal-level talks to the broad statistical research.
From this, they create their customer personas. The customer persona will embody them, complete with personal narratives, hobbies, backstories, even fictitious addresses that reflect the demographics’ localities.
Character Backstories
Are your products or services aimed at Millennials or Zoomers? What’s his or her favorite social media platform? Do they have any pets? What’s their favorite Disney flick?
For a Gen X-er persona, how many kids do they have, are they doing yoga to deal with back pain, taking supplements for health, etc.?
Where do they live, what’s the weather like over there, and what are their environmental concerns?
What’s their socioeconomic bracket? What are their goals and objectives in life?
You get the picture. And as you detail your customer persona using these fields, you’ll get a better picture of them too.
Honing Your Message
By knowing who they are, you’ll know what they want. So you can personalize your messages accordingly. Put yourself in their shoes, ask yourself what will interest them, and figure out how your brand can connect with that. This is how you can create a message that will resonate with them, by addressing their wants, needs and concerns.
Moreover, you will also know which channels or mediums will work better for certain personas. Older audiences might not be as savvy with Twitter or Instagram, preferring good old fashioned Facebook. Younger customers might go through various social media channels but also delve into niche spaces like Reddit or Twitch channels. Corporate types will have their Linkedin accounts, of course. You can adapt accordingly and craft your message to suit which medium you are pursuing.
Start Crafting
Try it out! Develop thorough personas by talking to your customers. Learn their needs and desires. Get their demographics. Then conceptualize them, and use these customer personas to inform social media campaigns aligned with what your customers are looking for deep down in their hearts.
