Mr. Spock, Are Personas Practical and Logical?

 

Criticism of Customer Personas in Online Marketing

"No one can guarantee the actions of another." -Spock, "Day of the Dove", stardate unknown

In case you were not sure of my level of nerd, this ought to cement it for you.

Yes, I am a Trekker.

Though I have never dressed as a Star Trek character, I will admit to having a secret crush. Not on Captain Kirk (thankfully, because I would be totally creeped out by Captain Kirk plugging for Priceline.com right now). But my secret longing has always been for Mr. Spock.

So when reading up on what the critics have to say about personas in marketing, I kept thinking back to Mr. Spock and wondering what would he say? Concidentally, I think his answer would go along with what the critics have to say.

What the Skeptics Have to Say About Personas

I was only able to find 3 main criticisms of personas, and they fall in line with what I have heard from several business owners and marketers.

1. The underlying logic is not based on reality.
2. It is not practical to implement.
3. There are no empirical results.

Ok, fair enough. Lets take these on one at a time.

1- Personas are fictional characters, true. However, a proper process to create customer personas should include interviews with customers and anyone within the organization who is front facing with customers. Personas that are created outside of a data-driven procedure are, at best, the figment of a very creative marketer. This  problem leads into #2 and #3.

However, the internet now gives us that data. Every click on your website is performed by a potential customer. Every search on Google is additional data. Marketers now have access to this customer data in order to create data-driven personas. Analytics and keyword research is the gateway to discovery.

2- A lot of books and research have been done to tell us how to implement personas in marketing. It is certainly not a new concept. The criticism comes down to the perception "of smug customer-centricity" that actually distances a team from engagement with real users and their needs. The arguement is that real-world stories and customer immersion would better serve designers to understand the needs of users.

I tend to agree with this and keep this in the back of my mind at all times as a reminder. The rebirth of the persona concept from web marketers has indeed given way to some seeing this as a fast track to results, without every taking the time to ask, "Is this really our customer? Does this tell us anything about him or her that we did not know before?"

The goal of using a persona to describe your customer should always be to improve the customer experience and facilitate better communication not only with them, but also with your internal team.

3- Ah, results. Yes. The pot of gold at the end of the philosophical rainbow. Critics of personas would argue that metrics to measure the effectiveness of personas are soft. If #1 and # 2 are true, then this would also be true. In order to avoid this folly, start your work with personas based on your business goals, marketing objectives and key performance indicators. Know how you will measure success.

So Mr. Spock, what say you? Is it logical?

 

Are Customer Personas the Next Big Thing?

 

Are Customer Personas a Valid Marketing Methodology?

There is some debate as to what a persona is and whether it is valid methodology to implement for marketing strategy. With the rise of social media, personas have gained some attention among marketers as a way to connect personally with a faceless community.

What is a Customer Persona?

According to Wikipedia, a persona is defined as "Fictional characters created to represent the different user types within a targeted demographic, attitude and/or behaviour set that might use a site, brand or product in a similar way. Personas are a tool or method of market segmentation."

Well, yes and no. A segment will help you to define patterns of behavior. It still does not give you a real person to talk to. I like to define personas as Jeffrey & Brian Eisenberg state in their book, 'Waiting for Your Cat to Bark'.

"Personas are the representative stand-ins for the modes in which it is possible for individuals to interact with you and your business."

This definition brings to mind actors and their characters. We can identify with characters and their struggles and triumphs. If asked to talk to a pre-teen boy whose parents were murdered, how would you approach him? Kind of at a loss? But if you were told that pre-teen boy was Harry Potter, would you have a better idea on how to approach him?

Why is this an important distinction? Because individuals in a demographic segment can change from mode to mode, even within the same pattern, depending on their goals at the time.

For example, when you purchase a children's book at Amazon for your nephew, the next time you return all your recommendations are for children's books and toys. You are no longer in that mode, but because Amazon has put you in a predictive persona, you will keep getting those recommendations.

Understanding modes of motivation gets you closer to the heart of your customer and helps you to develop empathy for them. In other words, walk a mile in their shoes. In terms of customer service and innovation, this your golden goose.

