Creating customer personas
Posted on 9th May 2025
You want to connect with your ideal customers. You want to be able to maintain that sense of customer engagement. Of course you do! So – you need to know who they are. You need to discover your ‘customer personas’. These are what will give you a clear picture of the people you're trying to reach – what matters to them, what drives their decisions, and how they prefer to interact with your business.
Get this right, and everything from your messaging to your services becomes sharper, smarter and more effective.
What is a customer persona?
A customer persona is a detailed profile that represents a specific segment of your audience. It’s not a real person – but it’s built from real data. Done well, it reflects the goals, behaviours and pain points of a wider group of people you want to serve.
Think of it as a shortcut to empathy. Instead of writing or marketing to a vague audience, you’re focusing on someone with a name, needs, and motivations. That changes everything.
What makes a strong customer persona?
Good personas don’t come from guesswork.
They’re grounded in facts, built using real insights from -
• Customer surveys and interviews
• Website and social media analytics
• Sales and support data
• Feedback from your team
Each persona should cover key areas like -
• Demographics – age, gender, job title, income
• Goals – what they want to achieve
• Challenges – what gets in their way
• Buying habits – how and why they choose to buy
• Psychographics - their attitudes, aspirations, belief systems
• Communication style – how they prefer to be reached
For example, if a core customer segment includes time-poor parents who value sustainability, your marketing should reflect that – with quick reads, mobile-friendly content, and clear eco credentials.
How to use a customer persona
Personas aren’t just for show. They should shape your day-to-day decisions, including -
• How you write your emails, blogs, or social posts
• What kind of products or services you offer
• How you structure your website or sales process
• How you speak to different customer types in campaigns
They help you personalise content, anticipate objections, and keep your customer’s needs at the centre of your strategy. But be careful not to treat them as strict boxes to tick. People don’t always behave like their profile – they’re more than a list of traits.
So treat personas as flexible guides. Review and update them as your business grows and customer behaviours shift.
A working example
Let’s say you run an online bookkeeping service. You might create three personas -
1. Sophie – a solo creative, overwhelmed by finances, wants simple tools and clear advice
2. Mike – a time-pressed small business owner, focused on compliance and saving time
3. Aisha – an ambitious start-up founder, wants insight, scalability, and proactive support
Each one needs the same service, but they’ll respond to different language, pain points and priorities. With strong personas in place, you can shape your offer to suit each one – without losing your brand’s voice.
Don't guess - ask!
The best way to build customer personas is to listen.
Ask your customers what they care about. Look at how they behave. Combine your data with human insight, and you’ll create personas that actually work.
Be clear about your customers
Do you need help to create customer personas that actually drive results? Let’s shape them together – so you know exactly who you're talking to, and how to win them over.
Maybe it's time for a chat.
We’d love to hear from you.
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