Buyer personas are the backbone of successful sales and marketing techniques, and they should regularly be revisited and updated based on the latest data available. As we prepare for 2020, now is the perfect time to review your personas and ensure they are giving your team the information they need to succeed, especially when targeting high-value accounts.
In this #ContentChat, we discuss why buyer personas are necessary for account-based marketing (ABM), what should be in your personas, and how to get the data you may be missing. Dive into the conversation below, and if you need more background on ABM and how your company can implement ABM tactics, check out our recap on Why Account-Based Marketing + Content Marketing Should Be BFFs.
Q1: What is account-based marketing (ABM)? How does it differ from content-marketing focused inbound marketing?
ABM involves identifying target customer accounts and tailoring your outreach based on data you have about that account’s needs and preferences. Content-marketing focused inbound marketing is less personalized and is created to draw interest from a less specific group of potential buyers.
A1: With #ContentMarketing you are creating content that you hope will draw the right people to your website and online properties. ABM flips things around so you start with your ideal customer list, and proactively communicate in a more personalized 1:many way. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 21, 2019
A1: ABM is finding and identifying your ideal customer first and then communicating to that group/person based on their needs or data you have on them. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) October 21, 2019
A1. ABM: Product centered, or rather user centered but concentrated on what an identifiable group of users want from the product or service. Inbound marketing is much broader #ContentChat https://t.co/ycqwsMNZfH
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) October 21, 2019
A1: While content marketing is to create content followed by accumulation of like-minded prospects who adore the content; Account-based marketing (ABM) is to identify that high net worth target and create content tailor-made to suit the specific target. #ContentChat https://t.co/aW7aT0qSp0
— SG 🇮🇳 (@Ganesh_Sabari) October 21, 2019
Large enterprises and SMBs alike can take an ABM approach, the execution will just vary based on resources.
A1: A big difference for me is that ABM is tracking and identifying the incoming lead before they arrive at the asset, delivering a custom experience based on some stock info. I think this works well for enterprise targeting, but may not fit as well for B2C or SMBs #ContentChat
— Leah Ryder (@leahryder) October 21, 2019
I think with SMBs we think ot it more as strategic account marketing but it’s pretty much the same thing. @SuperDeluxeMo any thoughts on that? #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 21, 2019
Hmm, in my experience, ABM marketing for SMBs is about identifying (using geotargeting, ad tech, prospecting etc) and then curating that experiencing. Predictive stuff is cost prohibitive for small biz as of now. Helpful? #contentchat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) October 21, 2019
Q2: Why are buyer personas an important part of the ABM content-creation process?
Instead of instantly targeting an individual account, businesses should create personas that detail the needs and challenges of their ideal customers.
A2: While many think of ABM as just 1:1 communications tailored down to the specific prospect, the reality is you don’t start at that level. Personas help you understand your ideal customer’s needs and challenges at a higher level, to create content to get you there. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 21, 2019
A2: For ABM, personas are important to define so that when you are targeting a segment, you know all about that segment so that you can deliver the best and most relevant message to that individual. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) October 21, 2019
A2: The focus of ABM content creation is HNIs &/or B2B; whose wants revolve around ‘self-actualization’ by creating unique content of substance that amplifies their persona. Hence, an in-depth understanding of buyer persona is a critical component of ABM. #ContentChat https://t.co/jWgLwYeRW9
— SG 🇮🇳 (@Ganesh_Sabari) October 21, 2019
Personas should detail everything from the needs and main pain points of the customer to the way they prefer to receive information and interact with your brand. This level of care and detail increases the likelihood that your prospects will welcome your outreach.
A2 The more specialized your marketing is, the more important understanding how to communicate with who you’re trying to reach will be. Personas aren’t just about what they want to hear about, it’s how and when they hear about it, who they trust to hear it from, etc. #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) October 21, 2019
Q2: I don’t know about y’all, but personas help me picture the person I’m creating content for. It identifies your audience and really forces you into their shoes, particularly if you are focusing on a very targeted product/service audience. #ContentChat https://t.co/1XsH6th9by
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) October 21, 2019
Agreed. While we sometimes are developing content for an audience we are a typical customer of, it’s more often *not* the case. Personas help shift our perspectives. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 21, 2019
A2: I think you want to develop as authentic and personalized personas for ABM content as possible, because it can already feel a little bit intrusive for folks, so you want to delight and engage them rather than make it feel more “robotic” than it already is. #ContentChat https://t.co/oV1VG9zSRI
— Leah Ryder (@leahryder) October 21, 2019
Q3: Our customer data is incomplete. How do I create useful buyer personas and customer journeys without having all the data I need?
