What Are Customer Personas?
Customer personas, also referred to as customer avatars, are semi-fictional characters representing your target customers. They are built using real data and insights about demographics, behaviors, values and motivations.
Think of them as detailed snapshots: a name, a photo, a backstory and a lifestyle that bring your audience to life. A good persona can reveal where someone shops, what media they consume, what values drive their decisions and what problems they are trying to solve.
Why Do Personas Matter?
Developing personas is a great way to think more deeply about who your business is trying to reach. Your marketing becomes sharper when you know your customers’ values, habits and interests. Instead of speaking to “everyone,” you can create campaigns that feel tailor-made.
With social media playing such a significant role in marketing, personas are no longer just helpful — they are essential. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok allow businesses to target ads and content to particular audiences.
Personas help you spend your ad dollars wisely, share content that speaks directly to customer needs, and build stronger, more authentic connections.
How Do You Build Customer Personas?
The best place to start when creating customer personas is with data. Look at the information you already have: sales records, website traffic, customer surveys or even simple conversations with the people who buy from you. From there, go beyond age or income and consider what motivates your customers:
- What do they value most?
- How do they spend their time?
- What challenges are they trying to solve?
Aim to create three or four clear personas representing most of your audience, since too many can water down your focus. And remember, customer behavior changes quickly. New platforms, shifting values or economic factors can all influence habits, so it’s essential to revisit and refresh your personas every six months to a year to keep them accurate and useful.
Example Personas
Sarah and Ben: Sarah and Ben are in their late 20s and live in Portland, Maine where Sarah works at a marketing agency and Ben is a brewer at a local craft brewery. With no kids yet, they spend much of their free time exploring what Maine offers — trying new restaurants, catching live music, or planning weekend getaways to the coast or mountains. They value experiences over things and stick to a budget while making the most of their time together. Their Toyota RAV4, complete with a bike rack, reflects their love of the outdoors and convenience. On Instagram and TikTok, they look for local events, sustainability hacks, and travel inspiration. Marketing that feels authentic, community-driven, and connected to Maine’s culture resonates strongly with them.
Bill and Bonnie: Bill and Bonnie are a retired couple in their early 70s living in Kennebunk, Maine. Their days are filled with golf outings, gardening and trips into town for lobster lunches. They enjoy strolling through local shops and supporting small businesses, but family remains the center of their lives. Their home often fills with children and grandchildren for meals, celebrations and holidays. They keep up with current events through the Portland Press Herald, local TV and radio while enjoying print magazines and town newsletters. They value comfort, quality and tradition, and respond best to marketing emphasizing trust, regional pride and community connections.
Erica: Erica is in her mid-40s and lives in Augusta, Maine, where she has worked for the State of Maine for over 15 years. A single mom of two kids, active in soccer and basketball, she juggles work and family with remarkable energy. Her mornings begin with coffee and Facebook news, afternoons are packed with sports schedules, and evenings wind down with TikTok or Instagram, where she searches for healthy recipes, wellness tips and convenience hacks. Despite her busy life, she prioritizes yoga, hiking with her yellow lab and the occasional camping trip with her kids and friends. She often shops online through Amazon and TikTok Shop. Marketing that highlights balance, health and time-saving solutions will catch her attention.
How Do Personas Work in Practice?
Reading through Sarah and Ben, Bill and Bonnie, and Erica, you can already picture how each makes decisions and what would influence their choices. That’s the power of personas: they make abstract “target audiences” feel real and relatable.
To get the most value, make your personas visible. Post them in your office or share them with your team so they guide campaigns, offers and content creation. Use them to inform your ad targeting on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, adjusting by interest and even time of day. Let them shape your email newsletters, blog topics and social posts, ensuring each piece of content speaks to someone specific.
When you market with personas in mind, you concentrate on the customers who genuinely connect with your business. This approach delivers sharper results immediately and creates opportunities to grow loyalty over time.
