Are Personas a Good Approach in Social Media?

Are personas a good marketing tactic in the era of social media?

Should you blog using a persona, or conduct social campaigns under a persona?

Personas have long been a popular method of helping to bring personality to a brand, product or service. Think of sports teams, like the Minnesota Timberwolves and their mascot, Crunch. Or the GEICO Gecko. Or the Aflac Duck. All of these are marketing “personas” (as obviously wolves, geckos and ducks can’t speak on their own!)

But in the age of social media, where marketing is much more transparent and the message has become a conversation…are personas still a good marketing idea for business?

One theory is that you can effectively use a persona in your marketing if your audience knows there is a real person behind it. That is, don’t just post impersonal messages, self-promotions or thoughtless tweets in the name of your company mascot. Rather, make sure your persona actually interacts with your audience, answering questions, interacting and engaging – doing all the same things a real person would do.

By approaching it that way, your audience will be more likely to want to engage and interact with your company on social media – giving you the social media ROI you want to see from your marketing efforts.

What do you think?  Are personas a good idea for marketing in the age of social media?

Published on: October 10, 2013