Most likely, you won’t have all the data on a prospect—and that shouldn’t stop you. Any data is better than no data when creating personas. Start with what you have, and identify the “must-have” data that is missing for you to find or collect.
A3 There is always more data out there. It comes down to how specific or detailed it is as it relates to your client. I’m not sure there’s a “magic” level of data necessary to complete a persona – you put together what you can and you test to fill out the holes. #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) October 21, 2019
A3: You don’t need all the data but you need to determine which data is important to you or each persona and then build some journeys to get the missing data you need from your customer. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) October 21, 2019
We have a completeness score that we use within our database – we identify what is needed or missing and look at the message/journey to put that customer through to get the data. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) October 21, 2019
A3) I see this a lot and you just do the best you can. Take a look at the data you have access to and which is most accurate.
Then plan to use what you have in the short term and begin working on better data collection long term. #contentchat— Andrew Stewart (@andrewtstewart) October 21, 2019
Aww man, sorry I missed this. With ABM having an ideal company persona (as well as a trad. one) can help you pin point a larger ABM target and whittle it down from there. Ask: what config of companies turn into your best customers? #contentchat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) October 21, 2019
Interview your customers and internal stakeholders to fill the gaps in your data where possible.
A3: I’ve worked with two clients whose data told a comprehensive buyer’s journey story. For the rest, we’ve used what we could glean from content consumption and CMS tracking combined with internal + client interviews to map out several representative journey maps. #ContentChat https://t.co/Hhjv52zpSU
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 21, 2019
I am yet to meet a marketer whose customer data is complete & ready. I create initial personas through a 3 hour workshop with internal stakeholders. We start split-testing comms straight away. We then tweak after customer 1-on-1 chats. Having rough personas are better than none
— Fiona McEachran (@fionamceachran) October 21, 2019
Q3. Qualitative data: user interviews #ContentChat https://t.co/XzoXHvztia
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) October 21, 2019
A3: Primary component in implementing ABM is the ability to touch-base with HNIs & key B2B accounts with D expression of intent 2 establish a long-term professional association on D grounds of a fundmental analysis. Once done, D necessary info shall ceaselessly flow #ContentChat https://t.co/CHg5Krm4vg
— SG 🇮🇳 (@Ganesh_Sabari) October 21, 2019
Q4: What are the must-include pieces of information for buyer personas that will actually be helpful for ABM content creation and content marketing?
You need enough information to understand your prospect’s goals and how they make purchasing decisions (including where they go for information and who they trust). Mirroring the advice in Q3, connect with your sales or customer support teams to better understand these areas.
A4: If a buyer’s persona doesn’t tell me a prospect’s primary goals, why they buy our product/service versus someone else’s, where they go for information, and whose opinions they trust, it’s lacking the details that help me create more compelling content for them. #ContentChat https://t.co/1FeDbcDvvh
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 21, 2019
A4. The decision making points are essential to me when creating a buyer persona; what sways their decision or what are the most influential factors. #ContentChat https://t.co/2ZrrWh9Opi
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) October 21, 2019
A4 To build on Jen’s point, this is data that you will have, even if it isn’t codified on a report somewhere, your front-line sales team is going to be able to tell you what these decision points are and what factors influence customers. #ContentChat https://t.co/YpMCom1g1B
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) October 21, 2019
See also why I won’t agree to create buyer personas without having a few sales team interviews as part of the process. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 21, 2019
A4: Knowing buyer pain points—not just with the problems they need to solve, but with the marketplace and frustrations they encounter trying to vet a solution so that you can stand out with empathy—I would go really in depth with that. #ContentChat https://t.co/P3d9L1VKSN
— Leah Ryder (@leahryder) October 21, 2019
Q5: What are some irrelevant pieces of information you see included in buyer personas that content marketers should leave out going forward?
Make sure your data supports the personas you’ve built, and avoid any data that is misleading or may invite bias.
A5: I often see a lot of irrelevant or not statistically valid information in buyer personas. Like the typical customer being a GenX aged mom with a BA that’s married for a B2B sale that has nothing to do with kids or being married. Maybe it’s right. But… #ContentChat https://t.co/HPhfn8DS5n
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 21, 2019
I think demographics can be misleading and stereotypical. I don’t think we needed these items nor do we need gender or stock images. If anything, focus on general human points of connection: Struggle with work/life balance, loves to feel productive etc. #ContentChat
— Leah Ryder (@leahryder) October 21, 2019
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