As we’ve all experienced at one point or another, it can be difficult to connect with someone we don’t know very well. Like going on a first date or attending a singles mixer, it’s important to make a good first impression but it’s even more important to remain true to who we are.
Great relationships are established when who we are and what they want align. Initial misrepresentations may produce early progress, but they’ll eventually be exposed and result in difficulties down the road.
Studies have shown first impressions are made within 7 seconds, so how do we know which of our many-many desirable qualities to showcase first? Wouldn’t it be helpful to have some understanding of what other people are looking for prior to interacting with them? Yes, it would.
This is why online dating sites have become so popular; we’re given a snapshot of who a person is and what they’re looking for in an effort to establish higher connection-probabilities.
When looking to attract new customers, businesses are initiating their own type of courtship process. The attempt is to capture the attention of a prospect and stand out among the competitive field of suitors who have their eyes on the same prize.
Since each industry has a different pool of prospects, and each brand their own ideal buyer-match, it can be difficult to effectively build strong connections byway of mass communication. Instead, brands are identifying specific groups of consumers and delivering targeted messaging thereby improving the likelihood of a positive first impression.
The best way to craft these types of targeted marketing campaigns is to individualize a targeted consumer segment by understanding the details of who they are, what they want, and how to reach them.
This is what we call Buyer Persona Development.
According to Cintell, 65% of companies who exceed lead and revenue goals have updated their [Buyer] Personas within the last 6 months. This means they proactively seek data-backed insights and update their prospect profiles to ensure they have an accurate, relevant image of who they’re talking to.
Basically, they’re working to ensure people’s online dating profile pictures are current; not a touched-up vacation photo from 2003.
For a great read about the value of creating data-driven buyer personas, click here.
If you’re ready to put your brand out there as a viable suitor and mix it up with consumers seeking their perfect match, let us be your guru. We have over 30 years of experience polishing brand-style and approach to build lasting connections and happy endings.
Give us a call or drop a line to get the conversation started… maybe we can do lunch, or something?