What should our buyer profiles tell us?

A useful buyer profile describes a person in a buying situation, rather than treating a job title and a list of interests as a complete explanation. Content Director Louise Sheeran argues that personas can create shared audience understanding, but should not be treated as the finished answer. The same person seeking help with marketing performance may have different questions, alternatives and proof requirements when considering brand identity.

Keep the context alongside the profile: what the buyer is trying to achieve, the organisation's constraints, the pressures involved and who else participates in the decision. Buyers can belong to different buying groups and move between challenges. Use profiles to identify which conversations matter in each situation, then decide where to focus communications, what to say and which content or propositions to develop.

An actionable buyer profile connects challenges and motivations with the triggers that prompt a search, the objections that delay a purchase, the alternatives under consideration and the proof needed to build belief. A description of someone's role or interests cannot replace an understanding of how that person approaches a decision.

The Brand Proximity service builds interactive representations of people, challenges and conversations, with buyer-profile details checked against third-party evidence. Apply that discipline by supporting the profile's account of buying behaviour rather than relying on plausible personal detail. Louise Sheeran also recommends identifying the questions behind buyers' stated challenges and the other people involved in choosing a solution. Use the resulting profile to decide which concerns communications must address, which alternatives need discussing and what support a proposition needs to be credible.