If you’re regularly using personas to deliver targeted content and improve marketing impact for your B2B organization, you’re probably enjoying the fruits of well-executed planning.
(Unsure how personas will benefit your B2B company? Learn more here.)
Remember, that just as we change and grow as individuals, so do companies and their decision-makers. While some core elements may stay the same, you’ll find that collective behaviors can shift over time, established problems morph into new ones, and our understanding of audiences deepens as richer insights become available.
Knowing that personas are dynamic and merit review will keep your strategy sharp and your messaging on point. But how often should you review and refresh your personas? Read the following tips from the OneMagnify customer research team.
Shifting external factors can signal shifting personas.
There are many factors outside of your business’ control that shift customer needs, and when analyzed properly, they can offer new opportunities to better connect with your audience and increase conversions. Here are some external triggers that could signal a need for a persona review.
- Changes in your industry: Industries where technology and trends change quickly, like tech and fashion, may need more frequent persona reviews compared to slower-moving or legacy industries. Similarly, frequent acquisitions or the arrival of industry disruptors can make the time right for a persona review.
- Changes in customer behavior: Customer behaviors change for a lot of reasons, and it’s not just about new technology. Behavior can change seasonally or due to global business trends. Additionally, new industry reports can shed new light on current behaviors or introduce new behaviors altogether.
- Changes in target demographics: Evolving job demographics can be missed when you’re relying on outdated personas. For example, a professional role historically filled by the Gen X cohort may start to see more Gen Z individuals, and B2B marketing strategies must reflect the differing characteristics, values, and behaviors between the two. To illustrate, while Gen X is comfortable with traditional media and early digital technologies, Gen Z prefers short-form content, instant communication, and interactive platforms.
- Changes as a result of crises: Lastly, a company-centric crisis or global crisis like Covid-19 could change how target audiences interact with and perceive your company, calling for a thorough persona review to ensure your messaging tracks with current sentiment and context.
Changing internal factors may indicate a need for updated personas.
External shifts are moving goalposts that need regular review, but this only accounts for half of the equation – the other half is impacted by internal shifts. Below are some key internal drivers for persona changes.
- Changes in company goals or strategy: If your long-term business strategy or value proposition changes, it could impact your personas and how you speak to them, ushering in the need for review. For instance, if the company enters a new market or focuses on a different product line, the customer personas may need an update to reflect new target demographics and needs.
- New product or service launch: New products that address a unique need likely require a new, or at least evolved, persona. Companies sometimes erroneously extend solution-specific personas from one product to a new, similar product without realizing it may necessitate a re-evaluation of the target audience, so remember, most product changes (whether net-new or alterations to an existing product) require persona changes.
- New customer feedback and insights: Newly available insights impact personas, and information collected through updated customer satisfaction surveys, CRM system updates, or other customer feedback channels can yield novel observations about customer needs or preferences.
Keep an annual review on the books.
At minimum, commit to an annual persona review to ensure they continue to align and resonate with your target markets. If marketing efforts aren’t meeting expectations or customer engagement is declining, you can take cues from external and internal factors to tighten up your personas and strengthen their representative powers.
Proceed at the pace of your external and internal environment.
Ideally, you’ll use the key moments detailed above to save you from perpetually iterating on your B2B personas, allowing you to lead with precision and intentionality.
OneMagnify can help identify opportunities for persona review by leveraging our industry expertise and optimizing your data to generate insights that refresh and strengthen personas.
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