Think for a moment: do you know what your ideal customer looks like? If you were to ask most kids activity center owners, they would say something like, “Well, I want kids ages 6 – 10 for my classes.” But there are a few things wrong with that line of thinking.
For one, you’re not advertising to kids ages 4 – 8 – you’re advertising to the parents of kids ages 6 – 10. They’re the ones who will be signing up (and paying) for their kid to join your class. Secondly, it’s too vague. And a vague idea will lead to a bland ad, which will lead to people scrolling right on by. So, what should you do to better understand who your audience is and how to get them to join your business?
Meet Jenny
Jenny is 36 years old. She’s married to a computer engineer and has two kids, ages 4 and 7. The oldest is a boy obsessed with ninjas, and the youngest is a little girl about to start kindergarten but doesn’t have much experience with other kids in a structured environment.
Since Jenny is a stay-at-home mom, she wants to sign up her daughter for a pre-K gymnastics class that she can observe, ideally during the day while her son is at school. She would also love to find an afterschool activity for her son to burn off some energy and has been considering signing him up for karate because he loves ninjas.
Jenny searches for “Preschool gymnastics classes” and finds your gym. While looking over the site, she would see that you also offer ninja classes and have a discount for siblings. Obviously, she would sign up both kids for your classes.
The Art Of The Persona
Here’s the thing: Jenny and her family don’t exist. She’s what’s called a persona.
A customer persona–also called a buyer persona–is a representation of your ideal customer based on data, whether that’s from looking at your current clientele or based on the research you do into your industry. You can do this independently if you’re regularly interacting with the parents at your activity center, or you can collaborate with your team to get an idea of what your customers look like.
Creating a customer persona for your business can help you make your marketing more specific and deliberate in its targeting. By doing so and speaking to the “Jenny”s that are encountering your ads, you’re appealing to them directly rather than a vague “parents of kids ages 4 – 8”; appealing to them means connecting with them, and connections can end in sales.
How Do You Make A Customer Persona?
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a customer persona because every activity center operates differently, even those that offer the same classes. However, there are a few things you can consider when you start to think about your ideal customer, including:
- How old they are
- Whether they’re married or single
- What they do for work/how much money they make
- What hobbies they have
- How many kids they have
- Why they would be looking at your activity center
You can (and should!) make more than one persona, accounting for the different types of people that come into your activity center. You can also return to your personas every year to update them based on new data – and new customers – you find!
Wrapping Up
Creating a persona is an excellent way to laser-focus your marketing to appeal to the people you want to visit your activity center. You’ll have a better idea of what to offer them in your ads and how to speak to the people who will pay for the students rather than the students themselves.
If you’re struggling with creating customer personas or aren’t sure how to market to your ideal customer, that’s what we’re here for. Schedule your free consultation today, and let our team help you fill your classes with our digital marketing expertise!
