It’s no secret that B2B marketing is different, nay, more complex, than its B2C counterpart. For instance, in B2B companies, there are often a number of stakeholders that weigh in on the purchase decision when considering new vendors. How do you create a compelling message that resonates with all of them? The answer starts with your buyer personas.
What Is a Buyer Persona?
Not sure what a buyer persona is? Hubspot has an excellent in-depth overview, but in a nutshell, it’s this: A buyer persona is a profile of your typical prospective customer.
If you’re a B2B marketer, you likely have more than one buyer persona. A typical persona should identify the individual’s role, industry, goals, pain points, demographics, and anything else that is key to understanding their motivation to buy (or not buy) your product. The idea is to truly know each of your target buyers in-depth so you can craft content that appeals specifically to them.
For most of the small-to-medium-sized B2B businesses we work with, three to five personas are just fine. You want your personas to be easy to identify and remember, and having too many personas only complicates your message.
Address Buyer Personas by Industry
Now that you know what a buyer persona is, how do you address them on your B2B website? A common way to segment buyer personas on your website is by industry. While your product or service may be useful to companies in several industries, you should be able to narrow the number down to a handful of your highest priority verticals.
Now, you may be saying, “But my product or service works the same way regardless of industry!” Not to worry, there are still ways you can differentiate in your content. Prospects from one industry more than likely deal with different challenges than those in another industry. For example, a healthcare company may be primarily concerned with meeting compliance initiatives, while a manufacturing firm may have safety top of mind.
You’ll want to create content that demonstrates you have worked with their industry in the past, understand their unique pain points, and have a solution that addresses their needs. The goal is to build confidence that your offering can help someone just like them, who faces the same challenges.
Appeal to Buyer Personas by Role
Another way to write for B2B buyer personas is to address them by role. People in different roles have different challenges and needs, so the goal is to touch on issues that are most concerning to each target buyer. For example, a software developer may be concerned with how your product or service will improve their day-to-day workflow, while a CEO will be focused on how your offering can help them cut costs or increase revenue.
By creating content for each individual, you’re better able to connect with them and detail why your offering is the right choice to help them achieve their specific goals.
Read more: What should my B2B website have?
Real-World Examples of Buyer Persona Content
Need to see some examples of how this looks in the wild? I got you.
For our B2B client Convirza, we created a website that included content for target buyers by both industry and role.
When the reader clicks on the link relevant to them, they’ll be taken to a page with unique content that speaks directly to their needs. This type of tailored approach goes a long way in persuading them that your product or service will help make their lives easier.
Read more: Content marketing practices that work.
Target Buyer Personas by Need
If creating content for industries and roles doesn’t work for your brand, you can also target buyer personas by need. If your product or service can fulfill a variety of needs, this strategy can be very effective.
IVEMSA, a B2B firm that offers professional services for companies that manufacture goods in Mexico, told us their clients move operations to Mexico for a wide variety of reasons. We designed a website that calls out each scenario individually to showcase how IVEMSA’s services can satisfy their clients’ goals.
When the reader sees their need and clicks the appropriate link, the landing page offers content that highlights the benefits of IVEMSA services pertaining to their specific situation. If the prospect wants to lower costs, the page that follows will discuss the cost benefits of manufacturing in Mexico. If they are considering moving an Asia factory to Mexico, the content will cover why Mexico may be the better choice over Asia.
Creating buyer personas to better understand your target audience is important – but how you implement them in your marketing is key. Today’s audiences are looking for content that is personalized, so they can feel “seen.” When your message speaks directly to each stakeholder, they become a stronger champion for your brand.
