How to develop Client Personas

Creating a detailed client persona can you help you understand and connect with your audience more effectively.

Here's is a very simple guide to developing a persona:

Step 1: Define Your Audience

• Define who you are targeting:

  • Identify the key groups or segments you want to reach (e.g., based on relevant factors like industry, size, geography, behaviour, or needs.) The choice of segmentation depends on the business model, goals, and target audience. Look at your existing customers and note common traits.

  • Businesses can create multiple personas for different target segments, but avoid going too granular – the goal is to represent a broader client group, not individual cases.

Step 2: Gather Data

• Utilise Internal Sources:

  • Review customer data (sales records, relationship data, client feedback).

  • Analyse past interactions with sales and marketing teams.

  • Talk to the sales and customer service teams to understand client segments and their drivers/motivators - what do they ask about, where do they have problems, where are their frustrations etc.

• External Sources:

  • Ask your existing clients - Conduct surveys, 1:1 interviews, or focus groups.

  • Research industry trends and competitor audiences.

Step 3: Build a Persona Framework

• There is no right or wrong, settle on a framework that works for your business. Start by filling out these basic details:

  • Demographics:

    • Job title, company size, and industry.

    • Example: "Founder of a small software business."

  • Role and Responsibilities:

    • What do they do day-to-day?

    • Example: "Handles technical work, team management, and strategic growth."

  • Goals:

    • What are their personal and professional objectives?

    • Example: "Grow the business to sell it in the future."

  • Challenges:

    • What problems do they face?

    • Example: "Time management, HR issues, and maintaining cash flow."

Step 4: Dive Deeper

• Motivations and Values:

  • What drives them? What do they really care about?

  • Example: "Innovation and creating a collaborative team environment."

• Pains:

  • What drives them mad? What frustrates them?

  • Example: “He hates people who don’t have a matched work ethic to him as in “on 24/7”

• Influencers:

  • Who or what guides their decisions?

  • Example: "Industry peers, business mentors, and family."

• Behaviours:

  • Where do they spend their time online or offline? What tools do they use?

  • Example: "Uses LinkedIn for networking and reads tech blogs."

Step 5: Create the Persona

• Combine your findings into a narrative that feels like a real person.

  • Give them a name and a personality - it will help identify on multiple levels with this segment.

Step 6: Validate and Refine

• Share the persona with your team, and others, to check for accuracy.

• Update it regularly with new insights and data.

This approach ensures your persona is practical, relevant, and actionable, helping you design targeted strategies for your audience.