Search and Content Strategy from User Persona

We’ll dive into the nitty gritty details about how to form a solid search strategy in a second.For now, though we can focus our search engine brainstorms on different keyword phrases that relate to the tasks Chris trying to accomplish (again, more on how to do this in a bit).

For now, let’s riff on what phrases Chris might possibly search on…

• “Productivity tools”?
• “Moleskine journaling tips”?
• “Ways to be more organized in meetings?”
• “How to read and journal”?
• “Writing to remember”?
• “Habits of successful financial advisors”?
• “How to be organized when starting your own company”?

Why this exercise works
All these phrases can be worked into content creation on our website based on the engagement we will see from our research on these terms. We might also run a paid search search campaign and track the effectiveness of click-thru rates (CTR) using these terms to discover which ones convert over to sales. Using a web metrics tool like Google Analytics, we will know where users come from, where they go, where they fall out in the sales funnel, and if they complete a check-out and purchase a product.

But aside from having a good grasp at going after the technical tactics, there is another added benefit of a solid user persona.

As we’ve seen over and over, attention is the true currency online. We have to build our brand experience around providing a good return on this investment for Chris.

Knowing what Chris wants in life (to start his own investment firm), we can build content on our website and publish through social media channels.

For example:

• Our blog can focus on all sorts of tips and tricks for helping our dear customer move up in their career.
• We might cover the benefits of active journaling for providing insights into your professional and personal goals.
• We might play up the importance of always being prepared for when inspiration strikes.
• Or just making sure you make it to the coffee shop with pen, paper, and money for a cup of joe.
• We can also build content that features interviews with creative and successful people in the professional world and explore their habits for self-reflection and professional development.

All this content will resonate with Chris because we now know what he is trying to accomplish in life and what matters to him. The persona provides a glimpse into his aspirations and emotions – not ours.

We will measure our success with tools like site analytics, comments on our website, and our social media stream to test and confirm whether this resonates. We will be creating, listening, measuring, and tweaking our content in real-time based on these results.

Key takeaway: A user persona is ever evolving. If you have the luxury of knowing existing customers this becomes easier and you are much closer to the bull’s eye as a result. If your marketing department doesn’t have these insights, you now have a good example to follow to build out one. Be sure to go back and adjust assumptions as you study your customer and gather more data. Treat it like an ongoing research project and you will get big “a-ha” moments and build a stronger brand as a result.