Understanding Buyer Personas to Select Promotional Merchandise

Picture this: You’re flying out to Perth this Christmas to meet your girlfriend’s mother for the first time. Obviously, you need to bring her a gift. You could just settle for a generic basket of fruity lotions or a Myers gift card. However, you want to make a lasting impression, so you decide to dig deeper. What are your future mother-in-law’s (fingers crossed!) hobbies? What is she passionate about? In order to win her over, you need to find that perfect gift that she would have picked out herself. If you think about it, your girlfriend’s mother isn’t much different than your clients. In this article, we will show you the importance of understanding buyer personas to select promotional merchandise.

What are buyer personas, anyway?

We’re sure you’re familiar with what a buyer persona is, but just in case, it is described as follows: “Buyer personas (sometimes referred to as marketing personas) are fictional, generalised representations of your ideal customers. Personas help us… internalise the ideal customer we’re trying to attract, and relate to our customers as real humans. Having a deep understanding of your buyer persona(s) is critical to driving content creation, product development, sales follow up, and really anything that relates to customer acquisition and retention.” (Pamela Vaughan, 2015) Establishing buyer personas is crucial in determining what your promotional merchandise should be selected.

How, exactly, should you determine your buyer personas? While demographics such as age, sex, and ethnicity can be helpful, they are not the end-all. You need to dig deeper and discover what really makes your (present and future) clients tick. What are their motivations? What do they value, need, and desire?

How can you determine your unique buyer personas?

In order to reveal your buyer personas, you can send out a survey with questions similar to those above. Analyse your data to see who is visiting your social media channels and your website to glimpse what they are looking for. Another way is to use our straightforward Buyer Persona Template, which can be found in our toolbox.

The ideal client persona will be someone who has a high potential for brand loyalty and are likely not only to become return customers but also to refer your service to others. Once you have established who these personas are, and pinpointed their interests, you will be much better equipped to address their needs. In your marketing campaigns, you will be able to assist their professional goals by providing useful content based on their interests. In addition, by knowing who you are reaching out to, you can improve communication by adapting your tone. For instance, you would write an email to a CEO much differently than a millennial Event Manager. Use this buyer persona knowledge to your advantage.

What does this have to do with promotional merchandise?

Once you know your demographic well and have selected the buyer persona you’d like to target, you have access to the full potential of promotional products. The successful business owner with an affinity for sports would make a perfect candidate for golf balls. The digital nomad in their 20s or 30s would definitely carry around the Stark Tech Computer Backpack. Or the jet-setting businesswoman who’s always looking for unique souvenirs would love to bring some Kangaroo Chocolates home to her British friends.

No matter which promotional products you choose to give away, be sure that it caters directly to your ideal buyer persona. Not only will they feel understood, they will also proudly don that sweatshirt (with your logo on it) for all to see. Mission accomplished!

Have any questions about buyer personas or selecting the perfect promotional merchandise? Let us know!