Warren Buffett’s anual letter to his Berkshire-Hathaway shareholders is considered a “must-read” for anyone in the investment industry. Here at SocialKNX, we think it’s a “must-read” for anyone in marketing too.
When he sits down to write the letter, he aims to make the letter understandable but informative and is careful not to include too much investment jargon that the “regular Joe” might not understand. So, to keep it readable, he writes the letter as if he’s writing specifically to his sisters. He creates that personal connection for them so they feel as if they are truly a beloved asset to the company and not just an investor.
So how can we take this idea to heart as marketers and create that connection for a prospective customer to a business?
When you’re creating content, writing to a single person is different than writing to a group of people. You want to write content specific to that one person who has a problem that your brand or company can help solve. Most marketers tend to write as a brand writing to another brand– you need to write a love letter to your audience (maybe channeling your inner Noah writing to Allie in “The Notebook”?), not just the regular “buy this because you need it” marketing copy in order to sell something. Writing this way creates that personal connection and helps your customer feel like your brand truly values and cares for them.
So how do you do this? How do you identify that one customer to write your marketing love letter to? This is where your buyer persona comes in.
Developing One Buyer Persona for a Brand
One of the first steps to a successful content marketing campaign is creating a buyer persona (also known as a customer persona) and then creating your content to target that persona. While some companies identify multiple personas, here at SocialKNX we like to take the perspective that you are developing one buyer persona for that brand in order to create that personal connection. In creating your buyer persona be sure to include primary demographics (age, sex, income), goals and motivations, identify any behavior patterns, and likes/dislikes. The more detailed you can be in creating your buyer persona the better- these personas help provide insight for how you should proceed with your marketing and how you can deepen that personal connection to create that amazing content that draws them in.
It’s important to also keep in mind that your target audience is slightly different than the buyer persona(s) you are creating. Your target market is a particular group at which a product or service is targeted at. A buyer persona is the semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer. Remember, you are aiming to understand their goals, buying patterns, and identify any pain points and how your business can help them. It’s all about CONNECTION, CONNECTION, CONNECTION. This will allow you to craft content and marketing messages that will “Attract.Engage.Delight” your customer and also help guide your branding.
It’s also important to put yourself in the shoes of the buyer persona you are creating content for. When writing, imagine how you would feel if you were delivered that message– would you feel like you are a part of the company or brand? Would you feel valued and loved? Would you feel like they are truly trying to help you solve the problem that you have?
Writing that Love Letter (aka Your Content Marketing Plan)
So when you sit down to create your content marketing plan for the next 30-days, look at it like you are writing to your best friend or significant other. How does what you are offering make their life better? Create that connection that will make them want to jump up and give you a running-jump hug in the rain (yup, we went there with The Notebook reference again). You want your person to feel like you wrote that content with them in mind- like you were inside their head knowing exactly how your brand or company can solve that nagging problem. And they still feel loved- not that you just sold them something and moved on.