Until 1983, when a software developer Alan Cooper pioneered the concept of customer persona, the word “persona” had been used in entertainment magazines to compare a celebrity whose public persona was bright and bubbly to one of being quiet and reclusive in private. Its antonym was “persona non grata” which referred to someone not being welcome or acceptable at certain venues.
Persona And Content Marketing
An earlier article highlighted the importance of companies getting to really know their customers and leveraging consultative selling as a tool to help get there. To succeed even further, the next step should be to develop customer personas.Doing so is a lot more than stereotyping. Conversion-based marketing expert Bryan Eisenberg discussed four general categories in his book, “Persuasive Online Copywriting.”
Eisenberg named the first type of person “competitive.” He defined these types of customers as those who like to act quickly and take advantage of an opportunity sooner than later to gain an upper hand. He further described them as being commonsensical people who rely on good information to reach those fast decisions.
“Spontaneous” is how Eisenberg described the second type of persona. As the name implies, they are impulse buyers who base their decisions on emotion.
Yet another type is “humanistic” Eisenberg described this persona as being somewhat like “spontaneous” in acting on the fly, but also needing a bit more information. He believed that this buyer, though slower to act, is more prone to becoming a loyal customer if stewarded properly.
The final persona Eisenberg described is “methodical.” Like the name implies, this persona is like “humanistic” in needing more information. They devour all they can get and don’t decide until they’ve digested it all, according to Eisenberg.
Identifying and knowing these different personas is invaluable. Successfully marketing to each is critical.