{"id":20145,"date":"2017-09-27T15:28:09","date_gmt":"2017-09-27T19:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/exob2b.com\/limportance-personas-en-b2b\/"},"modified":"2022-12-08T13:39:04","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T18:39:04","slug":"importance-of-personas-in-b2b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exob2b.com\/en\/importance-of-personas-in-b2b\/","title":{"rendered":"THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAS IN B2B"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to a survey conducted by ITSMA, currently 44% of marketers are using personas in B2B. We believe that in the next 12 months this number will climb to 73%. This trend is quite logical and profitable when personas are developed with method and rigor.<\/p>\n

Personas are a result of refinement of “profiles” developed in B2B, using certain marketing research methods, which are still used in the development of personas to this day.<\/p>\n

The evolution of a profile to a persona is made possible, among other things, by the exploitation of digital data from several sources. The IT tools that allow us to process data are more efficient and specialized. They\u2019ve enabled us to become more specific.<\/p>\n

Why create personas in B2B?<\/h2>\n

The reason is simple: to understand and truly address the expectations, goals, needs and objections of your buyers, their role in their company\u2019s buying process, the interactions that they have with other stakeholders (influencers, users, policy makers, etc.), factors that influence them, as well what keeps them from buying your product, service or solution.<\/p>\n

Why be so rigorous and detailed?<\/h2>\n

An effective persona gives you the answers you need to influence the buying decision in your favor at every stage of the customer\u2019s buying cycle.<\/p>\n

Also, an effective persona is studied within a set of activities and interactions known as the \u2018Customer Journey\u2019. In other words, the person you are targeting isn\u2019t alone on the road to deciding to buy or not to buy your product or service.<\/p>\n

They are working within a shopping environment that has its own rules, processes and control systems that cannot be ignored in a competitive environment. Moreover, your potential buyers are highly educated when they begin to interact with their suppliers.<\/p>\n

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60%<\/span> of the purchase process is already done*<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

when a potential buyer encounters you and your competitors.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Your customers have therefore already come a long way without your help. You must make sure that they find what they are looking for at the beginning of the process. This also goes for those who will influence him along the way.<\/p>\n

The risks related to the purchase<\/h2>\n

The importance of having personas is closely related to the risk levels of purchasing and using your products, services or solutions. Frankly speaking, not all products require this type of tool and planning.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s therefore understandable that developing a persona for 3D drawing software for an architectural firm makes more sense than creating a persona for the architect\u2019s pencils.<\/p>\n

The levels of risk perceived by your personas are part of the elements that you must quickly integrate into your knowledge of them. The higher the risk, the more decision makers you\u2019ll have to positively influence, therefore, the more educated they are and the longer and more complex the purchasing cycle will be.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

48%<\/span><\/strong> are more likely to make a purchase**<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

if they were solicited with a well-adapted marketing message that took their risks into consideration.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The more research done on your persona, the more your marketing will help reduce this perception of risk among your prospects<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Characteristics of good personas in B2B<\/h2>\n

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\"L\u2019IMPORTANCE<\/p>\n

A good persona is above all, a representative persona. If you decide to create a buyer persona, you need to ensure its characteristics were considered in different contexts. For example, are these personas at your customers? At your ex-customers? Or your prospects?<\/p>\n

At Exo B2B, we organize them this way:<\/p>\n