The Power of Personas

Imagine being able to understand the people that visit your webpage on a deeper level. Imagine having the power to understand what they want, the ability to anticipate their needs, and the means to communicate with them effectively. This is the power of the persona! Here are the top reasons personas are so powerful:

Personas help us identify users
Hubspot describes the persona stating,“A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers. Personas include customer demographics, behavior patterns, motivations, and goals.” 

Personas attract the right users
Stop wasting time on users that are never going to drink your Kool-Aid! Personas allow you operate efficiently by targeting and attracting users who want what you have. They allow associations to generate content that attracts the right users, converting them into leads and eventually members.

Personas allow us to track and learn user habits
By understanding your persona, you will inately learn their habits. For instance, if you know that your primary persona is a woman over the age of 55 who does not use social media you have a better idea of where to focus your marketing efforts. You are not going to invest in a social media campaign rather you may opt to purchase banner ads or mail out flyers.

Personas help us anticipate and avoid frustration
Knowing the user also means being able to anticipate their frustrations. If we have this information then we can easily avoid their pain points, creating a positive experience that converts and retains users. For instance, you may have a “Paul” that needs to build trust before committing to anything. This mean you know “Paul” does not like to feel pushed into anything. On the other hand, you may have another persona. Maybe this persona is a “Stephanie” and she doesn’t like to waste time so you know to expedite everything associated with her. By knowing if your users is a “Stephanie” or a “Paul” you can avoid pain points and bring the user what they want.

If you are interested in other avenues to gaining members you don’t want to miss Emily Wilson's webinar on Using Digital Advertising for Membership Growth.