https://www.authoritas.com/brightonseo/ Laura Hampton – BrightonSEO April 2016: How to Build Useful Audience Personas to Guide Your Digital Strategy

1. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
How to Build Useful
Audience Personas
To Guide Your Digital Strategy
@lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016

2. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
“Hi Sarah”

3. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
“Hi Dan”

4. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
“Hi Jon”

5. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
It is only when we truly
know our audience that
we can create content
which appeals to their
needs and persuades
them to convert.

6. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
HOW?

7. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
STEP 1: Basic
Audience
Information

8. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
ASK CLIENT/TEAM:
Who do you sell to?
Where are they based?
What do they need?
Why do they buy?
How do they find you?

9. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Sales Data
New leads
Closed sales

10. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Sales Insight
How do you qualify
your leads?

11. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
➢ Demographics
➢ Job titles
➢ Sales insights
➢ Desirable attributes
So now you have...

12. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016

13. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
It doesn’t stop
there…
Delve deeper!

14. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
STEP 2: Audience
Motivations

15. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
What motivates your audience?
What challenges do they face?
What do they think about?
What interests them?

16. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Customer
surveys can be
powerful

17. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
http://impression.tips/census-brightonseo

18. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016

19. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Keyword
research and
related queries
Look for the long tail

20. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Price
Location
Price
Application
Application
Flavour
Ease

21. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Answer
The Public
http://impression.
tips/answer-
brightonseo

22. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
On Site Search
and Popular
Content

23. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016

24. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Frequently
Asked Questions
(FAQs)

25. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016

26. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Now go even
further...

27. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
STEP 3: Topics
and Interests

28. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Conference
Topics
What is your audience
learning?

29. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Social Media
What is your audience
discussing?

30. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Competitors
What else is available
to your audience?

31. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016

32. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
STEP 4: Building
Personas

33. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Broad audience
segments
Motivations
Personas

34. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
1: Basic segments
2: Motivations by segment
3: Consolidate segments via
overlapping motivations

35. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016

36. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Marketing
Manager
Marketing
Executive
Business Owner
Stay up to date Improve basic
understanding
Improve basic
understanding
Learn new
techniques
Consolidate
existing skills
Get a strategic
overview
Find new tools Learn new
techniques
Find new
opportunities
Meet other
experts
Build networks Build networks

37. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
SARAH: The Explorer
- Wants to learn new techniques
- Seeking new tools
- Enjoys testing new ideas
- Keen to discuss opinions with
others

38. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
DAN: The Consolidator
- Wants to consolidate knowledge
- Compares own ideas with those of
peers
- Looking to meet other experts

39. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
JON: The Strategist
- Wants to develop a better
understanding
- Looking for new opportunities to
grow
- Considering how this fits into
overall strategy

40. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Personas are most
powerful when we are
able to empathise with
them and apply our
understanding of their
needs to our activities.

41. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Analytics
Affinity
Categories

42. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
http://impression.tips/profiler-brightonseo

43. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016

44. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Using Personas
to Guide Your
Strategy

45. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Personas give us a
shared language
with which to discuss
our audience in all
their complexities.

46. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Document
and Share

47. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016

48. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Discuss:
“Is this right
for Dylan?”

49. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Persona driven
keyword and
theme research

50. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016

51. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Brand Story
Alignment
http://impression.tips/stories-brightonseo
http://impression.tips/grid-brightonseo

52. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
PERSONA 1 PERSONA 2 PERSONA 3
BRAND STORY 1
BRAND STORY 2
BRAND STORY 3

53. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
Content and PR
Planning
http://impression.tips/purpose-brightonseo

54. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016

55. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
4. Content marketing by Impression: http:
//impression.tips/content-brightonseo
5. Digital PR explained by Impression:
http://impression.tips/pr-brightonseo
6. SEO by Impression: http://impression.
tips/seo-brightonseo
7. PPC by Impression: http://impression.
tips/ppc-brightonseo
Additional Resources
1. About building personas: http:
//impression.tips/persona-brightonseo
2. About content grids: http:
//impression.tips/grid-brightonseo
3. Google Analytics Affinity
Categories: http://impression.
tips/affinity-brightonseo

56. @lauralhampton @impressiontalkhttp://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
How to Build Useful Audience Personas
http://impression.tips/brightonseo2016
laura.hampton@impression.co.uk
www.impression.co.uk
01158 242 212
www.twitter.com/lauralhampton
www.twitter.com/impressiontalk
www.linkedin.com/company/impression-digital-limited