Marketing has to be “Trust-able”

As marketers, we work hard to gain trust and attention, looking to help our clients grow their business. But telling customers that a product is to be trusted, as a recent drugstore chain had done on the radio – claiming a product was ‘trust-able,’ doesn’t garner trust. Additionally, marketers need to be aware of our clients’ customers’ needs and blanket statements don’t do the job. Generic commercials don’t do enough to target the marketer’s specific buyer; our buyer personas.

What are Buyer Personas

Too many marketers believe that if they just put it out there, people will come. In fact, when I was working with a franchise as their Chief Operating Officer, the marketing was driven by an advertising agency with the attitude of “throw enough against a wall, and something will stick.” There was no conversation about who the target was or how the target was to be reached. No one asked who we were they looking to attract; what age bracket, what level of education; what financial ability? There was never any discussion about the “buyer persona.”

 According to HubSpot:

  “A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers. When creating your buyer persona(s), consider including customer demographics, behavior patterns, motivations, and goals.”  The Definition of a Buyer Persona [in Under 100 Words] 

Without knowing the customer, really knowing the customer, there is no way to successfully target them. Knowing the buyer persona are crucial to creating an effective marketing plan. Basic questions include who, what, why, when, and how.

• Are they parents, mother, father?
• Are they in a certain age range?
• Do they live in a specific geography?
• What are their needs?
• Why do they buy the products they buy?
• When are they most likely to buy?
• What is the buying cycle like?
• How do they shop? (In-store or online)

All of this information is necessary, and even more. The deeper you dig into understanding the target, the better the message will be! The days of “spray and pray” are gone. Today, it’s about personalization in order to gain trust.  

Targeting Buyer Personas’ Needs

Once the buyer persona(s) are complete, the next step is to better understand their needs. And think about this, maybe it’s something they don’t know they need! After all, did we know we “needed” to fit 1,000 songs in our pocket before Steve Jobs told us we did? I’m willing to bet that Steve Jobs knew exactly what market he was going after, down to the exact age and demographic, before he even decided we needed an iPod. He knew exactly how it would fit into our daily lives.

Microsoft released their similar product, the Zune, and it was a failure. (I think it’s because they were only trying to emulate Apple.) They didn’t have the same understanding of their audience. They knew people were buying iPods, they just didn’t know why.

It is up to the marketer to help businesses connect with their customers, so that they believe the business really understands them. When customers feel understood, and listened to, they are willing to trust, and buy.  

Building Trust

Doing everything outlined so far is just the beginning. Building trust takes time and it takes communication. Although radio, TV, and print ads, are all still viable methods, typical campaigns still tell audiences about the products. It’s not enough, and marketers need to do more than tell, we need to show!

Once marketers build out a specific buyer persona, knowing who they want to speak to and what need they are filling, they will be able to reach the exact person, at the exact right time. Radio, TV, and print ad messaging must connect to the buyer persona’s needs, thoughts, and emotions to gain trust. Stories are the best way to make a product relatable through these mediums.

Higher levels of engagement are accomplished through social channels. With the advanced metrics available in most social channels, marketers are able to know exactly if they are reaching their intended target. These metrics include who viewed videos on YouTube or Facebook and are they also interacting on Twitter? Marketers know how many times people see their posts, how often, and when. They also know if people take action, and can even track it.

Customers’ location, online purchase history, and digital path is available through the insights and analytics at Twitter and Facebook, as well as Google Analytics. Additionally, consider utilizing email surveys for a more personal view, and another opportunity to gain trust! In-store purchases can also be track via customer mobile devices using location-based apps or through beacons and other similar installed technologies.

Now that buyer personas can be easily found, tracked, addressed, and even listened to, it’s time to actually do it! Digital marketing tools give marketers access to a wealth of information about, well, everyone, but specifically the likes and dislikes of their buyer personas. And when engaged in two-way communication, where personal conversations take place, trust is built. But that’s not all! Social channels allow for buyer personas to talk to each other, recommending products, services, and brands, and building trust in a way unavailable to any marketer!

Maintaining Trust

Armed with the buyer persona information and the various communication tools, marketing is no longer a mystery. Successful marketing plans include both what the business is trying to accomplish, and who they need to target. Goals lead to objectives which leads to action.

More important than a great plan is the ability to monitor it, and modify it when necessary. Nothing loses trust faster than missing the mark, and staying with the plan. A recent example of this is IBMs #HackAHairDryer campaign.

To support their Women’s Initiative, IBM launched a #HackAHairDryer social campaign, encouraging women to hack their hair dryers and create something new from the pieces. The idea was to help get women involved in STEM careers. Good intention, bad execution. Two specific actions resulted: 1. the backlash from women using the hashtag to mock the campaign, and 2. IBM apologized.

Without monitoring the campaign, IBM would have lost a lot of trust in the STEM community, especially with women. They did take a small hit, but redeemed themselves by quickly apologizing and ending the campaign. I want to know who did their buyer persona research!

Watching how people interact with the website, products, and social media enables a better connection with their needs. The value of staying on top of the buyer persona’s needs and their travels, both online and in-person, not only keeps the line of communication open, but also keeps it on target!

Trust comes from hard work, and once achieved, needs to be maintained or it’s easily lost. Start by understanding the buyer personas that match the overall business goals, then listening to and connecting with them at the right time, and finally modifying your approach when needed, and you will be “trust-able”.

Originally published at B2B R&D, Inc.