We love questions like ‘what motivates your customers on a daily basis?’ and ‘how can you speak to your customers?’, so it’s no secret that we’re a fan of building buyer personas. Personas help you keep customer motivation top of mind and improve all your marketing activities.
To build on our existing personas, we’re bringing you 6 new holiday buyer personas. These are important to consider because customer behavior often changes during the holidays and oftentimes you are marketing to an audience outside of your regular customer base.
Use these buyer personas to improve your small business’ holiday marketing campaigns.
Planner Pablo
Planners like Pablo have likely already started some shopping and are the type to #humblebrag about finishing shopping early. Planners love their calendars, and they love making lists to keep track of their shopping—think lists related to gift ideas, sales, and stores.
As someone so future-focused, planners tend to understand what the latest fads are and like to stay trendy.
How to sell to holiday buyers that plan ahead:
Because buyers like Pablo are inclined to plan ahead, it’s best to get your sales and deals announced early. Focus on the clarity of your message as well as the nitty gritty—the start and end dates of sales, shipping cut-offs, and inventory updates. For food businesses, encourage reservations and pre-orders.
Social media templates for holiday buyers that plan ahead
Traditional Tanya
Tanya is traditional, meaning she values maintaining annual holiday traditions and customs. She loves knowing what there is to be excited about every year. Tanya is the type to have a story for every ornament she puts on the Christmas tree.
She looks forward to these things every year but it doesn’t mean she isn’t willing to add her own twist to traditions. She loves fresh ingredients in classic recipes, incorporating new Christmas Eve rituals, and participating in Secret Santa gift exchanges.
How to sell to traditional holiday buyers:
When marketing your own take on a holiday tradition, the key is to maintain what is at the heart of the tradition. This means you should have an understanding of their motivations—things like nostalgia, comfort, and love. Display how your business can provide those things to them.
There is power in becoming a part of someone’s tradition. Building a strong repor with Tanya means you’ll have a customer for life and across generations.
Social media templates for traditional holiday buyers
Online Oscar
Between not having to leave his house for errands and the ease of finding what he needs, Oscar loves online shopping. He is very busy so he values convenience and the options technology provides like free shipping, gift wrapping options, and curb-side pick-up.
As an avid user of technology, Oscar likes to join business email lists and follow new businesses on social media to stay in the loop and get exclusive deals.
How to sell to online holiday buyers:
Online shoppers don’t want to deal with the hassle of holiday shopping so they are maximizing their downtime and time off work. Use your marketing to call out how your business can provide what they're looking for while also being the most convenient option.
Go the extra mile with the option of offering email or SMS to provide updates and exclusive deals for customers. These types of customers are also some of the most likely to visit your social media pages for more information so make sure everything is up to do and don’t be afraid to have a special social promo.
Social media templates for online holiday buyers
Bargain-hunter Bailey
Like any good bargain-hunter, Bailey gets excited from the thrill of the hunt and finding diamonds in the rough. She usually has a lot of people to shop for and is the type to go through holiday sales and BOGO offers to find the perfect gifts for her friends and family.
At the heart of Bailey’s bargain-hunting is a love of finding great values for a cheaper cost.
How to sell to bargain-hunting holiday buyers:
Provide details of sales and offers so bargain-hunters can do their research ahead of time. They already have an idea of what they’re looking for so it’s a matter of giving them an irresistible deal. For this, offer deals for higher quantity orders, bigger percentages off the more they spend, and of course, offering a sale on things that aren’t normally discounted.
Social media templates for bargain-hunting holiday buyers
Hostess Hannah
Hostess Hannah has a knack for bringing everyone together around the holidays. She has an eye for detail and likes to stay organized. It’s in her nature to do the research up front and it’s up to you to ensure you are answering any lingering questions she might still have about your product or service.
How to sell to the holiday hostess:
Holidays means lots of parties for hosting (and marshmallows for toasting, if you believe the song) so advertise how you can help make things easier; how can your products or services help Hannah have the best holiday party on the block? Hostesses also want to make a good impression which means they will do their research. Provide information for them like reviews, testimonials, or customer quotes.
Social media templates for holiday hostesses
Hesitant Harry
Harry’s love language isn’t gift giving, adding extra stress to the already busy holiday season. In his stress to find “the perfect gift” he often finds himself scrolling social media endlessly in search of something that catches his eye and inspires him to buy.
Harry has also been known to procrastinate from time to time and needs something to help him spring into action.
How to sell to hesitant buyers:
Hesitant buyers tend to leave things to the last minute for one reason or another, whether they’re unsure what to buy or worried someone won’t like their gift.
The goal with them is to both make shopping as foolproof as possible and standout with a gift or experience that’s unique. Take the guesswork out of shopping by providing shopping guides, wishlist creation, and gift cards for shoppers in a pinch. For extra reassurance, share your satisfaction guarantee or returns and exchange policy if you have one in place.
Social media templates for hesitant buyers
Not sure what else to post? Get our week-by-week breakdown of content planning for the holiday season!
Using buyer personas helps put you in the shoes of your target customer. Most actual people are a mix of persona types, so we encourage you to experiment with your marketing and see what your audience responds to best.
Get more tips: How to drive sales using social media
