One suggestion we make at Plan Left that meets with some resistance is the re-examination of buyer personas at least once per year. We understand the frustration, too. After all, you worked long and hard to identify your buyers and complete their profiles. Why would anyone suggest making changes?

Well, we think it’s very important step in the growth of your company. Revisiting your buyer personas once per year will keep you focused and moving in the right direction. How? Well, let’s take a look.

Evaluate the Spenders

When you first started marketing your company, you had a particular spending amount in mind. You determined who would buy and how much, and the buyer personas told you why. Now that you’ve been around awhile, you may have noticed that the buyers you expected were not the buyers you got.

For instance, if you expected the men of the house to make car maintenance decisions, only to discover after a year or two that the women were actually the ones making these choices, you’d have to rethink your buyer personas, right? It’s important to examine who’s actually buying your products and services, keeping in mind that trends can change. Products that were popular ten years ago with twenty-year-olds might be purchased now by those in their thirties, while the twenty-somethings of today have moved on to other products.

By evaluating who’s doing the spending each year, you avoid marketing to the wrong people. And marketing to the wrong people is pretty pointless, right?

Evaluate the Message

When you realize that you’ve been marketing to the wrong buyers, you know then that your messaging has been all wrong. After you’ve determined who your buyers really are, then you’ll need to revisit the words and images you’re using. Are they tuned to the people you want to reach? Is your messaging hitting the target?

Let’s say you’re still trying to reach those twenty-something buyers of your products, even though you now have the proof that your customers are older. Will your trendy, hip commercials and social media posts hit the right notes? Probably not. Will the endorsements you receive seem genuine to actual customers of your company?

Your message is extremely important when trying to reach your buyers, so make sure you’ve got the words, images, and tone just right. Otherwise you’ll keep missing that target every time.

Evaluate the Brand Standards

The message you create for the buyers comes straight from your company’s brand standards. This is what you want buyers to imagine and feel when they see, hear, or think about your brand. Take a look at the guidelines you’ve set. Do they match your current goals? Will they reach your current customers?

Think back to the car maintenance companies trying to reach buyers with branding focused on men. If they reconsider their brand standards to put women at the center of their messaging, making sure to empower those who will be making purchases rather than belittling, then they’re sure to see an increase in sales and a more positive brand image from their true buyers, right?

So, ask yourself: Do you know who your buyers really are? Is it time to reconsider your branding and messaging before the New Year gets underway? If so, give us a call. We’re ready to walk you through every step.

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