Many executives, particularly Chief Marketing Officers, are in constant pursuit of understanding changing buyer behaviors and markets. In the past ten plus years, we have seen a tumultuous upheaval in both the world of buyers and how marketing is adapting. That is – buyer decisions. MORE
In part 1 of this reflection on the future of buyer personas, I focused on how it is important to leave some of the major misconceptions about buyer personas behind in order to peer into the future. The Connected Buyer. Image by daniel_iversen via Flickr. MORE
Creating buyer personas is an essential part of building a successful inbound marketing strategy. Without documented buyer personas, essential inbound marketing tasks such as creating engaging content can be challenging. 1) Too many personas. MORE
As the concept of buyer personas has crept into the conscious of both B2C and B2B Marketing, so has misguided representations of buyer personas become prevalent. With many touted frameworks and processes being representative of buyer personas in name only. MORE
A few articles have appeared recently touting the death of Buyer Personas, which prompted me to ask Jim Ninivaggi, Sales Enablement service lead from SiriusDecisions about whether this was really true. Each persona could potentially initiate the buying journey. MORE
What most organizations fail to do is document the buyers approach to the purchase (this is more than just interest, consensus, evaluation, decision). Blog B2B Marketing Buyer intersection points Buyer persona Content Marketing Institute Demand Generation Strategy DemandGen report MORE
Fraught with confusion surrounding questions such as: exactly what constitutes an audience and is there really a difference between buyers and audiences? For example, some content marketing pundits believe you should separate out audience personas. by Gregor Črešnar. MORE
In 2016, we will mark the fifteenth year since buyer personas were first introduced. The journey, however, continues towards professionals and organizations gaining a true understanding of what buyer persona development entails. by Scott Lewis. MORE
Without question, while B2B Marketing is focused on developing its new prominence in the early stages of the buying cycle via content strategy and content marketing, B2B Sales is caught flat-footed on how to adapt to changing buyer behaviors. Image via Wikipedia. MORE
We had an excellent conversation about the need for buyer personas, and the role they play as a foundational component of a B2B marketing strategy. In many cases, the need for buyer personas manifests itself in the form of common marketing challenges. MORE
My interaction with buyers, via hundreds of B2B buyer interviews in multiple industries, leads me to believe this outcome is a correlation as opposed to a paradox. And, let’s not forget that B2B companies believe they may have 3-4 unique buyer personas. MORE
Buyer Personas rock and I’m about to show you why. Buyer Personas are written characterizations of the real buyers who influence or make decisions about the products, services or solutions you market. Helps to speak to buyers and customers in their language. MORE
Creating buyer personas is a powerful way to build the audience understanding every B2B marketing department needs for success, and an essential part of your campaign research. b2b promotional campaigns buyer personas MORE
To inform a content strategy, it strikes me that there are five key areas to evaluate: Buyer understanding : gaining an understanding of how buyers intend to consume, utilize, and act upon content are the bedrock of a content strategy. Image by Krista76 via Flickr. MORE
One of the major outcomes of the recent advances in the social age is the resurgence of contextually-based persona development and its’ role in helping to inform as well as shape strategy. Buyers are self-directing and taking non-linear journeys based on situations and goals. MORE
This June marks ten years since the first buyer persona development methodology was pioneered and launched by the firm Goal Centric now called Buyerology. The adoption of research-based modeling of buyers that leads to buyer personas has been mixed. MORE
One means for the last sixteen years to understand customers and buyers have been the use of buyer persona development. It is time to rethink buyer persona development in this new era of digital disruption. Today, many buyers are also users and power users. MORE
In my previous article entitled Rethinking Buyer Personas In An Era Of Digital Transformation , I noted that digital interaction will matter more than content. 3 – Personas Are Not About Content. Personas, in this case, being misguided by The Content Illusion. MORE
