Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. Cliché? Yes. Uncomfortable? Yes. Someone else’s shoes never feel quite right. But let’s get a little uncomfortable to better understand your customers and why they buy. Walking a mile in your customers’ shoes can help you uncover what motivates them.

1. Personas
www.4imprint.com
Infographic created by www.4imprint.com,
based on the Personas Blue Paper®
.
Download Blue Paper at:
http://info.4imprint.com/blue-paper/personas/
Sources:
Eisenberg, Bryan. "Content Marketing Personas." Bryan Eisenberg. N.p., 7 Sept. 2012. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bryaneisenberg.com%2Fcontent-marketing-personas%2F)>.
Revella, Adele. "Got Buyer Personas? 44% Say Yes, but 85% Aren't Using Them Effectively." Buyer Persona Institute Blog. Buyer Persona Institute, 6 Aug. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. <http://www.buy-
erpersona.com/2014/08/got-buyer-personas-44-say-yes-but-85-arent-using-them-effectively.html>.
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(Licensed under the Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/)
Walk a mile in your
customers’ shoes with
Visual, fictional stories that describe your actual customers
Just as the right hiking boot
can help increase performance,
personas can help organizations:
To ensure adequate representation
of segments, identify and interview:
Measure for effectiveness,
refine and update as needed.
GET STARTED
STEP 1
BRAINSTORM
STEP 2
RESEARCH
STEP 3
IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE
STEP 4
PUT YOUR PERSONAS TO WORK
STEP 7
MEASURE AND REFINE
STEP 8
Segment your target audience by:
Ask interviewees about:
A process for key stakeholder buy-in:
DISCUSS AND FINALIZE
STEP 6


8 Steps to
Perfect Personas
WRITE
STEP 5
Identify potential personas and
choose 3–7 per business line.
North American
companies will
use personas in
the next year
29%29%
Connect with
the customers
you’re targeting
Create
targeted
and response-
driven messages
for key
audiences
Shift their perspective
to the customers’
Gain insight
into customer
decision-making
Brainstorm
traits for
each
segment
Group
traits
by similar
characteristics
Use groups
of traits
as persona
foundation
Stamp of approval
Distribution


Team and leadership review
Feedback
Maximize the impact of your personas:
Fully integrate personas
into your buyer lists and
business processes
Reallocate
ad spend with
personas in mind
“Hiking is my thing.
I’d give anything to
be outdoors.”
Customer profile
Age: 28
Status: Single
Income: $48,000
Occupation: Outside Sales
Demographics Lifestyle BuyerBehaviorLocation
Detail real
customer
needs, wants
and pain
points
Personas should:
buyers that
match key
segments
buyers that
don’t match
key segments
steer clear!
(of stereotypes)
Jake
Shift people
resources to allow for
relevant, engaging
communication