How CRM and Buyer Personas Combine to Create Profitability.

1. Capstone Seminar Presentation
for
Master of Professional Studies
Organizational and Professional Communication
Tayler Cummings
University of Denver University College
August 10, 2014

2. ! Internet and technology evolve and
change rapidly
! Marketing tactics continuously change
with the buying processes of people
! Connecting with buyers has become
more challenging
(Garg 2014)

3. ! CRM systems and software are limiting
when analyzing buyer personalities and
processes
! To ensure profitability CRM must be
combined with other marketing tactics
◦ Buyer Personas

4. ! There may be varying ways to implement
successful digital marketing campaigns but
buyer personas are one of the more
effective ways to truly understand the
unique intricacies of each existing and
potential customer and ensure
profitability and collaboration among
departments.

5. ! CRM is “the practice of analyzing and using
marketing databases and leveraging communication
technologies to determine corporate practices and
methods that maximize the lifetime value of each
customer to the firm” (Kumar & Reinartz, 2012).
(Business Bee, 2014)

6. ! 1980’s – Introduced by Leonard Berry
! 1986’s – ACT! created a storage system
for CRM data
! 1995- Tom Siebel launched Siebel Systems
! Early 2000’s – a mad dash by other
companies ensued

7. ! Allow marketers to “break the buyers
into distinct groups and then catalog
everything [known] about each one,
[which makes] it easier to create content
targeted to each important
demographic” (Scott, 2013).
(ROI online, 2014)

8. ! 1975- Alan Cooper briefly introduced the idea
through his writing
! 1983- Cooper’s Plan It* software program was built
off of the persona concept
! 1998- Cooper introduced the book The Inmates Are
Running the Asylum
(Wikipedia 2014)

9. Buyer Personas CRM
• Tina from 1-800-Flowers.com
• Jenny from AG’s Chrysler Group
• Bonnie Rind’s “The Power of the
Persona” – A case study
• Adam Dimmick’s “Your Guide to
Personas and How to Use Them”
• Different types of CRM systems
(operational, analytical, & campaign
management)
• Disney World Resorts “Pal Mickey”
– A case study
• Disney World Digital Wristbands
(Rodman 2014)

10. ! Personas should be created from CRM
data collected from real people
(Best Clip Art Blog, n.d.)

11. ! Gain insight into customer value
! Retain profitable customers
! Maximize revenues
! Create engaging content based on
customers preferences
! Maintain strong relationships
! Stay on top of trends & competitors
! Create cohesion between departments
! Guide marketers through complex decision
making processes

12. ! It’s simple – neither.
! To reap the benefits both CRM and buyer
personas must be combined
(Moore 2014)

13. ! CRM and Buyer Personas create unique
benefits when combined
◦ Detailed customer insight and data
◦ Content/products created with the customer
in mind
◦ Increased customer value and profitable
customers
◦ Cohesion between departments/companies

14. " CRM data is collected and analyzed to determine customer
value, sales objectives and market trends, and to better
understand the customer’s perspective, as well as marketing
effectiveness (Currie and Finnegan 2010, 153).
" Buyer personas are developed based on CRM data, surveys,
and focus groups (Martin 2010, 25).
" Buyer personas and CRM data is shared throughout
departments to ensure company values and objectives are
clear and openly communicated (Rind 2014; Dimmick 2011).
" Buyer personas are utilized to create engaging content and
marketing campaigns (Scott 2013; Cain 2014).
" CRM capabilities are used to determine the success of the
marketing tactics and customer value is considered to ensure
profitable relationships are maintained and developed as
buying behaviors evolve (Kumar and Reinartz 2012, 7).
" Adjustments are made to the marketing campaigns based on
CRM data collected and feedback from customers (Great
Southwest Moto Adventures 2014; Berry 2002).

15. ! CRM and Buyer Personas vary depending
on the company
! Both offer benefits on their own but
combined allow for distinct advantages
for marketers
! Successful and intricate Buyer Personas
can only be created from data collected
from CRM

16. ! Peer-reviewed sources and research has
reduced over the years
! The research and solutions have implied
that CRM and buyer personas are meant
to be used together
! There’s a desperate need for continued
research and journals related to these
concepts within marketing

17. ! Berry, Leonard. 2002.“Relationship Marketing of Services – Growing
Interest, Emerging Perspective”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,
Vol. 23, No 4: 236-245.Access August 10, 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/009207039502300402.
! Cain, Kevin. 2014.“Targeted Content:The Holy Grail of Content
Marketing.” Convince & Convert: Digital Marketing Advisors. Accessed August
10, 2014.
http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/targeted-content-
the-holy-grail-of-content-marketing/.
! Currie,Wendy and Finnegan, David. 2010.“A Multi-Layered Approach to
CRM Implementation:An Integration Perspective”, European Management
Journal, Vol. 28 No 2: 153-167.Accessed August 7-10, 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2009.04.010.
! Dimmick,Adam. 2011.“Your Guide to Personas and How to Use Them.”
Bunnyfoot Blog, June 8.Accessed July 25-26, 2014.
http://www.bunnyfoot.com/blog/2011/06/your-guide-to-personas-and-how-
to-use-them/.
! Great Southwest Moto Adventures. 2014. Interview by author. Los Angeles,
CA. July 1, 2014.

18. ! Kumar,V. and Reinartz,Werner. 2012. Customer relationship
management: Concept, strategy, and tools. Berlin: Springer.
! Martin, Lauren. 2010.“Personas in Product Design.” Slide
Share Presentations, February 8.Accessed July 23-27, 2014.
http://www.slideshare.net/lorielue/personas-in-product-
design.
! Rind, Bonnie. 2014. The Power of the Persona. Pragmatic
Marketing.Accessed June 22-29, 2014.
http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/resources/the-power-of-
the-persona.
! Scott, David Meerman. 2013. The New Rules of Marketing &
PR: How to Use Social Media, OnlineVideo, Mobile Applications,
Blogs, News Releases, &Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly.
New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.