The scale of disruption will mean the B2B buyer and seller dynamic will continue to be rocked. It is safe to say that no industry or B2B markets will go without some form of disruption affecting buyers and buying behaviors. You Have An Internal View Of The Buyer’s Journey. MORE
About a dozen years ago, I became involved with personas through fate by meeting Alan Cooper , at the time he just finished his landmark book The Inmates Are Running The Asylum , and becoming enamored with personas as a process to build more user friendly products. MORE
We are seeing continued growth in the adoption of buyer personas as a means for understanding buyers and customers. At the same time, the growth is fraught with the perils of buyer personas being misunderstood, mislabeled, and serving as a cover for basic buyer profiling. MORE
In the 15 years since originating the concept of buyer personas in 2001, there has been one issue that continues to plague fully understanding exactly where, how, and why buyer personas can be beneficial. This is where buyer profiling can be helpful. Buyer Personas. MORE
Traditionally, B2B marketers have created buyer personas from customer hunches, not factual customer data. “As a result, a vast majority (83%) of B2B marketers say that their buyer personas are only ‘somewhat’ effective, according to a study from the ITSMA. MORE
So… what should you include in a buyer persona? Check out the new infographic inspired by our eBook, The Intelligent Guide to Buyer Personas. Note: I used Piktochart to create this gorgeous infographic for free. I can’t recommend them highly enough! B2BZone b2c Best Practices Blog MORE
Better, deeper, insightful, and well-rounded understanding of customers and buyers is on the top of the list for many CEOs and CMOs today. Redefining The Meaning Of Buyer Understanding. Resulting in a 3D view of buyers, which can help inform strategies related to each. MORE
In this same survey mentioned above, it was found 50% or more of marketers surveyed have not engaged in researching and creating buyer personas for their marketing efforts. 10 Essentials Of Becoming Customer-Centric With Buyer Personas. The same goes for buyer personas. MORE
A recent article on MediaPost raised the question “Are Buyer Personas a Waste of Time?” Based on this and the belief from 48Bricks that you simply cannot understand your customers, the assertion is that putting effort into the development of Buyer Personas is a waste of time. MORE
During a series of articles entitled The Future of Buyer Personas is Social , I referenced several times that the social age will cause a rethinking of buyer persona research and development. The Ascent of the Social Buyer (buyerpersonainsights.com). MORE
It is clear that one of the top challenges facing marketing, especially B2B marketing, is the ability to connect with potential buyers on a personal level. The majority of content today is not hitting the mark with buyers and customers. Buyer Persona Research. by icon 54. MORE
Buyer personas are the decision makers on which your sales and marketing team focus when looking to generate leads. How well you know your buyer personas determines how […]. MORE
Understanding the difference between intent-driven and goal-driven behaviors allows for deeper levels of understanding buyers (customers). Primarily, it helps with making sense of the tasks and activities buyers perform. This issue is prevalent in misguided buyer personas also. MORE
This is the third part of a series of reflective articles on the future of buyer personas. As I alluded to in part 1 , somehow buyer personas went wayward in being correctly defined. Buyer persona development is more science than art. MORE
Get a head start on your marketing education with Act-On GET SH*T DONE eBooks, including how to build buyer personas in 3 steps. List Management Marketing Strategy buyer persona Buyer Personas marketing personas personas MORE
Such transformation will also redefine what it means to acquire buyer insights. The paradigm of buyer insights will shift and be reshaped by the forces impacting the global digital economy. However, it is intelligence that remains activity based regarding buyer activity on websites. MORE
Learning to develop b2b buyer personas is essential to building a modern marketing organization. When implemented properly these buyer personas create stronger alignment across your different departments. MORE
A recent survey conducted by Cintell*, entitled 2016 Benchmark Study On Understanding B2B Buyers , indicates that high performing organizations utilized qualitative research for their buyer personas. Understanding Buyers And Customers Beyond The Rational. MORE
