Don’t Forget About Segmentation

Over the last couple of weeks Personas have been a hot topic of conversation (are they useful?, challenges, how to write, etc):

• The Problem With Personas from Product Management Meets Pop Culture
• Persona-bly Speaking over on the Theprodmgr’s Blog
• Look in the Corners to Unmask Quiet Personas from Outside-In View
• How to Create Reader Profiles/Personas to Inspire and Inform Your Blogging from ProBlogger

The one thing I have seen missing from the discussion is how you figure out who your target customers are in the first place.  Do you know what groups are the most interested in your brand?  Your competitors?  Which part of the market is growing the fastest?  Who is willing to pay the most/least for your type of product/service?

Before you get knee deep into building your personas, you need to have developed a clear understanding of your market segments.  You need to know who your customers are on a macro level before you can get into the finer details.

Here is a good place to start:

and once you figure out who your customers are, make sure you are working to turn them into devoted customers:

Photo Credit:  raysto.