How are you showing your customers that you understand them? Whether it is the Geico gecko, Jake the likeable State Farm agent, or the all-in-crisp-white exuberant Flo the Progressive Girl, successful marketers know that creating an effective persona sells. When it comes to buying and selling, the ability to influence a customer’s decision starts with showing that you understand what the customer thinks. It’s really all about building a story that makes an emotional connection.
It is no longer enough to merely provide a list of features and benefits about your products and services. That type of marketing is too general to be impactful. Your potential customers are not walking down the aisle, paging through a catalogue or clicking through web pages with a list of features. They are looking for the right experiences. They buy cars that make their hearts race and their bodies feel young. They purchase diamonds that bring on happy tears and gasps of delight in the ones they love. The key is that what are you selling needs to be woven into the fabric of their lives. Anything less feels cold and clinical.
The best part of creating a persona for your products and services is that the research process will allow you to learn a great deal about your customers’ buying habits. The use of data and analytics gleaned from your current customer demographics and purchase activities will help you refine your marketing strategy. The goal of all this persona building is to lead you to make business decisions about the design of your products and the direction of growth areas for your company.
The information gathered from interactions among with your customers and the marketing persona can tell you which product upgrades are essential and relevant. Ultimately, it can save you money by reducing ineffective promotions. It can save you time by segmenting your market into key buying groups that will need customized campaigns. It can help your understand your customers deeply, making the relationship stronger and longer-lasting. To thoroughly succeed with your marketing strategy, you have to “Go with the Flo.”
Updated August 2022