Buyer personas are a hot topic of discussion in the B2B marketing world, but how do you create the personas that you need and ensure you are getting the value you need out of them? Do you even need to create B2B buyer personas at all? Research #B2Bchat personas MORE
For example, in this latest episode, we become the first on-demand radio show to mention The Kardashians and B2B buyer personas in the same sentence. And just when you thought it could not get any more interesting, Tom Webster defines the “rectally derived persona.” MORE
Customer experience has been and will continue to be one of the major influences on how buyers make choices. The rise of the digital economy has amplified the need for businesses to address the way in which their potential buyers and customers view both their actual and perceived experiences. MORE
This extremely specific description of your model customer is a buyer persona. Buyer personas help you target prospects with surgical precision and nurture them with custom content they care about. Personas first, content second. Put the person back into persona. MORE
In my years since launching Buyer Persona Research , the most successful companies utilizing buyer personas have made it about the latter – not the former. That is, making their buyer personas about customer research and not confirming existing buyer profiling assumptions. MORE
Buyer personas are the first step to any effective content strategy. Personas are what will help you determine how to tailor content to your buyers. . This data will give you the framework for your buyer’s pain and needs. MORE
In my article Rethinking Buyer Personas In An Era Of Digital Transformation , I presented four trends impacting the state of buyer persona development. Whereby, rethinking buyer persona development and insight gathering in a digital-centric world becomes a necessity. MORE
Buyer Personas Related Topics 
Tony Zambito
JANUARY 22, 2017
One means for the last sixteen years to understand customers and buyers have been the use of buyer persona development. It is time to rethink buyer persona development in this new era of digital disruption. Today, many buyers are also users and power users.
Tony Zambito
AUGUST 14, 2016
As the concept of buyer personas has crept into the conscious of both B2C and B2B Marketing, so has misguided representations of buyer personas become prevalent. With many touted frameworks and processes being representative of buyer personas in name only.
Tony Zambito
SEPTEMBER 6, 2016
In the 15 years since originating the concept of buyer personas in 2001, there has been one issue that continues to plague fully understanding exactly where, how, and why buyer personas can be beneficial. This is where buyer profiling can be helpful. Buyer Personas.
Tony Zambito
OCTOBER 26, 2015
Better, deeper, insightful, and well-rounded understanding of customers and buyers is on the top of the list for many CEOs and CMOs today. Redefining The Meaning Of Buyer Understanding. Resulting in a 3D view of buyers, which can help inform strategies related to each.
Tony Zambito
JUNE 26, 2016
Fraught with confusion surrounding questions such as: exactly what constitutes an audience and is there really a difference between buyers and audiences? For example, some content marketing pundits believe you should separate out audience personas. by Gregor Črešnar.
Tony Zambito
JANUARY 3, 2016
In 2016, we will mark the fifteenth year since buyer personas were first introduced. The journey, however, continues towards professionals and organizations gaining a true understanding of what buyer persona development entails. by Scott Lewis.
Tony Zambito
DECEMBER 20, 2015
A recent survey conducted by Cintell*, entitled 2016 Benchmark Study On Understanding B2B Buyers , indicates that high performing organizations utilized qualitative research for their buyer personas. Understanding Buyers And Customers Beyond The Rational.
Tony Zambito
JUNE 5, 2016
Customer experience has been and will continue to be one of the major influences on how buyers make choices. The rise of the digital economy has amplified the need for businesses to address the way in which their potential buyers and customers view both their actual and perceived experiences.
Tony Zambito
NOVEMBER 1, 2015
In this same survey mentioned above, it was found 50% or more of marketers surveyed have not engaged in researching and creating buyer personas for their marketing efforts. 10 Essentials Of Becoming Customer-Centric With Buyer Personas. The same goes for buyer personas.
Tony Zambito
MAY 20, 2012
This June marks ten years since the first buyer persona development methodology was pioneered and launched by the firm Goal Centric now called Buyerology. The adoption of research-based modeling of buyers that leads to buyer personas has been mixed.
