The holidays are here with us again, it is time for businesses to think about their marketing strategies to use for the holiday shopping spree. The first and most important of these strategies is the creation of buyer personas, just like the police make sketches, to help you understand your potential customers. Below is a short summary of a few buyer personas.
1 Deal chasing Alice
Behavior:
Alice likes to make deals, she only buys when she feels it is a bargain and enjoys buying on discounts. She is always looking for a better deal and will drop your brand as soon as she feels there’s another offering a better deal. Brand loyalty is a foreign concept when dealing with Alice; just give her a good deal.
Strategy:
You have to get her attention even if it is a holiday promotion and everything is on discount. The ways to get her to notice you include; sending her an email highlighting the promotion as the subject, using past data, try to get her purchase budget and align this with the deals you are offering her.
2. Last minute shopping Richard
Behavior:
Richard is a busy man. He does most of his shopping on the go via his mobile phone. This he does at the very last minute when the promotion is at its tail end.
Strategy:
Messages like ‘hurry while the stocks last!’ are meant for Richards, creating a message that conveys urgency in your advertising campaign will quickly push him to do the purchase. Create an email message that is a call to action and pair it with customized audiences in Instagram and Facebook and avail next day delivery or shipping options. Remember, he is busy. Consider utilizing social media platforms for such consumers.
3. VIP Jones
Behavior:
Jones is the type of customer any business would like to have. Jones is a loyal customer who sticks to one brand, does frequent purchases and opens all emails you send him. He is the rock star shopper. Being loyal to all communication, social media use would be effective in selling to Jones.
Strategy:
The best strategy when dealing with Jones is to reward his loyalty with special treatment. Use his name in the content or email subject line, that will make him know he is not another ‘dear customer’. Personalize emails sent to Jones through digital marketing, and give him a holiday VIP discount. Offer him recommendations on other products that he may like.
4. Bridget the browser
Behavior:
Bridget is the undecided one. She rarely ends up buying whatever she has added to her online shopping cart. Even after being offered hefty discounts, Bridget is still unsure and ends up not buying. so how do you get Bridget to buy?
Strategy:
Give Bridget more attention by creating a browse email for abandonment, which triggers every time Bridget fails to buy a product she has repeatedly viewed. The same can be done if she abandons a product from her online cart. An online abandonment cart email can be sent to remind her of the product left behind. If this fails, you can try to get feedback on why she is not buying products; this can be through a survey, of course with an incentive like a discount upon completing the survey.
5. Joseph, holiday shopper
Behavior:
Joseph is your classic holiday shopper who does his shopping between November and January. He patiently waits for the holiday discount shopping season to begin.
Strategy:
Use information on what he purchased last year and use it for this year. Send him an email recommending what he bought last season; remember to stick to his budget.
6. Loice the cheerleader
Behavior:
Loice is the chief referee, always recommending friends and family to try your products and has also left her own online reviews. She is the best cheerleader.
Strategy: Give her the same treatment as VIP Jones.
7. Grace the impulsive
Behavior:
Grace is a sporadic shopper who buys all the complimentary items then goes out. She is a frequent browser too.
Strategy: Include the dynamic recommendation of products based on her past purchases. If she bought a blouse or skirt, pair it with a matching handbag or belt.
Summary
Diversify your messages to fit the different customer personas in order to increase your sales this holiday season. Avoid a one size fits all kind of messaging. Get creative.
