{"id":682,"date":"2018-03-09T18:01:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T23:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.ironmarkusa.com\/manufacturers-buyer-personas\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T22:15:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T02:15:35","slug":"manufacturers-buyer-personas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ironmarkusa.com\/manufacturers-buyer-personas\/","title":{"rendered":"Manufacturer\u2019s Guide: Creating Your First Buyer Personas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The digital space may feel like an endless resource, but you need to play your cards right to become profitable. Successful manufacturing businesses put themselves in their audience\u2019s shoes to learn how to grab their interest. What types of offers and messages interest them? Which communication channels do they prefer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where buyer personas come in handy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Buyer Persona?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A buyer persona<\/a> is a fictionalized version of your ideal customers. Think about the target audience you want to attract and build a 3-D image of them. Then, use this persona to understand how your real customers react to certain manufacturing business marketing campaigns, what deals they respond to, or what type of products they like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re a manufacturer, you probably have a good idea of your ideal customers. After all, you spend most of your resources manufacturing solutions that your customers will find valuable – that takes context and research. So, why is it that many manufacturers are missing key factors in their sales and marketing approach? To land more business you need to put the right messages in front of the right people inside of the right companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Create a Buyer Persona<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You might be asking, \u201cIs this one of those things that sounds easy but is actually really time-consuming and difficult?\u201d Let\u2019s put it this way: it\u2019s only as complex as you make it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: 7 Sneaky Tips for Building Buyer Personas<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can easily spend a lot of time and effort compiling data and creating strategies for several different personas, or you may only need a brief summary of your one main persona. Your company\u2019s needs will vary, but let\u2019s start at the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you really need to create buyer personas are the right questions. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. What is their demographic information?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. What is their education?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Where do they work? In what industry?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. What\u2019s their career level: entry-level or a management position?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. What does a typical week look like for them?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. How do they behave online? Are they present on social media? Do they read blogs or are they just watching cooking shows?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. What kind of products do they look for and where?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Do they first look at the reviews before they buy?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. How much are they willing to spend?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. What things do they look for in an online transaction? Do they only want free shipping, exclusive discounts, etc.? What about in-person transactions?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Developing buyer personas is similar to playing a game of The Sims<\/a>. Think of your character\u2019s behavioral qualities, imagine details about their life and what their personality is like. It can also help to give them a name \u2013 like Office Manager Michelle or Stay-at-Home Stanley \u2013 and a stock image face. A good buyer persona has their own identity, so have a distinctive point of reference moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Successful B2B manufacturing organizations put themselves in their audience’s shoes. Understand what resonates with them and what ultimately makes them respond — laying that groundwork is where your sales and marketing strategy should begin. Start by identifying the types of customers you’d like to sell to (companies), along with the correct roles of the people inside those companies (buyer personas).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Manufacturing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    B2B vs. B2C Personas<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    First, let\u2019s explain the two concepts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n