Crimson Marketing
JUNE 30, 2015
Buyer personas are the first step to any effective content strategy. Personas are what will help you determine how to tailor content to your buyers. . This data will give you the framework for your buyer’s pain and needs.
Act-On
SEPTEMBER 14, 2017
Get a head start on your marketing education with Act-On GET SH*T DONE eBooks, including how to build buyer personas in 3 steps. List Management Marketing Strategy buyer persona Buyer Personas marketing personas personas
ANNUITAS
MAY 21, 2015
A recent article on MediaPost raised the question “Are Buyer Personas a Waste of Time?” Based on this and the belief from 48Bricks that you simply cannot understand your customers, the assertion is that putting effort into the development of Buyer Personas is a waste of time.
Tony Zambito
FEBRUARY 5, 2017
In my previous article entitled Rethinking Buyer Personas In An Era Of Digital Transformation , I noted that digital interaction will matter more than content. 3 – Personas Are Not About Content. Personas, in this case, being misguided by The Content Illusion.
Act-On
MAY 22, 2017
This extremely specific description of your model customer is a buyer persona. Buyer personas help you target prospects with surgical precision and nurture them with custom content they care about. Personas first, content second. Put the person back into persona.
Tony Zambito
AUGUST 22, 2011
During a series of articles entitled The Future of Buyer Personas is Social , I referenced several times that the social age will cause a rethinking of buyer persona research and development. The Ascent of the Social Buyer (buyerpersonainsights.com).
grow - Practical Marketing Solutions
FEBRUARY 12, 2014
Buyer Personas rock and I’m about to show you why. Buyer Personas are written characterizations of the real buyers who influence or make decisions about the products, services or solutions you market. Helps to speak to buyers and customers in their language.
Tony Zambito
MAY 23, 2017
Many executives, particularly Chief Marketing Officers, are in constant pursuit of understanding changing buyer behaviors and markets. In the past ten plus years, we have seen a tumultuous upheaval in both the world of buyers and how marketing is adapting. That is – buyer decisions.
Tony Zambito
MAY 12, 2011
Without question, while B2B Marketing is focused on developing its new prominence in the early stages of the buying cycle via content strategy and content marketing, B2B Sales is caught flat-footed on how to adapt to changing buyer behaviors. Image via Wikipedia.
The ROI Guy
FEBRUARY 22, 2013
A few articles have appeared recently touting the death of Buyer Personas, which prompted me to ask Jim Ninivaggi, Sales Enablement service lead from SiriusDecisions about whether this was really true. Each persona could potentially initiate the buying journey.
B2B Marketing Insider
MAY 16, 2016
Learning to develop b2b buyer personas is essential to building a modern marketing organization. When implemented properly these buyer personas create stronger alignment across your different departments.
Tony Zambito
MARCH 12, 2017
The scale of disruption will mean the B2B buyer and seller dynamic will continue to be rocked. It is safe to say that no industry or B2B markets will go without some form of disruption affecting buyers and buying behaviors. You Have An Internal View Of The Buyer’s Journey.
Tony Zambito
JULY 6, 2011
About a dozen years ago, I became involved with personas through fate by meeting Alan Cooper , at the time he just finished his landmark book The Inmates Are Running The Asylum , and becoming enamored with personas as a process to build more user friendly products.
ANNUITAS
DECEMBER 3, 2013
What most organizations fail to do is document the buyers approach to the purchase (this is more than just interest, consensus, evaluation, decision). Blog B2B Marketing Buyer intersection points Buyer persona Content Marketing Institute Demand Generation Strategy DemandGen report
Tony Zambito
JULY 17, 2016
Understanding the difference between intent-driven and goal-driven behaviors allows for deeper levels of understanding buyers (customers). Primarily, it helps with making sense of the tasks and activities buyers perform. This issue is prevalent in misguided buyer personas also.
