Developing your buyer persona could possibly be one of the most important (and often overlooked) tasks when developing your inbound marketing plan. For any marketing campaign to be successful, you must first understand your target audience. A buyer persona is a generalized, fictional representation of your ideal patron. Your persona is not just a result of an active imagination. It is the development of market research and consideration of the following data: demographics , behavior patterns, goals, and motivations of your future customers.
Many companies have succumbed to the temptation of skipping this valuable step. A persona will have a great impact on your marketing success by providing insight and structure to your evolving strategy. Your personas will direct your attention to where to focus your content, development, and services. Understanding your personas will help you relate to your customers and how they think, expect, and react. You’ll be able to predict how to best reach your target audience and what content will provide them with the most valuable information. You’ll be taking out the guesswork in reaching your customers.
The hotel and vacation rental industries are competitive businesses. Choosing your target audience may be time-consuming, but the long-lasting results could produce exponential growth. You may develop as many as ten personas, this all depends on your product/services. Start with your primary target and develop that persona first. You can always increase the number of buyer personas as you continue your marketing strategy development.
By developing and getting to know your buyer personas, you progress your relationships with your current and potential customers. Understanding challenges they face, and expectation they’ll have of your vacation rental, you will be able to provide superior customer service to your visitors. In doing so, you’re ensuring a pleasant experience and most likely, repeat business. Word of mouth advertising is considered the most effective and valuable form of marketing. Forbes states that 92% of consumers rely on recommendations from family and friends over all other advertising. That’s a staggering number! By providing an exceptional experience, you’re sure to gain business from your customers’ social circles.
Production of your buyer personas will minimize your advertising waste. You will be able to focus your attention to advertising on the proper social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram . Understanding what social media sites your potential patrons utilize will produce effective marketing efforts. By posting pictures and experiences which your customers most desire, you’ll be reaching out to them, allowing them to feel understood. Vacation rental patrons want to identify with the area and have the experience of a local. Customers trust their peers. In developing mutual interests and sharing those attractions, you’ll be drawing in visitors to your site, as well as your vacation rental.
By understanding your potential customers, you will attract responsive visitors, which will develop into leads and customers. Taking the time to develop your buyer personas will result in an effective marketing tool. Without it, you could be missing out on the single-most effective marketing strategy in your industry. Find the common thread, develop it, establish relationships with your future patrons, and watch your business grow!
