This document discusses using customer personas as the building blocks for high-growth marketing programs. It defines personas using demographic, psychographic and behavioral data to cluster customers into groups. Companies should implement persona-based marketing in phases, first focusing acquisition channels on personas, then tailoring sites, products and communications to persona needs and preferences. Programs at each customer lifecycle stage should also be personalized for each persona. Regular evaluation ensures persona strategies increase loyalty, repeat activity and site conversion.

1. Personas: The Building Blocks for
High Growth Customer Marketing
Programs
Anita John
Head of Relationship
Marketing Strategy

2. The Theory
Behavioral Data
Decision Making
Demographic Psychographic (site &
Process
purchase)
Bring it to Life!
Sports Fanatic Family Guy Gift Giver

3. Rule of Thumb - #1
Not all people are the same, but there are
similarities in communities and groups—Stay
focused
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4. Rule of Thumb #2
 Defining personas are the starting point. Follow
through is even more important
Persona
Marketing
Site Products Messaging Based
Channels
Customized offered vary Personalized Financial
unique
Outlook

5. Example: Brian
Profile
Brian is in his mid-30’s. He and his wife Janet live in in a brownstone in a
recently renovated area of downtown Chicago. Brian works for the largest
property management firm in Chicago as a Senior Regional Manager. Brian
takes his job seriously. Brian is known to work 60-80 hours a week. He is
ambitious, driven, very dedicated, believes in loyalty. While Brian works hard,
when the weekend comes, he plays just as hard.
Janet manages most of the finances when it comes to the house. In terms
of investing and disposable income spending, Brian is in charge. Brian may
make the purchase, but the decision is a joint one with Janet.
Sports Fanatic Both Janet and Brian have been avid Chi Sox & Bears fans since
childhood. They are season ticket holders for the Bears. They pick and
choose the Sox games to see. They know there are a few match-ups they’d
like to see, but really make a decision based on when they are free.
Brian is in charge of looking for tickets. He will buy them, but will always
check with Janet before he purchases them. Brian doesn’t have time to
really search tons of sites or fuss about price. He just wants his tickets when
he asks for them.
Brian doesn’t watch TV. He spends more time on the internet blogging,
surfing and listens to sports radio.

6. Pitfalls to Avoid
Where’s the behavioral data?
Now what?
Defined
Family Guy

7. The Bottom Line Benefits
 Shiftacquisition spend to high-value
personas
– No longer focused on Cost per Acquisition, but more
on Cost per Customer
 Choose channels, contact timing, streams
and messaging that fit each persona to
generate the highest response
 Increase site conversion
– Content, products, tools and services delivered
differently for each persona

8. Today: Program Driven/Lifecycle
Based
1st Time 1st Repeat
Loyalty Winback
Visitor Purchase Purchase
Prospect New Customer Active VIP Inactive
Welcome
Online Repeat VIP Reactivation
EM/DM/
Advertising Promo Program Program
Phone
New
X-Sell
WOM Customer
Promo
Programs
Up Sell
SEM
Promo
Offline Tell-a-friend/Referral Programs
3rd party
Cart Abandon
Partners

9. Personas Determine How You Market
Family Guy Sports Fanatic
 

•TV watcher/fantasy league player
 •Buys Online Acq by online ads

Acq through Print/TV/Fantasy sites
•Loyal fan Msg. about supporting


•Family 1st Msg. about family
outings  your team

•Buys at start of season Time
with onsales
•Price most important Provide
 •Attends local games  Promo
rivalries
•Seat location important Offer
pricing options last seat purchased
Gift Giver
•Buys last minute Acq by online


ad & search
•Want to please others Msg. end


benefit of making others happy
•Give for special Occasion
 Promo during key Hallmark times
•Hot Events Important Offer last
minute options for top sellers

10. Where to Begin…
Get senior management buy-in
FIRST

11. Define Personas: How?
 Start with customer data (purchase & site)
– Check for patterns in purchase
– Check for site pathing behaviors
– CLTV
 Surveys
– Find the common thread in terms of demographics, lifestyle,
beliefs, motivations, values
 Tie survey and customer data together
 Add overlays to your customer data
– Experian (Simmons)
– InfoBase
 Use CS calls and verbatims from surveys to confirm
persona definitions

12. Implement in Phases
 Phase 1: Acquisition Channels
– Choose channels by personas
 Phase 2: Site and Product Enhancements
– Needs and wants differ by personas – meet those
needs
 Phase3: Revamp your Customer Marketing
Programs
Phase 2 & 3 can happen simultaneously

13. Programs/Lifecycle Driven by Personas
1st Time 1st Repeat Winback
Loyalty
Visitor Purchase Purchase
Prospect New Customer Active VIP Inactive
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 Family Guy
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 Sports Fanatic
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 Gift Giver
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14. Persona Priority 1, Then Segments
Persona Segment List Package Offer Universe
Family Guy New Users RO Pkg A Sports Memorabilia 100,000
Family Guy Active RO Pkg A Sports Memorabilia 150,000
Family Guy VIP RO Pkg A Sports Memorabilia 30,000
Family Guy Inactives, >14 mos. Test Pkg A Sports Memorabilia 40,000
Gift Giver VIP RO Pkg A Sports Memorabilia 50,000
Gift Giver New Users Test Pkg A Sports Memorabilia 100,000
All, except Inactives &
Sports Fanatic New Users RO Pkg A Sports Memorabilia 100,000
All, except Inactives &
Sports Fanatic New Users RO Pkg A Sports Memorabilia 100,000
All, except Inactives &
Sports Fanatic New Users RO Pkg A Sports Memorabilia 100,000
Sports Fanatic Inactives, 12mos-14mos Test Pkg A Sports Memorabilia 100,000
Sports Fanatic Inactives Test Pkg A Sports Memorabilia 100,000
Control/Rollout
Total 970,000

15. Modes of Communication Differ
Mobile Alerts
Desktop Alerts
Social Networks
Email

16. Combine Preferences & Personas
Family Guy
Gift Giver
Sports Fanatic
Family Guy
Gift Giver
Family Guy
Sports Fanatic

17. Evaluation of Success
 Loyalty index
 Repeat activity
 Site behavior (stickiness & conversion)
Evaluate each metric by Persona

18. Companies That Use Personas Today
 Best Buy
 Schwab
 Intuit
 Ann Taylor
 Discover Card
 Amazon

19. Takeaway
1. Follow 2 rules of thumb
– Focus on commonalities within major
clusters/groups
– Personas must be adhered to in all areas of your
organization
1. Implement in phases
2. Continue to use lifecycle marketing programs,
but let the personas dictate how you market