Creating Target Personas to Match Your Affluent Buyers

Published by Katy Doss, Script CEO | August 20, 2024

Do you ever get lost in the weeds of who you’re selling to? It happens to the best of us. You know your business, you know your product or service, but sometimes you just take a step back and think – wait. Who am I actually marketing to?

You can definitely have this problem if you’re creating content for your business. Sit down to write a blog post or email, and it’s all over the place, because you’re writing to an abstract idea of your ideal affluent buyer.

Let’s remedy the issue with Target Personas.

What is a Target Persona? 

A target persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer, based on real data. It includes demographics, behaviors, motivations, and goals to help you understand and communicate with your audience more effectively. Most businesses have three or four personas.

Example Target Persona

Let’s look at a sample target persona and break it down section by section.

Let’s say you own a business that sells super high-end outdoor sculptures and fountains. They are the epitome of luxury. You’ve put together your first target persona, which is a client named John. Keep in mind – John isn’t a real person – he is a compilation of all the people similar to him who have done business with you, or who you would like to do business with. Let’s look at John’s target persona and break it down section by section.

Download a sample target persona here.

Demographics

Demographic information is the statistical characteristics of a person – age, gender, income level, etc.

Age: 48
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Children: Two (ages 12 and 16)
Location: Westchester County, NY
Occupation: CFO
Income: $300,000+ annually
Education: MBA from an Ivy League university

Psychographics

Psychographic information includes the characteristics of individuals that describe their psychological attributes. It basically is used to understand why people behave the way they do.

Interests: Art, luxury travel, fine dining, wine collecting, philanthropy
Values: Quality, exclusivity, sustainability, craftsmanship
Lifestyle: Luxurious, hosts social gatherings, values aesthetics
Personality: Discerning, detail-oriented, status-conscious, cultured

Behavioral Information

Behavioral information refers to the data and insights about the actions, habits, and decision-making processes of individuals within a target audience.

Buying Habits: Prefers bespoke items, values personalized experiences
Brand Loyalty: High once trust is established
Preferred Channels: Direct mail, personal consultations, luxury magazines, social media
Online Behavior: Browses high-end design sites, subscribes to luxury content

Goals and Challenges

Goals are the desired outcomes or objectives that your individual wants to achieve. Challenges are the obstacles or difficulties that this individual might encounter in their pursuit of that goal.

Goals: Wants a beautiful home that impresses others
Challenges: Finding unique pieces, busy schedule, ensuring quality installation

Motivations and Influences

Motivations are the internal, underlying reasons or driving forces that compel a person to take action or make decisions. Influences are external factors or sources of information that impact the decision-making process.

Motivations: Desire to showcase success, passion for art.
Influences: Recommendations from designers, luxury publications, social circle

How to Use Target Personas 

Now that we’ve gone through a pretty comprehensive target persona, let’s talk about how you can use this information to sell more of what you sell.

Target personas give you someone to talk to in your marketing. Rather than putting together a general Meta ad to promote your product or service, you can put together a meta ad aimed at JOHN.

Think about the value in that when you have 3 or 4 target personas. What if you have a second persona – Mary – for this high-end sculpture and fountain business. What if Mary is a retired woman in her 70’s who wants a relaxing, beautiful fountain in her backyard space that she can enjoy as she reads, gardens, and spends time with her grandchildren? Mary is VERY different from John, but they are both ideal customers for this business.

Your ad targeting John is going to be completely different from your ad targeting Mary – John’s ad may feature a jet-set style guy, hosting a fancy soiree at his home, featuring guests oohing and ahhing at this beautiful sculpture. Mary’s ad, on the other hand, may feature a calm, serene setting showing a retired husband and wife enjoying their morning coffee and newspapers next to their fountain. Both target personas can dictate website landing pages, professional photography, even sales strategies and customer engagement.

Want to learn more? Check out our podcast episode about creating and using target personas!

Download our free target persona creation guide here for a step-by-step walkthrough!