Using Customer Personas for Relevant Web Video Production

Many marketers make the mistake of trying to cast their nets too wide ' they want to reach as many people as possible and to sell as much as possible. The problem with this is that messages become diluted and lack specific and direct appeal.

This short video takes you through the concept of customer personas and how you can use them to target your videos to the right people and get them to take action on your words.

In case you have any issues with the video; here is the script:

In this video I am going to tell you how building a 'persona', or profile of a typical viewer will add texture to the message in your videos and help your audience identify with what you are saying.

A 'Persona' is a useful tool to guide the content of all your video productions.

By painting a picture of exactly what your archetypal client looks like, you can speak to that one person directly and make use of much more compelling and connecting language.

OK, so let's start to create a persona for your marketplace. Think of a good broadcaster, say Terry Wogan, who may be talking to millions, but who connect individually with his audience because it feels like he is having a one to one.

He knows his audience profile exactly and in his head, he is just having a chat with you about the things he knows will amuse or interest you.

Jonathon Ross has a different targeted viewer with a higher shock threshold, who expects him to push the boundaries of taste.

They have the same technique addressing different market sectors.

In a business context, you will probably know who constitutes your own typical persona that have their own styles, preferences and language.

Understand, empathise with them to solve their specific needs and problems.

An example of a persona for our own MWP business might be that of a hard working small business owner, Sarah, who is struggling to turn visits to her website into conversions. She doesn't have a big budget for marketing and needs to be smart about how she spends her money. She doesn't know much about online sales and needs a service provider she can trust who will guide her to the best solution.

With that person's image in mind, how much more powerful can my message be by talking directly to them about what is relevant in their World?

Once you have your persona, you can use it to guide every level of the message and delivery of your video production.

There are two parts of the production process, which, in our experience, personas are particularly useful for.

Firstly, the script. This needs to speak to your target audience. If you write with the image of a specific person in mind, it will connect at a deep level to the people you are targeting.

Sarah, the example MWP persona, probably wouldn't respond if we went into technical detail about SEO and Google algorithms.

However, if the message is that we can help her video to drive more visitors to her site and then convert more into paying customers, she will be able to relate and feel the value of our message.

In other words, speak your customers' language. Understand what is important, what their fears and hopes are, and put yourself in their shoes as to what their priorities are.

Secondly, the people you choose to put in front of the camera need to reflect the profile of your customers.

The person in your video should be an authentic representation that they can identify as being credible for your company and the brand. You might want to choose a presenter who represents authority and expertise in advising the solution your customer is looking for.

For example, if you are talking health products, you might want to have a Doctor or well known health journalist as your presenter.

You can of course cast an actor to represent any of these 'types'.

Remember, you are never talking to thousands or millions.

In the viewers mind, you are always just talking to them as an individual. We like to deal with people who see us as individuals, not as part of a mass marketing campaign.