HubSpot Personas Done Correctly
At Sidekick Strategies, we recognize the importance of understanding and utilizing personas effectively within HubSpot. Historically, personas have often been misunderstood or overly complicated, leading to missed opportunities and inefficiencies. We aim to demystify personas and provide a streamlined approach to integrating them into HubSpot for better segmentation, communication, and overall performance.
What is a Persona?
A persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on research and data about your existing and potential customers. It helps paint a vivid picture of your customers, what they do, and what motivates them. However, we take this further at Sidekick Strategies by emphasizing that a persona is a human with specific hurdles or aspirations. This human-centric approach ensures we remain empathetic and valuable to our customers throughout their journey.
Common Issues with Personas
Traditionally, creating personas has been seen as a complex process involving extensive data collection, voice of customer research, and lengthy development periods. This complexity often leads to delayed implementation and missed opportunities to leverage HubSpot's full potential. At Sidekick Strategies, we believe in a more agile approach, focusing on getting started quickly and refining personas over time.
Fast-Tracking Persona Implementation
We recommend a phased approach to persona creation and implementation to ensure that HubSpot works better for you as a user. Here’s how you can get started quickly and effectively:
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Define Basic Persona Elements:
- Name: Create descriptive names that clearly define the persona. For example, "Barry the SMB Owner" or "Enterprise Emma."
- Description: Provide a brief but comprehensive description, such as "I'm an owner or employee at an established SMB looking for help with HubSpot."
- Positive or Negative Indicator: Mark whether the persona is someone you want to engage with or avoid.
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Use the 'I Am A' Framework:
- Change the label in HubSpot forms to "How would you best describe yourself?" This encourages respondents to identify themselves with "I am a..., " simplifying data collection and segmentation.
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Incorporate Second Smart Questions:
- Use conditional logic to ask follow-up questions based on the initial persona selection. This helps gather more detailed and relevant data without overwhelming the user.
Example of a Persona Implementation:
For instance, if a pest control company identifies "Apartment Annie" as a negative persona due to the complexity of servicing apartments, they can include this option in their forms. When "Apartment Annie" identifies herself, the system can automatically adjust lead scoring and send tailored follow-up emails providing helpful resources or alternative service recommendations.
Leveraging HubSpot for Effective Persona Management
Integrating personas into HubSpot enables better segmentation, personalized communication, and more accurate reporting. Here's a step-by-step guide to set up personas in HubSpot:
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Create Persona Properties:
- Set up persona properties in HubSpot to capture essential information.
- Ensure these properties are used consistently across forms and lists.
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Design Forms with Personas in Mind:
- Include the persona question in your forms and use conditional logic to ask relevant second smart questions.
- Avoid editing persona properties directly in forms to maintain consistency.
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Segment and Automate:
- Use the persona data to create segmented lists and tailor your marketing automation workflows.
- Design email campaigns and other communications to align with each persona's specific needs and preferences.
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Continuous Improvement:
- Regularly review and refine your personas based on new data and insights.
- I'd like you to conduct periodic workshops with your team to ensure everyone understands and uses personas effectively.
The Importance of Negative Personas
Understanding who you don't want to engage with is as crucial as identifying your ideal customers. Negative personas help you streamline your processes, saving time and resources by focusing on leads more likely to convert. For example, if "Apartment Annie" is a negative persona for a pest control company, identifying her early in the process can prevent wasted efforts on leads that are unlikely to result in a sale.
Conclusion
Implementing personas in HubSpot doesn't have to be a lengthy or complex. Following these steps, you can quickly use personas to enhance your marketing, sales, and service efforts. Remember, the goal is to understand who interacts with your company, their motivations, and how to serve them best. With this approach, you'll be well on your way to achieving better segmentation, communication, and overall success with HubSpot.
If you need more detailed guidance or assistance with setting up your HubSpot personas, feel free to contact the Sidekick Strategies team. We're here to help you every step of the way!