8 Questions Computer Consultants Need to Answer to Find Their Buyer Personas

Buyer personas are likely the most important component to Inbound marketing. They are the start of everything and what all keywords and content are based on going forward. So it is crucial not to skip this step or take it lightly.

You can start simply by looking at your client list and asking yourself questions. You may be surprised at how much you know about your clients.

If you have a lot of clients, a survey is another option. You can set up a simple page in Survey Monkey with ten to twenty questions. It’s always a good idea to offer a small bribe for completing your survey. Think in terms of a valuable white paper download, or if your budget allows, a small gift card.

If your client list is smaller, the best way to gather information is through one-on-one interviews. Email your clients and ask them for ten to fifteen minutes of their time by phone to help you create more relevant content. A small bribe here wouldn’t hurt either!

Whichever way you decide to gather your buyer persona data, I will promise you one thing. You will be amazed with your findings. You’ll start to pick up on trends and niches that may have gone unnoticed in the past. And with these findings, you can focus on better keywords, more personalized content, and more powerful lead generation.

So now you’re thinking, but what do I ask them? Here are eight areas we focus in on when researching buyer personas for our clients:

1. What is their demographic information? In this section, you’ll be looking for their age, their education, where they live, whether or not they are married, and if they have children.

2. What is their job title and level of seniority within the company? What is their role within the company? Are they the founder? Or are they middle management? You’ll also want to look at their level of seniority, meaning who do they report to within the company and who reports to them.

3. Describe a typical day in their life. This is basically a short paragraph about a typical work day. What do they do during the day? Are they working in the business or working on the business? Do they take part in social or networking events in the evenings?

4. What are their pain points and what could your company do to help them solve those pain points? You’re looking for current problems within the company. Are they experiencing a lot of downtime with their current systems, which has led to loss of employee productivity? Is there a new program in their industry that they were forced to move to and they’re lacking proper training? What are some solutions your company could offer to ease their pain?

5. What do they value most? What are their goals? What does this individual value for his or herself within their company and personally? And what are their goals? Maybe it’s work/life balance. Maybe it’s making sure the company is successful so they can give back to the community.

6. Where do they go for information? Many of your clients will say they search on Google or they talk with colleagues or friends. But ask what LinkedIn groups they have joined. Ask if they spend time on other social networks looking for information: Facebook, Twitter, etc. And ask what they specifically search for on Google.

7. What experience are they looking for when seeking out your services? Are they coming to you only for emergencies? Do they want someone who can do preventative maintenance to avoid emergencies? What type of relationship do they want to have with their computer consultant?

8. What are their most common objections to your service? Is it a price objection? Maybe it’s your availability or years in business?

By asking these same questions to at least a small group of your customers or prospects (I’d start with a minimum of ten, preferably twenty), you should start to see some commonalities emerge. From there, you can begin to create content that really resonates with your audience and powers your lead generation. Are you ready?

Have you developed buyer personas for your computer consultant firm yet? Are there other questions you asked your clients that were not included on this list? Please share with us in the section for Comments below.

To learn more about buyer personas and Inbound marketing for computer consultants, download your complimentary copy of the IT Channel Inbound Marketing Planning Guide.