Reachforce
FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Buyer personas are the decision makers on which your sales and marketing team focus when looking to generate leads. How well you know your buyer personas determines how […].
Tony Zambito
JULY 10, 2011
In part 1 of this reflection on the future of buyer personas, I focused on how it is important to leave some of the major misconceptions about buyer personas behind in order to peer into the future. The Connected Buyer. Image by daniel_iversen via Flickr.
grow - Practical Marketing Solutions
MAY 19, 2015
For example, in this latest episode, we become the first on-demand radio show to mention The Kardashians and B2B buyer personas in the same sentence. And just when you thought it could not get any more interesting, Tom Webster defines the “rectally derived persona.”
Cintell
MARCH 18, 2015
So… what should you include in a buyer persona? Check out the new infographic inspired by our eBook, The Intelligent Guide to Buyer Personas. Note: I used Piktochart to create this gorgeous infographic for free. I can’t recommend them highly enough! B2BZone b2c Best Practices Blog
Tony Zambito
MARCH 6, 2017
Such transformation will also redefine what it means to acquire buyer insights. The paradigm of buyer insights will shift and be reshaped by the forces impacting the global digital economy. However, it is intelligence that remains activity based regarding buyer activity on websites.
Crimson Marketing
APRIL 23, 2015
Traditionally, B2B marketers have created buyer personas from customer hunches, not factual customer data. “As a result, a vast majority (83%) of B2B marketers say that their buyer personas are only ‘somewhat’ effective, according to a study from the ITSMA.
Tony Zambito
JULY 18, 2011
This is the third part of a series of reflective articles on the future of buyer personas. As I alluded to in part 1 , somehow buyer personas went wayward in being correctly defined. Buyer persona development is more science than art.
Tony Zambito
JANUARY 29, 2017
In my article Rethinking Buyer Personas In An Era Of Digital Transformation , I presented four trends impacting the state of buyer persona development. Whereby, rethinking buyer persona development and insight gathering in a digital-centric world becomes a necessity.
B2B Marketing Insider
JULY 20, 2015
We had an excellent conversation about the need for buyer personas, and the role they play as a foundational component of a B2B marketing strategy. In many cases, the need for buyer personas manifests itself in the form of common marketing challenges.
Digital B2B Marketing
SEPTEMBER 20, 2012
Buyer personas are a hot topic of discussion in the B2B marketing world, but how do you create the personas that you need and ensure you are getting the value you need out of them? Do you even need to create B2B buyer personas at all? Research #B2Bchat personas
Tony Zambito
FEBRUARY 28, 2016
My interaction with buyers, via hundreds of B2B buyer interviews in multiple industries, leads me to believe this outcome is a correlation as opposed to a paradox. And, let’s not forget that B2B companies believe they may have 3-4 unique buyer personas.
Hubspot
FEBRUARY 24, 2015
Creating buyer personas is an essential part of building a successful inbound marketing strategy. Without documented buyer personas, essential inbound marketing tasks such as creating engaging content can be challenging. 1) Too many personas.
Tony Zambito
MARCH 6, 2016
In my years since launching Buyer Persona Research , the most successful companies utilizing buyer personas have made it about the latter – not the former. That is, making their buyer personas about customer research and not confirming existing buyer profiling assumptions.
Tony Zambito
APRIL 17, 2011
One of the major outcomes of the recent advances in the social age is the resurgence of contextually-based persona development and its’ role in helping to inform as well as shape strategy. Buyers are self-directing and taking non-linear journeys based on situations and goals.
Tony Zambito
MARCH 20, 2011
To inform a content strategy, it strikes me that there are five key areas to evaluate: Buyer understanding : gaining an understanding of how buyers intend to consume, utilize, and act upon content are the bedrock of a content strategy. Image by Krista76 via Flickr.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS YOUR PEERS ARE READING
121 
Let's personalize your content