Should You Use Personas in Your Marketing?

I choose a marketing career for one simple reason, I was fascinated by people and what motivated them to do the things they do. Why is it that 2 people within the same environment and genetics can be so totally different in how they view and approach things? (Have kids- tell me you do not see that!)

3 Reasons to Use Personas for Marketing Strategy

1- Create empathy. It's the golden rule... updated. Rather than treating people the way you would like to be treated, treat them the way they want to be treated. This brings us back to walking a mile in their shoes.

2-Design a persuasive structure. Don't misunderstand me, I am not talking manipulation. I am talking about creating a system that helps people to find what they are looking for, in a way that is pleasing to them. (this is also called user experience or informational architecture, but more than that it is also copywriting). In the end, you have a much happier customer because the message matches the experience.

3- Eliminate the noise and clutter. Sit in on any marketing meeting and you will encounter multiple perspectives on what the end customer is thinking and wants. Who is to say who is right? By creating persona characters, it is no longer about what the VP says or the CEO, it is about sticking to what the customer wants. Content and design decisions are no longer based on what you assume, but are based on empathy.

Not sure if this is more than a philosophical discussion that is not practical to implement? I admit, it is a big concept to get one's head around. Stay tuned for my next post where I will talk about the critics of customer personas and how you can overcome them in your orgnization.

Until, then- market on.

 

Part 2 of 5: How to Harness the Dynamic Power of Internet Marketing

 

Step 2: The (Action, Conversion, Marketing) Plan

Putting the map together to navigate safely to your destination.

Anything worth doing is worth doing right, or so my mother always told me. Little did I know how then that advice would guide (almost) everything I would do later in life. My high school graduation, my wedding day, my children's birth to my college graduation- every major event involved some type of plan.

So when I began my first marketing jobs out of college, I was thrown off by the utter lack of a plan for anything that was done. Why did it seem that most marketing deptartments were just responding to the need to make noise for sales or some other fire drill type exercise? 

I knew there had to be a better way. And why was 'plan' such a 4 letter word anyway?

How to Put the Research to Work and Construct an Action Plan.

I stress the word action, because many seem to have the perspective that research and planning means delaying action and missing opportunities. What I have found is that those that research and plan find more opportunities.

Purpose of the Plan: The 3 W's

Who do you want as a customer? I was chatting with a smart marketer this past last week and she very astutely stated,"Not everyone is your customer, not every customer is profitable. Businesses should focus on customers that are the most profitable over their entire relationship. What is their lifetime value? Who is the easiest to deal with and not a draw on resources? Who comes back again and again? Where is the biggest opportunity?" Right-o Aileen-those are the customers we all want!

What do you want them to do? Sounds simple enough, we want them to buy right? As I heard the infamous Chris Brogan say once, you wouldn't walk up to someone in a bar, say hello, stick your tongue down their throat and then ask them to marry you right? It works the same way online, depending on where someone is in their buying cycle, asking them to hand over their private info (or worse- hand over their hard earned cash!) before they are comfortable and confident giving that out is like trying to make out with strangers. (ok, maybe an extreme example, but one that will stick I bet!)

Having a plan that has a content and/or touchpoint strategy will gently guide your prospects to conversion, at their pace.

What do they want? This means understanding their buying motivation, their real motivation. To do this personas are a key element. In the book 'Waiting for Your Cat to Bark', Jeffrey & Bryan Eisenberg (2 really smart and funny guys! As said in my best SNL impression) define personas as"...representative stand-ins for the modes in which it is possible for individuals to interact with you and your business." This goes far beyond segmentation of demographics or likes and dislikes.

But this is another blog post altogether.

Process to Create the Plan: AIDAS (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action, Satisfaction)

This is really the whole point to having the plan, to know what to do and when to do it. Right place, right message, right time. And the sexy part? You can measure it and test to make improvements on results.

Attention- How will they find you?

Things to Measure: SEO ranking, traffic sources, CTR, social media reach, new unique visitors, top entry pages

Interest- This is where your customers are going to seek more information- about you, your product, your industry, your competitors.

