A Crash Course in Conversion Optimization: The Four Personas
Note: This is Part 4 of a series on the things I learned while taking Conversion Optimization, a training course on MarketMotive.com.
Another lesson from my Conversion Optimization training that applies to B2B marketing and buying behavior is called the Four Personas. As the courses instructor, Bryan Eisenberg, explained, understanding the Four Personas is crucial to keeping prospects on your website and converting them to sales.
There are four personality characteristics that influence peoples buying behavior: whether they are quick, logical, deliberate and/or emotional when they make decisions. We can be all of these things from time to time, but most of us tend to lean on some characteristics more than others.
This is where the Four Personas come in: Competitive, Spontaneous, Methodical and Humanistic.
When making a purchasing decision, if someone is
- Competitive: they’re quick and logical.
- Spontaneous: they’re quick and emotional.
- Methodical: they’re deliberate and logical.
- Humanistic: they’re emotional and deliberate.
When motivating your customers to buy, you must appeal to the way each one of them makes purchasing decisions. For example, what would be the quick and logical answer for why someone should buy your product? What about the quick and emotional answer? Your website must include these answers in a clear and conspicuous manner, because your prospects will not search for it, they will simply leave.
Eisenberg concludes the Four Personas part of the training course by breaking down the Competitive, Spontaneous, Methodical and Humanistic personas even more, and with my next blog entry I’ll delve a little deeper into their characteristics. In the meantime, begin thinking about the Four Personas and how your product or service could appeal to them.
