March 06, 2012
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Marketing Research Chart: Top tactics in developing buyer personae

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SUMMARY: Our research finds that 41% of B2B firms have established buyer personae, while 47% of organizations have not. Both groups could benefit from learning best practices to either establish or adjust existing personae as their market evolves, so they can gain greater relevance for their communications strategies.

To discover these best practices we asked organizations which tactics are most effective in developing buyer personae. In this week’s chart, find out the results from more than 1,700 B2B marketers.
by Jen Doyle, Senior Research Manager

Conducting interviews rated as a top tactic in developing buyer personae

Q. What tactics did you find to be most effective in developing your buyer personae?

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The most effective development tactic involves going straight to the source, and interviewing prospects and/or customers themselves. Organizations can ask these parties directly, “What problem are you trying to solve with our solution?” or “Why did you choose us over the competition?”

Gaining actual, qualitative information directly from prospects and/or customers can be highly insightful in defining buyer personae.

Organizations clearly have an appreciation for qualitative data when researching buyer personae, as the top two tactics are both qualitative.

This data also indicates that a best practice is to balance qualitative data collected from interviews with quantitative data, as the third- and fourth-most effective tactics are quantitative.

Organizations must be conducting qualitative research first and foremost, and then collecting quantitative data on the insights they uncover.

For additional research data and insights about B2B marketing, download and read the free Executive Summary from the MarketingSherpa 2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report: Research and Insights on Attracting and Converting the Modern B2B Buyer.

Useful links related to this research chart

Guided by Buyers: 4 tactics to create a customer-centric sales and marketing strategy

Buyer-Directed Marketing Funnel Puts Tools and Resources in Prospects' Hands: 6 Steps to Appeal to a Marketing-Averse Audience

2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report





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