One of the tricky things about marketing is the growth and change of it all. You simply never know when something is a trend, when it’s a permanent shift, or when you need to change strategies. The use of personas is one such area.
The Technical of Personas
Personas refer to two different things, sometimes more. The first is a profile of a typical customer. The second is a business’s persona to the world, whether they have one employee or thousands.
When talking about business client personas, we usually talk about them in terms of a few characteristics. For example, “white, 30s, three kids, works in sales.” Sometimes, they’re given a name to appear more personable; other times not. These are who the marketers are supposed to be targeting.
The second type of persona is often a little more abstract. A company could describe itself as “young, hip, and efficient” or “professional and by the book.” In either case, the persona is a consistent projection for the business, and it’s something that should speak to clients.
Self as Personas in Marketing
In the early days of a company, it’s really easy to use yourself as the persona for your new business. There’s no need to learn to think in a way different from how you normally do when you write social media posts or hunt down alternative photos for blogs.
In many ways, this is also the hardest option. You will constantly guess how much to share and what is off-limits to use in the business. Those boundaries are vital for your sanity and sometimes your safety as well.
However, people can really respond to this type of persona because it’s easy to connect with. After all, it’s you, and if you’re true to yourself, it’s like they’re making a friend through your content.
Social Personas in Marketing
Social personas in marketing are the standard. Every company has one, and recent AI forays have made it even easier to put a name on. These personas are a project supported by a team; however, they aren’t perfect.
Additionally, social personas for company marketing can be hard to reach consumers with. People know when they’re being marketed to, so trust and connection are usually harder to maintain.
A good social persona is still invaluable. It provides consistency in brand presentation and voice across different platforms while being approachable. Plus, it’s a layer of separation, even if you’re running a small shop.
Where AI Takes the Cake (and Not in a Good Way)
AI uses text from the internet and its training sets to create content. Now, think about how that works out if you’re trying to generate text with AI. The answer is that it sounds almost like everyone else, and therefore, your company’s identity is lost.
AI has practical uses, such as suggesting blog ideas, but actual content production is not one of its skills unless you want your company to be a copy of whatever is most prevalent in your niche. Using it for this has become a self-destructive cycle.
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