TL;DR
Buyer persona development can be time consuming
The time investment often means marketers make it up as they go
ChatGPT or Gemini can accelerate buyer persona development
A detailed prompt is provided to get started quickly along with a buyer persona canvas to document them
Update
Since I first published this article, a lot has changed in the world of Generative AI. It's gotten better, and we are getting better at prompt engineering. This is all good news for us since it makes our lives easier.
Recently, I started using Google's Gemini and revisited the topic of using GenAI to jumpstart buyer persona development. Below is a template you can use to get started, and I am confident it will accelerate your buyer persona development.
A special thanks to Jeff Su for his YouTube videos on using ChatGPT. They have been inspirational on my prompt engineering journey. Check out Jeff's videos if you haven't already.
The result...
My Name
Call me Sarah. I've been in the building materials game for over two decades now, working my way up to the CMO role here at [Company Name].
My Primary Responsibilities
I oversee all aspects of our marketing strategy, from brand awareness campaigns to lead generation and everything in between. Think of me as the conductor of the marketing orchestra, coordinating the team to achieve our goals.
My Top 5 Business Goals
Drive sustainable growth: I'm not just looking for a quick bump in sales; I want to see consistent, long-term growth for the company.
Build brand loyalty: We have a great product, and I want people to be die-hard fans, not just one-time customers.
Stay ahead of the curve: The industry is constantly evolving, so staying informed about new trends and technologies is crucial.
Optimize marketing ROI: Every dollar spent needs to deliver a clear return on investment.
Empower my team: I want to cultivate a team of talented and passionate marketing professionals who are constantly learning and growing.
My Spending Authority
I have a decent budget to work with, but I'm not signing off on multi-million dollar deals without board approval. However, I have the green light to make strategic marketing decisions and investments within a set spending limit.
My Personal Aspirations
Beyond the bottom line, I want to leave a positive mark on the industry. I'm passionate about sustainability and innovation, and I'd like to be part of the movement towards greener and more efficient building practices.
My Top 5 Problems
Cutting through the noise: It's a crowded marketplace, and getting our message heard can be a challenge.
Meeting evolving customer needs: Consumer preferences and buying patterns are constantly changing, so it's important to stay adaptable.
Measuring marketing effectiveness: Attributing success directly to marketing efforts can be tricky, but it's vital to demonstrate the value we're bringing to the table.
Talent acquisition and retention: Finding and keeping top marketing talent is crucial for our success.
Staying compliant with changing regulations: The marketing landscape is constantly evolving, and keeping up with the legal and ethical considerations is a necessary burden.
My Information Sources
I'm a big believer in staying informed. Here are my go-to sources for industry news:
Industry publications: Trade journals, online news platforms, and research reports keep me updated on the latest trends and innovations.
Industry events: Attending conferences, trade shows, and networking events allows me to connect with peers, learn from others, and identify potential partners.
Data and analytics: We have access to a wealth of data that helps us understand customer behavior and optimize our marketing efforts.
A Day in My Life
My days are a mix of strategic planning, team meetings, client calls, and data analysis. I might start the morning by reviewing campaign performance metrics, then jump into a brainstorming session with the team to come up with new marketing ideas. Later, I could be meeting with a potential vendor to discuss new marketing technologies, or presenting my latest strategy to the executive team.
No two days are exactly alike, but that's what keeps things interesting in this dynamic field.
It's taken me a while to tweak the prompt. Feel free to use and expand it to help you build buyer personas.
While this result doesn't have the depth I ultimately want, it does a better job of creating empathy for the consumer of the buyer persona. If I'm not familiar with the industry or role, I could easily find someone who is familiar to provide feedback.
Give it a try!
The buyer persona was produced in under 5 minutes once I had a good prompt to work from.
Here is an example of a product marketing manager buyer persona I created with Gemini using the prompt above. The only changes were to formatting. The words are copy and paste in the Buyer Persona Canvas.
Let's talk about what this means to you and the limitations of the results.
Jump-Start Buyer Persona Development
One of the most common problems with developing buyer personas is getting started. Conceptually, buyer personas are easily understood, but the practice of developing and maintaining them is an afterthought.
Using Chat GPT is a quick way to jump-start buyer persona development. I fear that it's so easy that it would be easy to get carried away and create more buyer personas than necessary.
Recognize the Limitations of Chat GPT
The quality of the result is only as good as the learning system of Chat GPT, relevant data availability, and your request's quality.
While the buyer persona creation of Sarah Lee is compelling, it lacks the depth to build empathy. Someone deeply familiar with Sarah Lee can fill the gaps between what exists in the generated buyer persona and what is reality. To that end, remember that a tool like Chat GPT can function as a research assistant but still requires further investigation and validation of the information.
To put it bluntly, don't take Chat GPT's information at face value. Apply critical thinking to be comfortable with the data before proceeding.
Crystal Knows - Another Buyer Persona Shortcut
Another buyer persona development shortcut I picked up in the last few years is using Crystal Knows. #CrystalKnows delivers a surprisingly accurate personality profile from a LinkedIn profile. I don't proclaim to know how it works, and frankly, I don't care. All I know is it produces terrifyingly accurate results.
The value to buyer persona creation is Crystal Knows can give you personality trait attributes. Find 3 or 4 representative LinkedIn profiles and run Crystal Knows to learn the personality attributes. Identify the patterns in the cohort and update your buyer persona.
And now you are one step closer to a fully formed buyer persona.