Do you always act the same way when a friend calls you with their worries or to ask for advice?
From a Marketing point of view, the answer to this question should be NO, especially when you're talking to a really good friend that you know extremely well. Depending on who it is, you will propose to go for a walk, take them to a bar for some drinks, or prepare a quiet dinner at home. You will also have a certain tone and way of offering advice, maybe direct and clear, maybe something more subtle, or maybe you can just give little hints about what you think in order to make your friend think and reflect.
One of the basic principles of the Inbound Marketing philosophy is to humanize the relationship with customers, establish a trusting relationship with them, and as shown in the example above, use the right tone of voice, wording, timing, etc. when creating Buyer Personas for your business. Wondering what is Inbound Marketing? Discover more about Inbound Marketing.
Remember that if you are empathetic and offer the appropriate guidelines based on what you know, it is very possible that your friend in the example above will call you again, not only to ask for advice again, but to share a good time with you as a thank-you. The same goes for satisfied customers, they are the fuel for growth for your company. Not only because they will continue to purchase your products or services, but because, thanks to a trusting relationship, they will recommend your brand within their closest network of contacts.
According to HubSpot, the main Inbound Marketing platform worldwide, the definition of a Buyer Persona is nothing more than that of semi-fictional representation of your ideal customers. It helps us define who is the audience that we are addressing with the aim of attracting them and converting them into customers; and above all it helps us to humanize and understand our target audience in greater detail.
If we do not segment properly and do not know the needs of our Buyer Personas, we can make the terrible mistake of disappointing or angering the customer (don't worry we've got tips to control the situation!) The feeling of disappointment is generated when a customer, who has certain expectations for a product or service, experiences dissatisfaction after acquisition. The direct consequence of this breach of expectations may be to unsubscribe from a service, stop buying a product, or never become a repeat customer of a certain company.
After establishing your ideals customers, you might think: is it also necessary to create Negative Buyer Personas?Should we determine who NOT to offer our product or services to?
The answer is a resounding YES. On one hand, our time is very valuable and it does not make much sense to spend time thinking about potential customers that won't generate engagement. On the other hand, we must not forget the economic part of our Marketing Strategy: to adjust to a budget and try to optimize the results. Therefore, it is actually economically beneficial to discard those potential clients that will not give us profitability.
To conclude, it is as important to know the characteristics and functionalities of your product or service as it is to know who you're selling to. If you're looking to learn more about Marketing Strategy, discover this post. If you want to see how mbudo can help you with all things strategy-related, get in touch with us!