Recently, I shared a story about a seller of “orange juice extractor machines” who managed to sell almost 90% of his products through live demos in just 15 to 20 minutes.

How did he achieve such success? In short, he prepared himself to sell confidently without pause. During that time, he focused on urgency, quick results, building trust, eliciting sympathy, understanding his target market and users, and creating enticing offers for instant buyers.

This story serves as a reminder that when starting a business, it’s crucial to identify your strengths, tailor your approach to the actual buyers or customers, and avoid simply entering a larger market without a clear strategy.

While I was studying for my PM certification course from ISB Online Education in 2022, I came to realize the true value of understanding PERSONA.

In my career, I have worked with individual business owners, then moved on to startups, and eventually with a unicorn company. This experience has taught me how to understand the market and successfully target a larger audience as a business scales. In smaller businesses, we can easily identify our buyers, but as we expand, personas become crucial for shaping the overall growth of the business.

So, the question is: how do you find a persona, create the exact persona you want to target, and why is it crucial for your product’s growth?

I am not going to list the points that are already available on Google and in many published articles. I will explain it in a very simple way, without putting you under pressure, to help you understand how to define your desired persona and find it.

The simplest thing I can say is to go to the real market, observe the real world, travel by bus, metros, trains, airplanes, and observe real people and their behaviours. 

Look at this example: 

A comedian can’t find real comedy without diving into the real world and creating jokes around train crowds, metro commuters, bus riders, and so on. They understand that their target audience is traveling on buses, trains, and metros, spending time on mobile devices while watching comedy to find joy and pass the time.

A balloon seller boy always comes to a child when he/she is with their parents, offering to sell his/her balloons for the baby. He tries to perform magic with the balloon, creating dramatic situations around it, and ultimately, people end up buying it without any prior intention.

A freelance YouTuber always keeps talking about the freelance journey and growth so that all freelancers can follow. Also, if clients want to hire him, they fall into his trust by looking at his content, which is regular and consistent.

There are many real examples to understand why and how to find it.

If you find your “why,” then it’s easy to find “how.”

Let’s assume,

If you are building a gaming app and have published it on an app store. Now what?

If you are building an app that supports online doctor consultations. Now what?

In both cases, after launching your app, you need customers, and you have to determine how to market it. You need to identify the individuals who are likely to purchase your service or play your game.

Now, think about your product first:

Is the game you’ve developed intended for travellers with only 10 minutes to spare and play, or is it aimed at hardcore gamers who invest a significant amount of time in other games and could also enjoy yours?

As for the doctor consultation app, is it primarily designed for emergency services, or is it meant for casual daily checkups? What are all the possible use cases and scenarios you intend to cover for online consultancy?

You need to focus on just one individual and that becomes your persona. Having multiple personas in your mind can lead to distractions and hinder your business growth. Deciding on one persona is a solid starting point for your business.

Clarifying and explaining how to find a persona for your business from the examples above without taking too much of your time:

For a Gaming App, you can start by dividing it into two categories:

• Hardcore Gamers
• Casual Gamers

If your gaming app features AAA games, target hardcore gamers who are often at home, working remotely, etc. If it’s a hyper-casual game, focus on casual gamers who commute to the office daily and target them during their travel time.

For a Doctors App:

• Emergency Service Consultancy
• Quick Call for Regular Checkups

If your Doctors App offers emergency services, target individuals dealing with critical health issues and consider reaching out to their families through advertisements. If it’s designed for quick calls and regular checkups, identify those who frequently undergo routine checkups, and target your ads in laboratories or among people who regularly schedule such checkups.

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In my next topic, I will provide an exact persona template that you can fill out to generate your own persona. I will also explore the potential target audiences for your product, including different age groups that can benefit from your services. Additionally, I’ll delve into monetization strategies to help drive the growth of your product.

Stay Tuned,

Vikash Jha.

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