Things to Measure: Top Content pages, blog post visits and subscriptions, RTs, entrance path, product views, product review, returning visitors

Desire: They want a solution, you've given them reason to want yours, now give them a clear and easy way to take action.

Things to Measure: Trial downloads, whitepaper downloads, request for proposals, add to cart

Action: The decision is made.

Things to Measure: lead to closed business ratio, conversion rate, average order value

Satisfaction: A repeat customer is a happy customer (is a profitable customer).

Things to Measure: customer lifetime value, customer retention rate, repeat order value

Of course there are many more things that can be measured. A big part of your plan should include what you will measure and what action you will take on it.

As you can tell by the length of my post here, I love this topic. I could go on and on. If you would like even more information on thsi subject, download the 5 step Internet Marketing Process presentation and learn how you can use it harness the internet.

 

 

Part 1: 5 Steps to Harnessing the Dynamic Power of Internet Marketing

 

Step 1- Internet Marketing Research

"A Dream is Just a Dream. A Goal is a Dream With a Plan and a Deadline " ~Harvey Mackay

Learn everything you can about the landscape you need to navigate.

Seems so blah doesn't it? Research- oooh how exciting. Not.

But it really is a critical first step, and being a closet science geek- I think research is really more like a CSI episode. Or like a cowboy deciding his route through the landscape.

I will even go so far as to say research is sexy, like detective work to find the killer and save the day.

And with so much information available to us on the Internet, the opportunities are endless.

Which is really the problem isn't it? There is too much information! How do you not become buried and overwhelmed?  Like with all new ventures, have a purpose and a process.

Purpose(s) of Internet Marketing Research

• See Your Business and Industry Through Your Customer's Eyes. Your customer's are not experts, so don't assume they know what you know. That is why they are looking to you.
• Understand Your Customer's Buying Modes and Motivations. Your customers really don't care how great you say you are. They do care about solving their problem, in their time frame and finding information easily.
• Differentiate from Your Competition. More than just the next guy who does what you do,but what other options do your customers have other than you to solve their problem? (Remember, doing nothing is always an option, so you will always have competition.)

• Develop Relevant Content. Recent surveys found that buyers only find relevant content 42% of the time. A lack of relevant content reduces your

  chance of closing the sale by 45%. When you understand your customer's perspectives, it is that much easier to develop a relevant and compelling content strategy and schedule.

A Process for Internet Marketing Research

• Business Uncovery. Based on the Johari Window of disclosure, business uncovery is a process that 'uncovers' what information you and your customers know about each other, or don't know about each other. This will change over time as your customer relationship is established.
• Business Topology. I first heard this coined by the Bryan & Jeffrey Eisenberg, two really smart guys. Business topology is just what it sounds like, the landscape. This includes your competitor analysis, your perceived business value, and other similar business models.
• Key Word Analysis. I know, it seems like I am beating that same drum over and over. And I will continue to do so until people stop typing their questions and needs into a search engine. Not likely to happen anytime soon. So use their key words, not your office lingo. 

Keep the Internet Manageable. Give Yourself a Research Deadline.

This part is totally up to you. Personally I limit research to a set number of sites, keywords, and/or key personnel.  You might want to set a timeline, or actual date. The goal here is to not to allow yourself to be overwhelmed with the volume of information, but keep in mind your purpose for researching. If what you are looking at does not suit the purpose, move on. Want to learn more about how to effectively incorporate this process into your internet marketing? Download the 5 Step Process Presentation to learn more.

 

What are your customer's key phrases trying to tell you?

 

Anyone looking to sell their product or service online will find that their research will always start with a key word or key phrase analysis. A good key phrase analysis can tell you not only the key phrases that your potential customers are using to describe your product/service, but also what key phrases your competition and industry are using. Depending on your particular business, a key phrase analysis will also give you niche key phrases, which are those key words that are used by your potential customers that are not highly targeted by the competition.

But can a key phrase analysis do more?

