Target audience determination: How to find your buying persona

You want to effectively determine your target audience in order to tailor your marketing strategies and communication measures to them? It is worthwhile to develop a deeper understanding of the different types of people you want to target with your products or services. The concepts of Buying Persona and Buying Center can help you with this, as they provide valuable insights into the thoughts and decision-making processes of potential customers. In this guide, I will share with you how you can practically implement these concepts to optimize your marketing approach.

Key insights

• The target audience includes the people who need your products or services.
• The Buying Persona is a hypothetical profile of your ideal customer based on real data.
• The Buying Center describes the different roles involved in the purchasing decision process within companies.
• The purchasing decision process includes five steps: need recognition, goal clarification, evaluation of alternatives, assessment of options, and final decision.

Step-by-step guide to determining the target audience and creating Buying Personas

Step 1: Define your target audience

To successfully determine your target audience, start with a more detailed analysis of who your potential customers are. Consider demographic characteristics such as age, gender, profession, and salary, as well as psychographic characteristics such as interests, values, and lifestyle. Think about where your target customers seek information and which sources they trust.

It is important to identify different types of customers and consider their specific characteristics. The better you understand who your target audience is, the more effectively you can adjust your marketing strategy.

Step 2: Create a Buying Persona

A Buying Persona is a fictional profile that describes the characteristics of a typical buyer. Consider not only demographic data but also motivation-driven information: What are the needs and goals of the persona? What problem is she trying to solve?

Integrate the information you have gained about your customers with the insights from your market analyses. Ensure that your Buying Persona is based on concrete data to obtain a realistic picture of your ideal customer.

Step 3: Consider the Buying Center

Especially in the B2B sector, it is essential to understand the dynamics within the Buying Center. In this context, multiple individuals are involved, fulfilling different roles in the purchasing process. Identify the key players who influence the purchasing decision:

• Users: They use the product or service.
• Influencers: Technical personnel or engineers providing relevant information.
• Buyers: Individuals with formal responsibility handling the purchase.
• Decision-makers: Management or executives making the final decision.
• Gatekeepers: Secretaries or assistants controlling access to decision-makers.

Each role has its own needs and priorities that you should address in your communication strategy.

Step 4: Analyze the purchasing decision process

To better understand your target audience's purchasing decision, analyze the five steps of the purchasing decision process:

1. Need Recognition: Your customer must first perceive a problem or need.
2. Goal Clarification: The customer defines what he wants to achieve and what goals he has.
3. Evaluation of Alternatives: The customer researches different buying options.
4. Assessment of Options: He evaluates the different alternatives to choose the best option.
5. Decision: The decision-maker finally makes the purchasing decision.

By understanding each step of the process, you can create targeted content that supports your customers in every phase.

Step 5: Develop tailored content and offers

Use the information from the previous steps to develop specific content and offers for your target audience. For example, create compelling marketing materials tailored to the needs and priorities of the different roles within the Buying Center.

An effective method is to facilitate users in preparing information for the decision-making process. Create templates or tools they can use for their internal presentations.

Summary

By defining your target audience, creating buying personas, and understanding the dynamics in the buying center, you can adjust your marketing measures accordingly. Understanding the purchasing decision process of your target customers allows you to develop tailored content that supports and targets your potential customers effectively.