How many times have you had your vendors arrive at your office, ready to do their "Dog and Pony" show for the hottest, latest new product that is coming to market? They create an amazing presentation, point out all of the great new features, and tell you that this thing is going to sell through like gangbusters. Energized, you quickly put together a marketing mix of materials to spread the word about this new product, using the vendor-supplied postcards, e-newsletters, and point of purchase displays. Your message is clear to your customers - this is the next must-have product. If you don't buy now, someone else will trump you. Then, after launching your marketing campaign, you call your vendor back and ask them why they think no one has bought the new product from you. The problem? You were …show more content…
She was going after a buyer persona - a detailed description of a profile that represents the real audience she was trying to attract. In previous years, the buyer persona "soccer mom" morphed into "security mom" when violence and terrorism became big issues in the political arena. Understanding the buyer persona of your customers allows you to build goals, programs, and strategies around your customers' decision-making process. Do they always wait for a sale? Are some of your customers buying in bulk versus one-offs? How is the economy affecting their budget? What types of marketing materials do they respond to the best? Postcards? E-newsletters? Personal phone calls? All of this information is critical in understanding who your customer is and what makes him or her tick. If you truly understand your buyer - or in this case your customer - then you can put together a targeted plan based on qualified likes and dislikes. It doesn't matter if you have a great product. If your message isn't targeted at the customer's needs, they'll pass it