Yes, it can. Here is an example. I recently asked a group of business professionals, some of whom understood the basics of search engine marketing and search engine optimization, to look at the following key phrases, and to tell me what the differences were between them.

• accounting software
• microsoft accounting software
• microsoft dynamics gp
• microsoft dynamics gp for manufacturing

The general response to my question was that some key phrases were more specific than others. Which is true, but what does that mean? Does it mean we should only target the more specific key phrases?

The real difference between these key phrases is intent. How specific these key phrases are gives you some insight into the intent of the searcher and where they are in their buying process.

Are they just browsing to see what their options are to address their need? Do they already know approximately what they want, they are in the market to buy, but have not yet made a final decision? Or do they know exactly what they want and are just trying to decide where to buy it?

If you are ready to jump to the conclusion that if we have an idea of which searchers are in the market now, then lets target just those key phrases, then you would be making a grave mistake. There are a few important things to remember when considering the intent of searchers and potential customers.

1. No one group of customers is more likely to buy from you than another.

   Many would argue that the person who knows exactly what they want and are in the market now are more likely to buy now. To some extent may be true, but are they more likely to buy from you? These are also the people who may be more likely to be distracted by competing offers. However, the person who is just browsing and seeking to answer questions may become more likely to take action when they find their questions easily answered and are delighted with the experience they had with a company (or a company's website).

2. Not everyone is your customer.

   As you start looking at how people go about buying your product/service you may discover that your business is not configured to please all of the people all of the time. Knowing who you want to attract as a customer, and who you do not want to attract should be the main focus.

3. Everyone has a different mode of shopping.

   By ignoring those that are in the mode of ‘just browsing' or ‘knows approximately' you could be cutting off your pipeline in 3, 6, even 12 months down the road. When in doubt of this rule, see rule #1.

   The ideal way to use your key phrase analysis is when it is part of building your customer personas. The new age of marketing (as I like to call it) is going to require marketers to build persuasive systems that account and plan for the different buying modes of potential customers. Personas are customer descriptions that should be used as representatives to the different shopping modes that people use to engage your business. Your personas should answer the ‘what if's', ‘maybe's', and ‘most likely to' questions that you have about your customers.

 

The key to (successful) marketing in a recession.

 

It seems that everyone is talking about investing more in marketing during a recession. Since early 2008, leading bloggers and organizations have been telling businesses that they should be spending more on marketing in a recession. On the surface, these seems like sound advice when you look at some of the obvious factors.

Obvious factor #1: The competition is cutting back- it's a great time to gain market share.

Obvious factor #2: Customers are shopping around, they are more willing to switch.

Obvious factor #3: With a recession, costs decrease- including advertising costs. You get more for your advertising dollar.

All pretty simple and sound advice, unfortunately not everyone sees the obvious logic and still operates out of fear. Not so much fear to spend money as they are afraid that they will not get it back. And they are not entirely wrong.

Why? Because it is not enough to spend the money and advertise more. Companies that are truly successful with their marketing in a down economy have one thing in common.

In March 2008, the Harvard Business School Online listed 8 factors that companies should keep in mind when planning their marketing. The first one? Customer research.

Likewise, with a post in February 2008 BNET talked about whether or not companies should increase their marketing during a recession. The final word? Those who are ultimately successful are those that operate from customer intelligence.

See the common thread here? The key to successful marketing during a recession is to understand the changing needs of your customers. Companies who are focused on the customer mindset understand what to say to them in a recession because they know and understand what their customers are most concerned about. It is not about spending more, it is about understanding your customer more and building a brand of value. (And by the way, value does not mean lowest price- but we will save that for our next blog post- stay tuned...)

Here is another hint- this is not just relative in a recession (it is just even more important!).

It is too late to start? No, it is never to late to improve your brand and empathize with your customer. But if you want to be in a position for growth, then start  investing now. Right now. And don't stop there. The internet offers companies new opportunities to build their brands and interact with their customers. Internet marketing takes the guesswork out marketing with analytics and new mediums like social media. Realizing return on investment is not hit or miss.

How will you build your brand in the coming age of growth? Will you ride the wave or drown in it?