I need an honest, confession from you.
Do you know who is your audience or prospect? Do you have a buyer persona?
I doubt it because you are reading this post.
First, let’s see what a buyer persona is.
A buyer persona is significant to the success of inbound marketing. It is a compiled data of market research that shows the buyer’s purchasing behavior.
Although a buyer persona is well-researched data and necessary for business, it is not one hundred percent accurate. I mean, you can not blindly trust on that.
There are other ways to understand your audience besides a buyer persona.
Here are seven ways to get in your buyer’s mind. You can use them instead of a traditional customer persona.
#1. Analysis of existing data
Every company should review their current data. Data analysis is essential to the business survival. E-commerce legend Amazon uses browser history and purchase history to provide particular product suggestions to their consumers.
Analyzing data can help you to make a better marketing plan. It is a decision supporting system, not decision making.
Here are the reasons you should review your existing data:
- Get useful insights from the data set.
- Refining your marketing plan through data research.
- Make decisions from data analysis.
- Improving consumer experience with personalization.
#2. Interview customer support
Interviewing customer care executives is one of the best ways to understand your client. They deal with many types of customers every day. Customer support know their consumers’ behavior very well and how to handle them.
These are some questions you can ask them:
- What problem is the client facing?
- What solution are they are expecting?
- What do clients say about your services?
- What is the price consumers are willing to pay for your service or products?
Those questions will help you understand your consumers behavior.
#3. Building a relationship through emails
A successful email marketing campaign creates a healthy relationship between provider and consumer.
If you do email marketing for business, do it right. Send a warm welcome email to your clients just after he made a purchase. Following up with informational content establishes a strong relationship between you and your consumers.
By doing so, you could establish yourself as a mentor rather than a sales guy. Your audience will start to trust you. They will not only share their honest feedback about your product and services, but will also share their future goals, desires, fears, and frustration.
#4. Listen Carefully and Learn
One of the best ways to improve your business is by listening to your clients. It is the simplest method to get free advice on how to improve your service through customers feedback.
You know the best marketing ideas restaurants get from listening carefully to their clients. You can talk to them directly, social media, blogs or live events. Whatever clients say about your business is valuable. Positive feedback encourages your business, and negative feedback can help you to improve your services.
Here are some ways to get information from your customers:
- Talk to them directly.
- Find the information on the web.
- Find information through client’s emails.
- Make your customers happy, so they share their feedback.
#5. Speak your client’s language
Speak your customers’ language, if you want to earn their respect and trust. It does not only increase your sales but also makes your brand more appealing.
Speaking a client’s language is not so hard, all you have to do is use simple words instead of fancy words. Use the words that they understand. Represent your business in a simple way, what your companies does, how do you deliver your product, and who is your customer.
Nothing will be better for your business than this one simple step. By learning their language, you will become a member of their group. They will not hesitate to share their real opinion about your company and services. Learning the right tone of your clients will enhance your marketing efforts.
#6. Research about Audience
There are several ways to know more about your audience, but one of the simplest ways is to search for them on the web.
Make a list of your prospective clients and hunt them on social media, forums, communities, and blogs. People love to share their opinion about a company or product on social media platforms like Twitter.
You can also put your questions on social media channels (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter), forums and Q/A sites like Quora. Participate in blog comments on popular websites or blogs in your niche. Do whatever you can do to get the data about your audience.
#7. Put yourself in the customers’ shoes
I assume that you have heard this phrase before, “Think like a customer.”
Orison Swett Marden says, ‘The golden rule of every businessman is this: Put yourself in your customers’ place.’
This one never fails. Assume what you would do if you were your customer.
You can do the following things to think like a client:
- Visit your website.
- Call your customer support and talk to them.
- See how quickly you can find the information on your site.
- See how your customer support handles the clients.
- Assume how your competitor would treat you if you were their customer.
- Is your support team providing the right information to your customer?
- Are they helpful or rude?
When you start to think like your consumer, then you will be able to feel their frustrations.
You can not sell your product or services until you don’t know what your client’s require. Once you know their need, deliver the right solution and make them happy.
A happy customer means successful business.
Final Thoughts
I appreciate that buyer personas are significant for the business. You should make at least one buyer persona for your business bBecause it is the best method to know your audience and their purchasing behavior.
In case you cannot create a buyer persona, then you could use the above-mentioned tips to get into your buyer’s mind;
I would like to know what other ways you use to understand your clients?
Images: ”Hand with marker writing the word Do You Know Your Customers? /Shutterstock.com“
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