As an entrepreneur, how do you best map out your target group?

B2B is the abbreviation for business to business, or companies that do business with other companies. But companies are run by people. People who leave their mark on the character of the company. Who shape it, build a reputation and propagate the philosophy of a company. This gives the company a personality. Almost a soul. Suddenly it is no longer just a registration with the Chamber of Commerce and stones of an office building. It only acts and reacts when it is properly motivated. Just like you and me.

Buyer persona

A company is also a target group. To give this target group a face, a buyer persona B2B defined. That can also be several if you have different target groups. A buyer persona is an example buyer. Once you have mapped them out, it is much easier to address them in their own language. How did you get that data? Very simple: talk to your customers and prospects. If you have a database of emails, you can send out a questionnaire with questions. Which questions? That depends on the information you want to retrieve, but this is a tried and tested list:

1.    Priorities

What goals and priorities does a company have? How do they plan to realize this?

2.    Success factors

How did the company get to where it is today? Where does it want to go in the future?

3.    Buying process

At what stage of the buying process is the company? What information is it looking for to make the decision? Where is that information obtained from?

4.    Obstacles

What doubts still live among the decision-makers? How can they be removed?

5.    Decision

How are different providers compared to each other? What can be the deciding factor in choosing a company?

Is it that simple then?

Unfortunately, determining a buyer persona is a time consuming job. Especially if you have multiple target groups, you have to make an extensive character sketch for each and adjust your content plan accordingly. What one person feels comfortable with can be repellent for another. Therefore, start small and pay sufficient attention to it. Take your main target group and try to put a buyer persona on paper for it.

This starts very basically with place of residence, family composition, age, hobbies, education level and income. But if you really want to get to know someone you go deeper of course. What do you prefer to eat? What is your favorite drink? What does your wardrobe look like? What blunder did you make last? What do you look for in a partner? At that moment you enter dangerous territory. You will learn things from someone who are sensitive. A good online advertising agency can use this to address subtly in a very personal way and to persuade you to take action. But be careful with that, the data protection law is strict when it comes to the use of overly personal data.